The Old Monkey#

Countless souls pursue the immortal quest, Seeking the Dao, but truth is not addressed. The ferry itself will never be ashore, Ask not when fruits will ripen, in the void they fade evermore.

Some say he is Bodhisattva Guanyin.

Some say he is Patriarch Bodhi.

Some say he is Sun Wukong himself.

Others say he is just an unnamed old monkey in the mountains.

With the same posture, he always starts with the same line.

Sometimes, the mountaintop is empty and silent.

Sometimes, the summit is bustling with monkey cries.

Whenever a Destined One sets out on their journey, he gifts them with a handmade willow staff.

As he breaks off the willow branch to send them off, he feels a twinge of reluctance in his heart.

The Immortals of the Celestial Court say he is gambling.

The Buddha on Mount Lingshan says that gambling inevitably leads to loss.

He says he neither gambles nor loses.

He is just waiting for the stories the Destined Ones will tell him upon their return.

And he has never heard two identical stories.