The Cloud Dream of the Nine

Chapter I The Transmigration of Song-jin THERE are five noted mountains in East Asia.

The peak near the Yellow Sea is called Tai-

san, Great Mountain ; the peak to the west,

Wha-san, Flowery Mountain ; the peak to the south,

Hyong-san, Mountain of the Scales ; the peak to the

north, Hang-san, Eternal Mountain ; while the peak

in the centre is called Soong-san, Exalted Mountain.

The Mountain of the Scales, the loftiest of the five

peaks, lies to the south of the Tong-jong River, and

on the other three sides is circled by the Sang-gang,

so that it stands high, uplifted as if receiving adoration

from the surrounding summits. There are in all

seventy-two peaks that shoot up and point their spear-

tops to the sky. Some are sheer cut and precipitous

and block the clouds in their course, startling the world

with the wonder of their formation. Stores of good

luck and fortune abide under their shadows.

The highest peaks among the seventy-two are

called Spirit of the South, Red Canopy, Pillars of

Heaven, Rock Treasure-house and Lotus Peak, five

in all. They are sky-tipped and majestic in appear-

ance, with clouds on their faces and mists around

their feet, and are charged with divine influences [i].

When the day is other than clear they are shrouded

completely from human view.

In ancient days, when Ha-oo restrained the deluge

that came upon the earth [2], he placed a memorial

stone on one of these mountain tops, on which was

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

recorded his many wonderful deeds. The stone was

divinely inscribed in cloud characters, and, while

many ages have passed, these characters are clear

cut as ever.

In the days of Chin See-wang [3], a woman of the

genii, named Queen Wee, who became a Taoist by

divine command, came with a company of angelic

boys and fairy girls and settled in these mountains, so

that she was called Queen Wee of the Southern Peak,

It is impossible to relate all the strange and won-

derful things that have been associated with these

mountain fastnesses.

In the days of the Tang dynasty a noted priest

came hither from India, and being captivated by the

beauty of the hills built a monastery on Lotus Peak.

There he preached the doctrines of the Buddha,

taught his disciples, and put an end to fearsome

demons and foul spirits, so that the name of Gautama

grew great in influence, and people bowed before it

and believed, saying that God had again visited the

earth. The rich and honourable shared of their abund-

ance, the poor gave their labour, and so they built a

wide and spacious temple. It was deeply secluded

and quiet, with a thousand and one beautiful views

encircling it, and a majesty and impressiveness of

mountain scenery for background that was unsur-

passed.

This preacher of the Buddha had brought with

him a volume of the Diamond Sutra, which he ex-

pounded so clearly that they called him Master of

the Six Temptations and the Great Teacher of the

Yook-kwan. Among the five or six hundred dis-

ciples that followed him there were some thirty well

4 The Transmigration of Song-jin

versed in the teaching, and far advanced. One, the

youngest of them, was called Song-jin, Without

Guile. His face was fair and beautiful to see and the

light of his expression was like running water. He was

barely twenty, and yet he had mastered the three

Sacred Books. In wisdom and quickness of percep-

tion he surpassed all the others, so that the Master

greatly loved him and intended later to make him his

successor.

As the Teacher expounded the doctrine to his

disciples, the Dragon King himself, from the Tong-

jong Sea, used to come in the person of an old man

dressed in white clothes to listen and learn. On a

certain day the Teacher assembled his pupils and

said to them : "I am now an old man and frail in

body, and it is thirteen years and more since I have

been outside the mountain gates. Who among you

will go for me to the Palace of the Waters and pay

my respects to the Dragon King ? " At once Song-

jin volunteered. The Teacher, greatly pleased at

this, had him fitted out in a new cassock, gave him

his ringed staff of the gods, and he set off briskly

towards the world of Tong-jong.

Just at this moment the priest who guarded the

main entrance to the monastery came to say that the

noble Lady of the Southern Peak had sent eight

fairy messengers to call, and that they were now

waiting before the gate. The Master gave command

that they be admitted, and they tripped across the

threshold in modest order, circling about three times

and then bowing and scattering the blossoms of the

genii. They knelt reverently and gave their message

from the Lady, saying : " The noble Teacher lives

5 The Cloud Dream of the Nine

on the west side of the mountain and I on the east.

