The Goldfish in the Basket

Journey to the West 62 The Goldfish in the Basket

Wukong landed on Mount Potalaka. A young man was meditating in the garden. “ Where’s Guanyin?” asked the monkey. “ She’s making a basket, ” said the man. He glanced up at the monkey. “ It’s good to see you again, Wukong. ” Wukong was puzzled. “ How do you know my name?”

“ Don’t you recognize me?” said the man. Wukong stared for a moment and then gasped. “ You’re Red Boy! You look like a kind spirit now. ” “ Yes, ” said Red Boy. “ I’m not an evil demon anymore. And I have you to thank for that. You brought Guanyin to me. She has taught me all about Buddhism, and now I’m very happy. ”

“ You’re welcome, ” said Wukong. “ You and I have a lot in common. We were both evil, causing all sorts of problems. Now we’re both Buddhists. ” Guanyin came over holding a basket. “ Hello, Wukong, ” said the bodhisattva. “ I knew you would come here today. I’ve been working on this basket all morning. ” A look of confusion spread across the monkey’s face. “ That’s a nice basket, Bodhisattva. But what is it for?”

“ This basket has magical powers, ” said Guanyin. “ I will catch the demon with it. Let’s go. ” Wukong returned to the river with Guanyin. The bodhisattva used a rope to lower the basket into the river. She recited a spell and then waited. After a moment she pulled the basket out of the water. Wukong looked in the basket. A small goldfish was flopping around in it.

The monkey laughed. “ I guess you need to try again, Bodhisattva. That’s not the demon. ” “ This is my goldfish, ” said Guanyin. “ It usually lives in my lotus pond. The pond is near my garden, where I teach my students. After years of listening to my lessons, the fish became a spirit. It escaped to Earth a few days ago. I had been wondering where it was. ”