Part 2

...which is written in an attempt to capture the words and thoughts of a four-year-old child. For more prolific language check out the grown-up version in part 2.

(Kouryuu, 4 years old)

The peaceful quiet of the afternoon ended unexpectedly when a ruckus at the entrance gate claimed Kouryuu's undivided attention.

“Is Master Sanzo back?” he asked Chuping, and the monk listened to the voices for a moment.

“Yes, I think so,” Chuping replied. “However, that doesn't mean you can skip your lecture!”

“But...!” Kouryuu started, but a stern look from Chuping held him back.

“Now, continue with your exercise,” Chuping said.

“Honorable Chuping,” an acolyte walked closer. “Honorable Chuping!”

“What is it?” With a sigh, Chuping looked at the young man.

Before the acolyte could answer, Kouryuu used the opportunity to escape from Chuping's watchful eyes. Chuping was old, older than Master Sanzo, and even older than the abbot. Chuping watched over Kouryuu when Master Sanzo was away. Chuping told Kouryuu a new story every day. Some of the stories were scary, like the one about the youkai king and the war god. Kouryuu liked the funny stories much better, and Chuping knew a lot of funny stories. However, Kouryuu liked it best when Chuping said that Master Sanzo had come back to the monastery.

Kouryuu was happy. Master Sanzo had been away for so long, it seemed like an eternity. But now Master Sanzo was back, and Kouryuu was always happy when Master Koumyuu was around.

The monks that stood around Master Sanzo were harder to pass by. There were too many of them for Kouryuu to count. They kept everyone else away from Master Sanzo like a wall. It was near impossible to reach his master.

However, 'impossible' had never kept Kouryuu from trying. He clutched his 'homework' to his chest and squeezed himself through the narrow spaces between legs, hips and feet. Finally, he managed to crawl into open space. There stood Master Sanzo, talking to the monks, and to Kouryuu it seemed like he shone from within. That must be because Master Sanzo was a holy man. At least, that's what the monks always said, and the monks knew an awful lot of things. Kouryuu's hands and knees were dirty, but he didn't care. He also didn't care about the angry looks he received from the monks. The only thing Kouryuu cared about was that his most precious master looked at him with a smile.

"Master, I finished the writing!" Kouryuu held out the sheets excitedly, and Koumyou Sanzo accepted them with a smile.

"Well," Master Sanzo laughed softly. "You did get better. I can almost make out the words."

Kouryuu's cheeks suddenly felt hot. "I need much more practice."

"That you do," Master Sanzo smiled and kneeled next to Kouryuu. "Did you behave while I was away?"

"I tried, but..." Kouryuu stared at the paper in his hands. "Shuuei was angry with me."

"They teased you again, and someone got hurt."

It wasn't a question. Kouryuu could only nod. He wouldn't lie to Master Sanzo, anyway. "Shuuei made me apologize."

Master Sanzo sighed. "Also, there is no truth of suffering, of the cause of suffering, of the cessation of suffering, nor of the Path."

Kouryuu knew the quote from the Heart Sutra; after all, he had copied it countless times that day. “What does it mean?”

“The Four Noble Truths? It's about how all suffering isn't real, just like an image in the mirror that we need to reflect on our actions...”Koumyou Sanzo gave him a thoughtful look. “But with some people, it's more fitting to say, 'One reaps what one sows'.”

A murmur of disapproval went through the row of monks. Kouryuu tried to make sense of what his master had said. The part about sowing and reaping was clear. Kouryuu had learned all about that a couple of weeks ago when he sowed the coins from the offerings to grow a money tree. Of course, that was before Master Sanzo had told him that money didn’t grow on trees. But, how could suffering not be real? How could pain be an image in the mirror when it hurt so much? This was so difficult! How could anyone understand it? He probably would never understand it, not even if he tried so hard that it felt like his head was going to explode any minute. Kouryuu shot a query look to Master Sanzo, in the hope that his teacher would explain some more. Only then, Kouryuu noticed that the monks and acolytes were leaving.

“Listen, Kouryuu...” Master Sanzo's voice held a strange tone, even though he smiled. “I can't stay. There's something I still need to do. So... I have to leave again tomorrow.”

Kouryuu felt tears welling up in his eyes. Master Sanzo had just returned, and now he wanted to go away again? “But... but you just got back!”

Suddenly, Master Sanzo looked all blurred. The skin of Kouryuu's face tickled from the droplets running down his cheeks.

“Don't cry. There's no need for tears,” Master Sanzo said gently, but the sad feeling inside Kouryuu would not go away. “Kouryuu?” He looked up, even if he still could not see his teacher clearly. “There's something you can do for me.”