While the distance is not great, and we are com-

paratively near as neighbours, still I am of humble

birth and am so busily occupied that I have never

come even once to the sacred temple to hear the

doctrine. I have no wisdom of my own to keep me

in touch with the good, but now I am sending my

serving maidens to pay my respects, and at the same

time to offer to your Excellency flowers of Paradise

and fairy fruits, along with some other gifts of silk,

which I sincerely trust you will accept as a token of

my earnest heart."

Each then made her presentation of flowers and

treasures to the Master. These he received and

passed on to his disciples, who had them placed as

offerings before the Buddha. With much bowing

and folding of the hands, according to the required

ceremony, he replied : " What merit has an old

man like me, I pray, to have such gifts as these pre-

sented to him ? "

He gave liberally to the eight maidens in return

and they set off lightly on their way.

They passed out through the mountain gate hand

in hand, talking as they went. Said they : " These

divine mountains of the south, being of one range

and having the same streams encircling them, once

upon a time were all within our own boundaries,

but since the setting up of the temple of the Great

Teacher certain limitations have shut us off from

freedom so that we have not seen the beautiful places

that were once our own. Now by the good fortune

of our Lady's commands we are here in this valley

at this lovely season of the year. It is early in the day.

6 The Transmigration of Song-jin

Let us take the occasion to go up to the heights and

have a breath of the sweet air of Lotus Peak, dip

our kerchiefs in the Hmpid water, sing a verse or

two and awaken our souls to the joy of Hfe. On re-

turning home we shall be the praise and envy of all

our sisters. Let us do this."

They set off, on their way looking down with

wonder at the rushing water, walking skilfully along

the giddy ridges and following the streams. At last,

on this happy day of the third moon they found

themselves on the stone bridge that spanned the

torrent.

All the flowers were in bloom ; the streams beneath

them sparkled with silvery brightness. There hung

a tent-work of flowers and leaves like a silken canopy.

The birds vied with each other in the beautiful notes

of their singing. The soft breezes awakened glad

and happy memories, while the beauty of the scene

held them spellbound.

Thus were the eight fairy messengers charmed as

they sat in delight on the bridge looking down at

the wonderful mirror of the streams that met and

sparkled in a crystal pool below. Their delicate

eyebrows and glowing bright faces shone forth,

reflected in the water as if seen in a famous picture

from a master's hand. They were so entranced that

they had no thought of going till the sun began to

descend toward the western hills and the day to

darken.

At this moment Song-jin crossed the Tong-jong

River and entered the Water Palace of the Dragon

King. His Majesty was greatly delighted at his

coming, stepped outside the gates to meet him, took

7 The Cloud Dream of the Nine

him by the hand, led him in and bid him share his

throne.

Song-jin made his obeisance and gave his message

from the Master.

The King in response bowed low and ordered a

feast of welcome to be prepared, at which were fruits

and dainties of the fairies in abundance, and of such

flavour as the dwellers in the hills alone know. The

Dragon King himself passed the glass and urged

him to drink. Song-jin several times refused, saying :

" Wine is a drink that upsets and maddens the soul,

and is therefore strictly forbidden by the Buddha,

so your humble servant must not partake."

But the Dragon King replied : " I am aware that

among the five things forbidden by Gautama wine

is one, but the wine that I offer is different altogether

from the maddening kind that men drink. It represses

the passions and quiets the soul. You will not mis-

trust my sincerity in offering it I am sure."

Song-jin, moved by this kindness, could not any

longer refuse, and he drank three glasses. He then

spoke his greeting and came forth from the Water

Palace, riding on the wind and sailing directly for

Lotus Peak.

When he had landed at the base of the hill the

influence of the wine was already manifest in his

face and a feeling of dizziness possessed him, so that

he reprimanded himself, saying : " If my honoured

Master sees me with this inflamed expression

how startled he will be and how soundly he will

chide me."

