WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 13 Deliberately Mystify

On this day, Ruyi came to seek Wukong again, instructing him to hoe the garden and catch insects. In the past, Wukong would have gone without hesitation, but at this moment, he sat upright on the couch and asked with a profound smile, "Brother Ruyi, why must we hoe the weeds?"

Ruyi was taken aback, "Weeds must be removed to not hinder the growth of the flowers. Why even ask?"

Wukong countered, "Why not remove the flowers and let the weeds grow strong and beautiful?"

Ruyi looked puzzled, "Who would remove the flowers? That's absurd! If you're just being lazy, I'll ask someone else."

Wukong got up from the couch, bowed, and said, "It's not laziness, I truly don't understand. Please, don't be offended. I'll go now, I'll go now."

Another day, a Daoist boy of the same generation named Ruzhen came to assign tasks to Wukong and saw him fiddling with a strangely shaped vessel on the table. The vessel was bowl-shaped but tilted, appearing as though it would spill water if filled.

Ruzhen asked, puzzled, "This thing can't hold water. What's it for?"

Wukong smiled, "You say it can't, so why not give it a try?"

He grabbed a water jug and poured water into the vessel. As the water flowed, the vessel gradually straightened. Ruzhen was surprised and said, "So, it stands straight when filled with water."

Wukong responded, "Not necessarily." He continued pouring until the vessel was nearly full, then suddenly, it tipped over, spilling all the water.

Ruzhen couldn't dodge in time and got his clothes wet, scolding, "You knew it would spill, why fill it?"

Wukong blinked and said, "You should have known, what is full must spill. What's the point of being full if not to lose some?"

Ruzhen huffed and stormed out of the room, shouting, "It's time to hoe the garden and prune the trees!"

Ruzhen hurried back to the main hall, where the Patriarch was meditating. Sensing Ruzhen's displeasure, the Patriarch asked, "Ruzhen, do you understand the meaning of neither joy nor sorrow, neither anger nor annoyance?"

Ruzhen respectfully replied, "I do."

"Then why are you upset?"

Ruzhen hesitated, and the Patriarch scolded, "A child hard to teach!"

Ruzhen kneeled and said, "It's all that monkey's fault." He explained how Wukong tricked him with the vessel, which stood straight when filled with water but spilled on him when overly full, seemingly on purpose.

The Patriarch said, "That's quite clever, no need to fuss over such trivial matters."

Ruzhen added, "That monkey also mocked me, saying 'What's the point of being full if not to lose some?'"

The Patriarch initially dismissed it, but upon hearing "What's the point of being full if not to lose some?" he repeated it to himself, finding deep meaning. Pleased, he dismissed Ruzhen.

The Patriarch thought, indeed, fate nurtures wisdom. However, the monkey's nature is unstable. After refining it for a few more months, it will be time to teach him the boundless Dao.

Wukong had been engaging in mysterious actions and speaking profound but enigmatic words, puzzling the other disciples. Initially, they complained to the Patriarch, but over time, they thought Wukong had gone mad and ignored him, leaving him with no duties, which bored him immensely.

Unbeknownst to Wukong, the Patriarch was aware of his burgeoning wisdom and was tempering his monkey nature. Wukong continued to seek extraordinary ideas daily, but the more he did, the further he strayed from understanding.