Upon hearing this, the Buddha turned and looked up. In a short while, he saw a magnificent carriage with eight auspicious symbols and a canopy of nine radiant lights; the sound of mysterious songs and wonderful music was played, and countless gods chanted; precious flowers were scattered and true fragrance was sprayed, and they came to the Buddha to thank him, saying: "We are grateful for the great Dharma that has subdued the evil spirits. We hope that the Tathagata will stay for a day so that the immortals can hold a feast to express our gratitude."
The Buddha dared not disobey, and immediately clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "This old monk has come here by order of the Great Heavenly Venerable. What power do I possess? It is all due to the great blessings of the Heavenly Venerable and all the gods. How dare I trouble you to express your gratitude?" The Jade Emperor issued a decree, ordering the gods of the Thunder Department to separately invite the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Elders, the Six Ministers, the Seven Primordial Gods, the Eight Extremes, the Nine Luminaries, the Ten Capitals, and all the thousands of True Saints to come to this gathering to jointly express their gratitude to the Buddha. He also ordered the Four Heavenly Masters and the Nine Heavenly Maidens to open the Jade Capital Golden Palace, the Tai Xuan Treasure Palace, and the Dong Yang Jade Pavilion, inviting the Buddha to sit high on the Seven Treasures Spiritual Platform, arranging seating for each class, and preparing dragon liver and phoenix marrow, jade liquid and peaches of immortality.
Before long, the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable, the Supreme Pure Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable, the Great Pure Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Five True Lords, the Five Dipper Star Lords, the Three Officials and Four Saints, the Nine Luminaries True Lords, the Left Assistant, the Right Assistant, the Heavenly King, Nezha, and all the mystical beings of Xuanxu, with their banners and canopies, all holding bright pearls, rare treasures, longevity fruits, and exotic flowers, bowed before the Buddha and said: "We are grateful for the immeasurable power of the Tathagata to subdue the demon monkey. We are honored by the Great Heavenly Venerable's banquet and invitation, and we have come to express our gratitude. We request the Tathagata to name this gathering, what do you say?"
The Buddha, acting on the wishes of the assembled gods, said, "If you wish to establish a name, let us hold a grand assembly to pacify Heaven." All the immortals exclaimed in unison, "What a wonderful 'Grand Assembly to Pacify Heaven'! What a wonderful 'Grand Assembly to Pacify Heaven'!" Having said this, they took their seats, passed around wine cups, adorned themselves with flowers, and played the zither—truly a wonderful gathering. A poem testifies to this: "The banquet was set with peaches of immortality, but the monkeys caused chaos; the Grand Assembly to Pacify Heaven surpassed even the peaches of immortality. Dragon banners and phoenix carriages shone with auspicious light; precious banners and pennants fluttered with auspicious air."
Celestial music and mystical songs are melodious and beautiful; phoenix flutes and jade pipes resound with high notes. Fragrant incense swirls as immortals gather; the universe is at peace as we celebrate this holy dynasty.
Everyone rejoiced, and then the Queen Mother of the West, leading a retinue of fairies, maidens, beauties, and hairy girls, gracefully danced before the Buddha, bowing and saying, "The Peach Banquet was disrupted by the monkey demon, and despite the invitation of all the immortals and Buddhas, it was unsuccessful. Now, thanks to the Buddha's great Dharma chain that restrains the mischievous monkey, the joyous Heavenly Assembly is now peaceful. Having nothing to offer in gratitude, I have personally picked several peaches from a large peach tree to present to you." Truly—half red, half green, exuding sweet fragrance, their beautiful immortal roots will last for ten thousand years. How laughable are those grown in Wulingyuan, how can they compare to the wondrous beauty of the Heavenly Palace?
Its delicate purple veins are rare in the world, and its sweet, light-colored kernel is unparalleled. It can prolong life and improve health; those fortunate enough to eat it will find it extraordinary.
The Buddha clasped his hands in thanks to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother then instructed her celestial maidens and fairies to sing and dance. The assembled immortals all praised and admired the spectacle. Truly—the air was filled with ethereal fragrance, and celestial flowers and stamens bloomed in vibrant colors. The Jade Capital and Golden Palace were a place of great splendor, filled with priceless treasures and rare gems.