He sat down by the bank of the stream, put off

his outer garments, placed them on the clean sand

8 The Transmigration of Song-jin

and dipped his hands in the limpid water. Thus he

sat bathing his hot face, when suddenly a strange

and mysterious fragrance was borne toward him,

not the perfume of orchid or musk nor that of any

special flower, but something wholly new and not

experienced before. The soul of passion and un-

cleanness seemed dissipated by its presence, and a

purity indescribable seemed to remain. He said to

himself : " What wonderful flowers are these by

the side of this brook that such sweet perfume should

come floating on its wavelets ? I will go and see from

whence it comes,"

He dressed carefully, followed the course of the

stream upwards, and found the eight fairies seated

on the stone bridge so that they met suddenly face

to face, he and they.

Song-jin laid aside his pilgrim's staff and made a

deep, low bow, saying : " Ladies of the Fairies'

Paradise, hear what a poor priest has to say. I am a

disciple of the Master Yook-kwan and live on Lotus

Peak. Just now I am returning from a mission be-

yond the mountains on which he sent me. This stone

bridge is very narrow, and you goddesses being

seated upon it block the way ; will you not kindly

take your lotus footsteps hence and let me pass ? "

The fairies bowed in return and said : " We

attendants who wait on Queen Wee are on our return

from carrying a message of goodwill to the Master

of the Temple, and have stopped here for a little to

rest. We have heard that it is written in the Book of

Ceremony concerning the law of the road that man

goes to the left and woman to the right. Now as this

bridge is a very narrow one, and we are already seated

The Cloud Dream of the Nine

here, it would seem more fitting that you should

avoid it altogether, and cross by some other way."

Song-jin said in reply : " But the water of the

stream is deep, and there is no other way. Where do

you suggest that your humble servant should go ? "

The fairies repUed : "It is said that the great

Talma [4] came across the ocean on a leaf. Now if

you are a disciple of the Teacher Yook-kwan and have

learned the doctrine from him, naturally you will

have learned to do some such wonderful thing. There

surely will be no difficulty for you to cross this narrow

stream instead of standing here and disputing with

us girls about the way."

Song-jin laughed and said : " I see by your lady-

ships' behaviour that you ask that I pay some price

or other for the right to cross, but I have no money,

for I am only a poor priest. I have, however, eight

jewels which I will present to you if you will kindly

permit me to pass by."

At this he threw the peach blossom that he carried

in his hand before them and it became four couplets

of red flowers, and these again were transformed

into eight jewels that filled the place with sparkling

light, shooting up to heaven.

The fairies each picked up one ; then they looked

toward Song-jin, laughed in a delighted way, arose,

mounted the winds and sailed off through the air.

Song-jin stood at the head of the bridge and

watched them for a long time till they were lost in

the clouds and the sweet fragrance had melted away.

In loneliness, as though he had failed of his highest

hopes, he came back to the temple and gave his

message from the Dragon King to the Master.

10 The Transmigration of Song-jin

The Master reprimanded him for his late return,

and Song-jin said : " The Dragon King treated me

so liberally, sir, and his urgent request to stay was

so impossible to refuse, that I have been delayed

beyond the time."

The Master gave no direct reply, but simply said :

" Go away and rest."

Song-jin went back to his little hut of meditation

while the evening shadows closed down upon the

day. Since meeting with the eight fairies his ears had

been ringing with sweet voices, and though he tried

to forget their beautiful faces and graceful forms he

could not succeed. However much he endeavoured to

rein in his thoughts he found it impossible. His mind

was as that of a person half insane or half intoxicated.

He pulled himself together, however, and knelt

reverently, saying : " If a man study diligently the

Confucian Classics and then grow up to meet a king

like Yo or Soon, he can either become a general to

go abroad, or be a minister of state at home. He can

dress in silk and carry a seal of office at his belt ; can

bow before the king ; can dispense favours among

the people ; can look on beautiful things with the

eyes and hear delightful sounds with the ears. He

can have his fill of glory in this life, and can

leave a reputation for generations to come ; but we

Buddhists have only our little dish of rice and flask

of water. Many dry books are there for us to learn,

and our beads to say over till we are old and grey.

