Bodhisattva Guanyin was so furious that she hurled the porcelain vase she held in her hands into the waves.
In a moment, the vase emerged from among a tangle of towering waves. It was being carried on the back of a strange creature, which the Monkey King stared at with puzzled attention. This extraordinary creature was none other than the terrible black turtle that helps the winds churn the sea. Wasn’t this the divine turtle that once carried the stone tablet of Lord Buddha?
The turtle approached, the vase resting on its back, and bowed its head twenty-four times in succession before the Bodhisattva.
Guanyin ordered the Monkey King:
“Go down and retrieve the vase.”
The Monkey King obeyed without hesitation, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to move it an inch. It was as if a dragonfly had tried to budge a stone pillar.
Perplexed, the Pilgrim returned to the Bodhisattva and reported:
“I’m sorry, my Lady, but I cannot move it.”
Guanyin scolded him:
“How do you expect to capture monsters and defeat beasts if you can’t even lift a simple vase with your hands?”
Wukong replied:
“Normally, this would not be difficult for me. But clearly, the punishment inflicted by that monster has greatly weakened my strength.”
Guanyin explained:
“There is a reason for this. Normally, this vase is very light. However, after being thrown into the water, it has traveled through the Three Rivers, Five Lakes, Eight Seas, and Four Great Oceans, absorbing within itself an entire ocean. An immense ocean has been concentrated inside the vase—that’s why you were unable to move it.”
The Monkey King joined his hands respectfully and said:
“Please forgive me, my Lady. I did not know.”
Then the Bodhisattva extended her right hand and picked up the vase effortlessly, transferring it to the palm of her left hand. The turtle gave a slight shake of its head and slowly retreated into the waters.
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