New hope blossomed in Kouryuu. Master Sanzo needed him. Would Master Sanzo take him along on his journey?

“The Four Noble Truths... I need them in your best writing,” Master Sanzo smiled at him expectantly. “Do you think you can do that for me?”

Kouryuu nodded, his sadness momentarily forgotten. “Yes.”

“Good,” Master Sanzo smiled. “I'm counting on you. Now, go and find Chuping, and stay with him.”

“Yes, Master,” Kouryuu took his paper sheets and walked off to search for his caretaker. For some reason, he felt not so sad any more. So what if the Master would not take him along, but Master Sanzo wanted him to write the Truths. Kouryuu smiled. Master Sanzo counted on him. Kouryuu was proud. “Chuuuuping!”

x

A week passed, and then a second. Master Sanzo still hadn't come back. Kouryuu sat in the monastery's Zen garden. He concentrated hard to copy the text of the Four Noble Truths. Chuping had fallen asleep under the huge Ginkgo tree. Kouryuu moved the brush over a sheet of paper, marveling at the way the black of the ink contrasted with the pristine white of the surface. He had lost count on how many times he had copied the line from the Heart Sutra today, but with every stroke of the brush the letters looked more readable. A dot marked the end of the sentence, and Kouryuu smiled at the result of his exercise.

Suddenly a shadow fell over him, and Kouryuu looked up. In front of him stood Master Sanzo's prodigal student. Kouryuu knew that the acolyte's name was Gunhoo. He was around ever since Kouryuu could remember and looked like a perfect example of a monk in training. Gonhoo's head was shaven, and Master Sanzo often said that he was a 'devoted follower of the Ways of Buddha'. Kouryuu had no idea what exactly that meant. It didn't matter anyway. Normally, Gunhoo didn't pay much attention to Kouryuu. Today was different.

"What's that, river drifter? Still working on that sutra line Master Sanzo made you learn?" The acolyte's voice was filled with amusement.

Kouryuu tried a smile. "Yes. Do you think it got any better?"

"Let me have a look." Gunhoo reached for the sheet and frowned. "You don't plan on showing such measly scribbling to the Master when he returns from his trip, do you?"

Kouryuu's smile fell. "Master Sanzo always looks so unhappy when he comes back to the monastery... So I thought if I practiced hard, maybe it would make him happy, you know?"

"Happy? With this ... this insult to his eyes?" Gunhoo snickered. “You know, Master Sanzo is a very kind man. That's why he doesn't tell you that he's very unhappy about you.”

“Unhappy?” Kouryuu stared at the young man in disbelief. “But I try to be good!”

“Trying is not enough,” the acolyte explained gleefully. “You get into fights, you create mischief and play pranks when the Master isn't around. What kind of behavior is that? You're already four years old and the Master has to apologize for you all the time.”

Of course, that was true. Kouryuu did not like to listen to the monks and their rules, and this got him into trouble quite a lot. “I'll do better, I promise! I want to make the Master happy.”

Gunhoo's eyes narrowed when he hissed, "If the Earth were to open and swallow you, that would make him happy."

Kouryuu shot the acolyte a hurt look. "That's a mean thing to say."

"Mean? I'm only telling you the truth, river drifter.” There was a false feeling to Gunhoo's friendly smile. “No one wants you.” The smile disappeared completely. Instead, Gunhoo's face was twisted ugly with annoyance. “Even your own parents had no use for you," the acolyte's angry words felt like a slap to Kouryuu. "You're a burden for Master Sanzo. Or why else you think he goes away all the time? He can't stand you!"

"But... but..." Kouryuu stuttered, rubbing his burning cheeks. "Master Sanzo likes me!"

"Likes you? Don't be ridiculous." Gunhoo laughed boastfully with a sneer that stabbed Kouryuu's heart. ”Master Sanzo tolerates you, that's all.”

"But Master Sanzo always smiles at me!" Kouryuu argued.

"He always smiles?" Gonhoo snickered. "Master Sanzo also smiles at Lord Vagjun, and everyone knows that he can't stand the man."

That was true. His beloved Koumyou Sanzo was friendly to all people, even those he didn't like. He was a Sanzo, after all. Kouryuu's mood darkened considerably. Everything that Gunhoo had said seemed so awfully true. What if it was true? With quivering voice, he asked Gunhoo, "Then why doesn't he just send me away?"

"He can't," the acolyte said.

"He can't?" Kouryuu wondered. "But Master Sanzo can do whatever he likes."