It may be high and praiseworthy from the point of

view of religion, but the vacant longings that it never

satisfies are too deep to mention. Even though one

gets to understand all the laws of the Mahayana

II The Cloud Dream of the Nine

revelation, though one proclaims the same and finds

oneself exalted to the place of sage and teacher, when

once the spirit and soul dissipate into smoke and

nothingness, who will ever know that a person called

Song-jin once lived upon this earth ? "

So his thoughts wandered. He tried to sleep but

sleep refused to come. The hours grew late. Some-

times he closed his eyes for a little, but the eight

fairies persistently appeared before him in a row and

drove sleep far away. 'Then he suddenly realised

that the great purpose of Buddhism was to correct

the thoughts and the heart. *' I have been a Bud-

dhist for ten years," said he, " and I had well-nigh

succeeded in getting done with the world till this

deceitful mind of mine got itself tangled up to the

damage of my soul."

He burned incense, knelt, called in all his thoughts,

counted his beads, recalled to his consciousness the

thousand Buddhas that could help him, when sud-

denly one of the temple boys came to his window

and spoke, saying : " Elder brother, are you asleep ?

The Master is calling you."

Song-jin, in alarm, said to himself : " His calling

me in this unusual way in the middle of the night

can only mean something serious."

He went along with the boy to the Audience Hall

of the Buddha, where the chief had assembled all

the priests of the temple and was sitting in solemn

silence. His appearance was one to inspire fear and

question. The light of the candles shone brilliantly.

He spoke with great care, but with severe intonation.

" Song-jin, do you know how you have sinned ? "

Song-jin, who was bowed low, kneeling before the

12 The Transmigration of Song-jin

dais, replied : " I have now been a disciple of the

Master for ten years and more, and have never dis-

obeyed any command or any order concerning acts

of worship in which I have had a part. I am dark

and ignorant I know, and so am not aware of how I

have offended."

The Master said : " There are three things that

must be exercised in the ordering of one's acts,

namely, the body, the mind, and the soul. You went

to the Dragon King and drank wine, did you not ?

Again, on your way back by the stone bridge you had

a long and frivolous conversation with the messengers

of Queen Wee. You gave them each a flower and

made jokes and light talk. Since coming back, too,

you have not put these recollections from your mind

and heart, but instead have allowed yourself to be

entangled with worldly delights ; you have been

thinking of riches and honour with all the other

temptations of the earth, and have turned with loath-

ing from the doctrine of the Buddha. Thus your

three degrees of attainment have all fallen from you

in a single hour. You can remain here no longer."

Song-jin, overcome to tears, prayed for forgive-

ness. He said : " Great Master, I am indeed a sinner.

Still my breaking the rule regarding drink was be-

cause the king so forced and compelled me ; and

my talking with the fairies was only because I asked

of them the way. I had had no such intention in my

heart. Why am I thus condemned ? I will go back to

my cell, and though evil thoughts assail me I will

keep my spirit awake against them and overcome

their madness, so that a true mind will assuredly

return. I will bite my hands and I will repent of the

13 The Cloud Dream of the Nine

wrong I have done, and my heart will be restored.

It tells in Confucianism how one can thus return to

the right way. As I have sinned will my revered

Father not give me a flogging and set me right ?

This is what I understand to be the teaching of the

Buddha. Why should you drive me away from all

possibility of reformation ? I came to you when

I was only twelve years of age, gave up my parents

and relatives, cut my hair and took the vows of a

priest, and ever since have lived dependent on you.

It is just as though you had begotten me and brought

me up, and our love is as between an only son and a

father. My cell is the special meeting place of the

monastery, and my hopes are all here. Where shall

I go ? "

The Master said : " You desire to go and that is

what makes me send you off. If you did not desire

to go who would ever think of sending you ? You

ask ' Where shall I go ? ' I answer ' To the place

where you desire to go.' "

He then shouted : " Hither, Yellow Turban

Guards ! " Suddenly the commander of the guard

dropped from mid-air, bowed low and received his

orders.