May they live as long as the heavens, their lives increasing through countless eons. Let the mulberry fields turn into the sea, and let things change, they will remain unperturbed.
As the Queen Mother was entertaining the celestial maidens with songs and dances, and the wine cups were clinking, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted to their noses, startling all the stars and constellations in the hall. The celestial beings and Buddhas stopped drinking and all looked up to greet the incoming fragrance.
An old man appears in the middle of the sky, holding a lingzhi mushroom in his hands, amidst the embroidered clouds. His gourd holds the elixir of immortality, its treasure inscribed with a thousand-year-old name.
Within the cave, the universe unfolds freely; within the pot, the sun and moon shine as they come. Roaming the four seas, I find joy in tranquility; I find peace amidst the convergence of the ten continents.
I've been to the Peach Banquet several times and gotten drunk, but when I awoke, the bright moon was still the same. Long head, big ears, short body—he's called an old man in the Antarctic.
The God of Longevity has arrived again. After paying his respects to the Jade Emperor, he then meets with the Buddha and expresses his gratitude, saying, "I first heard that the demon monkey was led to the Tushita Palace by Laozi for training, and I thought he would surely be safe. Unexpectedly, he rebelled again. Fortunately, the Buddha skillfully subdued this monster and held a banquet to express his gratitude. Therefore, I have come upon hearing the news. I have nothing else to offer but purple fungus, precious herbs, lotus root, and golden elixir." A poem reads: Lotus root and golden elixir offered to Shakyamuni, may the Buddha's longevity be as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. May peace and prosperity reign for all three vehicles, and may health and longevity be as abundant as the nine grades of flowers.
The true master of the Formless Gate, a celestial being in the Heaven of Form and Emptiness. All under Heaven and Earth call him ancestor; his sixteen-foot golden body brings him boundless blessings and longevity.
The Buddha gladly accepted the thanks. The God of Longevity took his seat and continued to pass around the wine cups. Then the Barefoot Immortal arrived. After bowing to the Jade Emperor, he thanked the Buddha, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your divine power in subduing the demon monkey. Having nothing to offer as a token of my respect, I present you with two pears and several jujubes." A poem reads: The Barefoot Immortal, with fragrant pears and jujubes, respectfully offers them to Amitabha for a long life. His seven-jeweled lotus throne is as stable as a mountain, his thousand-gold flower seat as adorned as brocade.
To say that one's lifespan is as long as heaven and earth is no exaggeration; to say that one's fortune is as vast as the ocean is no arrogance. To have fortune and longevity as promised is truly the way of the Western Paradise, a place of tranquility and ultimate bliss.
The immortals were overjoyed, unaware that this would lead to further trouble.
Fourteen Chang'e Dance Steps
The Buddha then expressed his gratitude and instructed Ananda and Kasyapa to collect all the offerings they had made and proceed to the Jade Emperor to thank him for the banquet. After half a round of wine, the Three Pure Ones rose to take their leave. After all, as saints, their mere presence was already a great honor for the Buddha; their presence would likely have made everyone else present extremely awkward. At this point, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother saw the Three Pure Ones off and returned to the palace to drink and make merry with the others.
At this moment, Buddha suddenly glanced at the Jade Emperor, who seemed to understand and suggested, "Today, Buddha Tathagata has subdued the demon monkey with his great magic, which is a great meritorious deed. This banquet is also called the 'Peaceful Heaven Assembly,' which is truly a fortunate meeting of heaven and earth. However, a good banquet must be accompanied by songs and dances to make it a truly good banquet."
Although everyone had been quite frightened earlier, they were now enjoying themselves amidst the feasting and drinking. Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's suggestion, everyone was overjoyed and readily agreed.
Venus said, "I have long heard that the Moon Goddess Chang'e is the best singer and dancer in the world. Why not invite her to perform a song and let everyone broaden their horizons?"
The Jade Emperor nodded, secretly praising Taibai Jinxing's cleverness, and then a fairy maiden went down to invite her. A short while later, the fairy maiden entered, followed by a woman in white, simply dressed and with a plain face, which only made her appear even more pure and beautiful. (Alas, I can't describe Chang'e properly; I'm really lacking in character description skills. Just imagine it in your minds, after all, everyone has their own taste. Some like a slender figure, some like a spherical one, and some even like the type like Sister Furong—who knows?)
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