"Even a Sanzo is bound by honor," Gunhoo explained patiently. "He found you in the river, so he has a duty to raise you. If he just ditched you, that would make him look bad."

It must be wrong. It could not be true. Kouryuu shook his head. "It's not like that..." he whispered.

"No?" Gunhoo's crooked smile spelled victory. "Then give me one good reason why Master Sanzo should put up with you. You can't even serve tea properly!"

"Ah..." No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a satisfying answer.

"See? You don't even know yourself why Master Sanzo should waste his time on you." Gunhoo's smile broadened into a satisfied grin. "Me, I'm his favorite pupil. I come from a good family, and I'll bring honor to this temple. You, on the other hand..."

Kouryuu stared up at the young man, wide-eyed and feeling as if his heart had just been ripped out. His lower lip began to tremble, and hot tears burned in his eyes. Kouryuu hated tears, because Master Sanzo always got that sad look whenever Kouryuu cried.

"If I were you, river drifter, I'd ask Master Sanzo to find me a family and spare him the embarrassment of your presence." Gunhoo shot him a meaningful look. Then, he turned and disappeared in the maze of lush greens and well-trodden paths.

Birds sang, crickets chirped and a lazy wind tugged on leaves and blossoms. Kouryuu sat alone in the temple garden, blind and deaf to the beauty around him. For minutes, all he could do was staring at the black ink line of the Heart Sutra text snaking across the paper.

Master Koumyou had always been patient with him. Unfortunately, the martial arts he learned was difficult, and reading and writing were even more of a fiasco. Still, his clumsy attempts were often rewarded by Master Sanzo's smile. No matter how bleak a day was, Master Sanzo's smiles had always managed to set things right.

"I can't even serve tea properly," Kouryuu whispered. It didn't matter that he was only four years old. Was Master Sanzo ashamed of him? It must be true if Master Sanzo's favorite student said so. Master Sanzo's student would not lie to him, right?

"-yuu? Kouryuu!" a worried voice demanded.

Kouryuu immediately recognized the speaker, and looked up in complete and utter surprise. "Master Sanzo!"

"Why, yes." Graying hair hung in Koumyou Sanzo's tired face, half covering it. "Are you all right? You were crying..."

"I'm fine." The words were out of Kouryuu's mouth before he could stop himself. He said a lie. He lied to Master Sanzo! The brush felt heavy in Kouryuu's hand, and a feeling that he had never felt before churned inside him. Angrily, he wiped the tears away.

"Is that so?" Master Sanzo looked at him carefully. For a moment, it seemed as if the priest wanted to investigate, but instead of asking more questions, he picked up one of the papers from Kouryuu's lap. "You've practiced the Four Noble Truths from the Heart Sutra?"

“Please, it's no good, Master. I need to practice more,” Kouryuu whispered, and quickly sat on the other sheets.

“Oh, you got a lot better. It's really good,” Master Sanzo announced.

The praise only made Kouryuu sadder. “Please... I'll study harder, and I'll follow the older monks orders and I'll be all good and... and...” Kouryuu saw the disquieted look on his teacher's face, and knew that all promises in the world wouldn't make Master Sanzo happy. ”It's okay if you want me to go. You can tell everyone I ran away or something,” Kouryuu's voice sounded all cracked, and he felt new tears running down his cheeks.

“Huh?” Master Sanzo seemed quite unhappy about Kouryuu's offer. “Why would I want you to leave?”

“Because I'm the river drifter, and you had no choice, and I can't serve tea...” Kouryuu sniveled.

“Well, I really had no choice but take you with me,” Koumyou Sanzo stated in that particularly friendly tone Kouryuu knew he only used when he was upset about something. “However...”

Kouryuu tensed involuntarily. He didn't dare to look up into Master Sanzo's eyes,

“Kouryuu, look at me,” Master Sanzo demanded softly. “It's true that I have many responsibilities because I'm a Sanzo. It's also true that you still need to learn a lot of things.”

Kouryuu nodded, because his voice would not work. It was as if something was stuck inside his throat and squeezed it shut.

Master Sanzo, however, did something completely unexpected. He tightly embraced Kouryuu. “Listen... No matter what anyone else tells you, no one can force me to take care of you. It's something I want to do. Never forget that, Kouryuu.”

The soft, silken tissue of Master Sanzo's robe sleeves felt cold against Kouryuu's arms, but the close hug made him giddy with happiness. “Yes, Master Sanzo.”

It felt good to be wanted.

x

Meanwhile, the Goddess of Mercy leaned back in hir chair with a smile. “Something you want, eh? You better listen to the man, Konzen... but listening was never one of your strength, huh?”

End