The Master said : " Arrest this guilty man, take

him to Hades, hand him over to the King of Youma

and then come back to me."

When Song-jin heard this his spirit seemed to

depart from him, his eyes streamed over with tears,

he fell forward and cried out : " Father, father,

please hear me, listen to what I have to say. In olden

days the great teacher Aron entered the house of a

harlot and had intercourse with her, and so broke

14 The Transmigration of Song-jin

all the laws of the Buddha. Still the divine Sokka did

not condemn him, but took him in hand and showed

him more clearly the way. I am guilty of a lack of

care, but still as compared with Aron I am surely

less at fault. Why do you send me thus to Hell ? "

The Teacher replied : " Even though Aron fell

into sin, still his mind was repentant ; you, on the

other hand, have had but one sight of these seduc-

tive things and have lost all your heart to them. Your

thoughts are now turned to a life of pleasure and

your mouth waters for the riches and honours of

the world. If we compare you with Aron you are

worse by far. You cannot escape the sorrow and

distresses that lie before you."

Still Song-jin cried for mercy, and had no thought

of going, so that the stern Teacher comforted him

finally, saying : " While your mind remains un-

purified even though you are here in the mountains,

you cannot attain to the truth ; but if you never

forget it and hold fast you may mix with the dust

and impurities of the way, and your return is safe

and sure. If you ever desire to come back here I will

go and bring you. Depart now without doubt or

question."

There being no help for it, Song-jin made a low

bow before the Master, said good-bye to his priest

companions, and went along vsrith the constables of

Hell past the Look-out Pavilion till he came to the

outer walls, where the guards at the gate asked the

cause of his coming.

The constables repUed : "At the order of the

Teacher Yook-kwan we have arrested this guilty man

and brought him."

15 The Cloud Dream of the Nine

The soldier guards then opened the gates for

them. The constables reached the inner enclosure

and announced why Song-jin had been arrested.

The King of Hades had him brought in and then

spoke to him in the following way : " Honoured

Master, although you live in the Nam-ak Hills under

Lotus Peak, your name is, already on the incense

table before the great King Chee-jang [5] . I have said

to myself that hereafter when you are exalted to the

throne of the lotus all living creatures of the earth

will be greatly blessed thereby. For what possible

cause are you arrested and brought here thus in dis-

grace ? "

Song-jin, in confusion and shame of face, did not

reply for a long time. At last he said : " I met the

fairy maidens of Queen Wee on the stone bridge of

Nam-ak and failed to restrain my thoughts about

them. Thus I sinned against my Master and now I

await the commands of your Majesty."

The King of Hades sent a message by those who

waited on him to King Chee-jang that ran thus :

" The Teacher Yook-kwan of Nam-ak has sent me

one of his disciples under arrest by his Yellow Turban

constables in order that we may decide here in Hell

as to his guilt. As he is different from ordinary

offenders I am asking counsel of your High Majesty."

King Chee-jang replied : "A man who would

be perfect has his journey to make, and his return,

in order to accomplish all things in accord with his

own will and purpose. He cannot escape it, so there

is no use to discuss the matter."

Just as the King of Hades was about to decide,

two devil soldiers announced that the Yellow Turban

16 The Transmigration of Song-jin

guards, by command of Master Yook-kwan, had

brought eight more offenders, who were outside the

gate waiting. When Song-jin heard this he was

greatly alarmed.

The King then ordered them in, when, behold,

all the eight fairies of Nam-ak came haltingly over

the threshold, and knelt down in the court. The

King spoke, saying : " You fairy maidens of Nam-ak,

listen to me. Fairy folk live in the most beautiful

worlds that are known, and have joys and delights

beyond measure. How is it that you have come to

such a place as this ? "

The eight in great shame and confusion made

reply : " We were ordered by Queen Wee to go

and make inquiry of the Teacher Yook-kwan as to

his health and welfare. On our way back we met

with his disciple Song-jin, and because we talked

with him the Teacher said that we had defiled the

sacred precincts of the hills, and he wrote and asked

that we be sent to the place of the dead. All our hopes

and prayers are with your Majesty. Pray have mercy

upon us and let us go once again into the world of

the living."

