The monkey straightened his clothes and followed the boy into the depths of the grotto to observe: layer upon layer of deep pavilions and jade towers, entrance upon entrance to palaces of pearls and shells, countless quiet and secluded dwellings. Until they reached the foot of the Jade Terrace, where they saw the Bodhi Patriarch seated on the platform, with thirty lesser immortals standing below on either side. Indeed, it was—the Greatly Enlightened Golden Immortal, without blemish, the wondrous form of the Western Patriarch Bodhi. Neither born nor dying, practicing the Threefold Path, possessing complete energy and spirit, boundless compassion.
Emptiness and stillness naturally follow change; true nature acts as it pleases. A majestic body, as enduring as heaven; a great master who has enlightened his mind through countless eons.
Upon seeing this, the Monkey King prostrated himself and kowtowed countless times, repeatedly saying, "Master, Master! Your disciple sincerely pays homage, sincerely pays homage!"
This Bodhi Patriarch was none other than the woodcutter from before, an incarnation of the Sage Zhunti. Seeing the monkey wandering outside the mountain, he transformed into his body and lured the monkey in. Although he knew the monkey's true form, he couldn't help but have some thoughts in his mind. Knowing that the monkey was unruly, he wanted to teach it a lesson.
The patriarch said, "Where are you from? Tell me your hometown and name clearly, then bow again."
The monkey said, "This disciple is from the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain in Aolai Country of Dongsheng Shenzhou."
The patriarch shouted, "Get him out! He's a fraud and a charlatan; how could he possibly cultivate any spiritual fruit!"
The monkey hurriedly kowtowed and said repeatedly, "Disciple speaks the truth, there is absolutely no deception." The Patriarch said, "Since you are honest, why did you mention Dongsheng Shenzhou? That place is separated from here by two great seas and one Nanzhanbuzhou. How did you get here?"
The monkey kowtowed and said, "This disciple has traveled across oceans and wandered the world for more than ten years before finally finding this place."
The patriarch said, "Since you've come this far gradually, so be it. What's your surname?"
The monkey continued, “I have no sex. If people scold me, I will not get angry; if they hit me, I will not be resentful. I will just apologize and that will be it. I have no sex in my life.”
The patriarch said, "That's not your nature. What were your parents' original surnames?"
The monkey said, "I have no parents either."
The patriarch said, "Since you have no parents, you must have been born from a tree?"
The monkey said, "Although I was not born from a tree, I grew from a stone. I only remember that there was a fairy stone on Flower Fruit Mountain. When the stone broke open, I was born."
Upon hearing this, the patriarch was secretly pleased and said, "If that's the case, then it must be something created by heaven and earth. Get up and walk around for me to see." The monkey leaped up and walked around twice, wobbling and twisting.
The Patriarch laughed and said, “Though your body is ugly, you resemble a monkey that eats pine cones. I will take a surname from your appearance, meaning I will name you ‘Monkey.’ If you remove the beast radical from ‘Monkey,’ it becomes ‘Ancient Moon.’ Ancient means old, and Moon means yin. Old yin cannot nurture, so I will name you ‘Monkey.’ If you remove the beast radical from ‘Monkey,’ it becomes ‘Child’s Lineage. Child means son, and Lineage means infant, which fits the nature of an infant. I will name you ‘Grandson.’” The monkey was overjoyed upon hearing this and kowtowed, saying, “Good, good, good!” "Only today do I learn my surname. I humbly beg my master's mercy; now that I have a surname, please bestow upon me a name so that I may be called upon." The Patriarch said, "In my sect, there are twelve characters used to assign names. You are now a tenth-generation disciple." The monkey asked, "What are those twelve characters?" The Patriarch said, "They are the twelve characters 'vast wisdom, true suchness, nature, sea of enlightenment, perfect awakening.' For you, it is the character 'enlightenment.' I will give you the Dharma name 'Sun Wukong,' is that alright?" The monkey laughed, "Good, good, good! From now on, I will be called Sun Wukong!"
It is said: In the beginning of chaos, there were no names; to break through the stubborn void, one must awaken to emptiness.
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