The Legend of the Tai-Chi Monkey

Long ago in a land far away, a young monkey sought a worthy master to train him in the art of Tai-Chi. During his travels, he had heard of an old master in a dark corner of the forest who had earned greate respect for his prowess in self-defense. So, the monkey decided to pay a visit to this master and see if he was a worthy teacher.

Once he found the master's cottage, he waited until dawn and attacked the master in the midst of his slumber. To the monkey's surprise, the master easily repulsed him away and left him stunned on the earth. The monkey understood that he had found a wise and skillful master and he respectfully asked the master to teach him his techniques. The master agreed and accepted him as a disciple.

As a new disciple, the monkey's first task was to mop the mirror and then open the window to allow for a view of the moon. After this the monkey was to clean the bird cage. Unfortunately, as soon as he opened the cage, the crafty sparrow within flew out. The monkey desperately tried to grasp the bird's tail, but he just could not get a hold. Later, the master scolded the monkey over his foolishness and ordered him to catch and return the sparrow at once.

The monkey immediately mounted a roosterand set off in search of the sparrow. The rooster was not fast enough, however, so the monkey jumped onto a horse and continued on the chase. When he finally came in sight of the bird, the sparrow quickly ascended high into the sky, forcing the monkey to ride a white crane all the way to the wavy clouds. Just as suddenly as it rose, the sparrow descended and the monkey had to reach down and brush his knee as the sparrow passed.

As the sparrow neared the ground, a hungry snake crept down from a tree branch and struck at the sparrow. The sparrow quickly jumped onto a lotus leaf, evading the snake, but disturbing a frog. The frog kicked the sparrow off the lotus leaf, causing him to plunge into the water. Seeing this, the monkey dove into the water and began an exhaustive search for the sparrow, which was hidden like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

When at last he found the sparrow, the weary monkey carried the bird back to the mountains and presented it to his master. Upon seeing the bird returned, the master understood the ordeals the monkey had overcome. With great reverence, the master told the monkey to take his leave for there was nothing more he could teach him.

Story by Dr. Chi-hsiu D. Weng, 1998
Written by Jae Pasari