The King of Hades then called nine messengers

who appeared before him. He ordered them in a low

voice, saying : " Take these nine and get them back

as soon as possible into the world of the living."

Scarcely had he finished when a great wind arose

and whirled about, carried off the nine into space,

drove them asunder, and sent them into the four

corners of the earth. Song-jin, following his leader,

was borne along by the wind, tossed and whisked

through endless space till he seemed at last to land

17 B The Cloud Dream of the Nine

on solid ground. Then the tempest calmed down.

Song-jin gathered his scattered senses, and found

himself shut in by a range of hills with the waters

of a clear, beautiful stream running by. He also

saw inside a bamboo paling and between the shady

branches of the trees glimpses of thatched roofs, a

dozen or more. Two or three people were standing

and talking together. They said in his hearing : " The

hermit Yang's wife, now over fifty years of age, is

to give birth to a child, a marvellous thing indeed !

We have expected it now for some time, but no

infant's voice is yet heard, a somewhat anxious

circumstance."

Song-jin said to himself : " I am to be born again

among men, for now that I behold myself I have no

body, but am a spirit only. My body I left on Lotus

Peak, where it has already been cremated, and be-

cause I was so young I had no disciples to take my

saree [6] and safeguard them."

Thinking thus over his past his mind was dis-

tressed, when a messenger appeared and waved his

hand to him to come, saying : " This is So-joo town-

ship of Hoi-nam county, of the Tang Kingdom, and

this is the home of the hermit Yang. He is your father,

and his wife Yoo See is your mother. You are

destined from a former existence to be a son in this

home. Go in quickly and do not lose the favourable

moment."

At once he went in, and there the hermit sat with

his reed hat on his head and a rough hempen coat

wrapped about him. He had before him a brazier

on which he was preparing some medicinal drink,

the fragrance of which filled the house. In the room,

i8

The Transmigration of Song-jin

indistinctly, there were heard accents of suffering.

The messenger urged him on, saying, " Go in quickly

now," but as Song-jin still hesitated and delayed,

the messenger pushed him from behind and Song-

jin fell to the ground, when suddenly he lost con-

sciousness, seeming to pass into some great con-

vulsion of nature. He called, saying, " Save me,

save me ! " but the sounds stuck fast in his throat

and failed to find expression, so that they became

the cries of a little child only. The attendants quickly

informed the hermit that his wife had borne him a

beautiful son. He took the medicinal drink that he

had prepared, went close up to her and they looked

at each other with happy faces.

When Song-jin was hungry milk was given him,

and when his wants were satisfied he ceased to cry.

When first born his little mind still recollected the

happenings on Lotus Peak, but when he grew older

and learned to know of the love of his parents the

things of his former existence faded away, so that he

forgot them altogether.

When the hermit saw how handsome he was and

well gifted he stroked his little brow, saying : " This

child has indeed come from heaven to sojourn among

us," so he called his name So-yoo, Little Visitor,

while the special name given him was ChoUee,

Thousands of Miles.

Time that goes like running water saw him grow

as in the space of a moment to ten years of age.

His face was like the jade-stone and his eyes like the

stars of the morning. His strength was firm and his

mind pure and bright, showing him to be indeed a

Superior Man. The hermit said to his wife : " I am

19 The Cloud Dream of the Nine

originally not a man of this world, but because I was

united to you I have remained long among the dust

of this mortal way. My friends of the genii who live

on Mount Pong-nai [7] have sent me many messages

asking that I come. On account of your labour and

sorrow, however, I have refused, but now that God

has blessed us and given us a gifted son superior to

others in his attainments, on whom you can rely and

by whom in your old age you will assuredly see riches

and honour, I shall delay no longer to go."

On a certain day a number of the genii came to

escort him on his way. They rode some on the white

deer, some on the blue heron, sailing off toward the

distant hills. Though one or two letters came at in-

tervals from the blue sky, no traces of the hermit were

ever seen on earth again.

20