"She told me."
The skeleton froze where it stood.
It stared fixedly at Xuanzang, the green flames deep in its sockets flickering like guttering candles.
Its jawbone trembled slightly, yet not a sound emerged.
Xuanzang's expression remained unruffled, his voice low and far-reaching in the night:
"Good and evil have no fixed form, nor is karma a transaction."
"You gave away grain, seeking gratitude;
"You studied the Buddhist Dharma, seeking serenity;"
"You slaughtered the villagers, seeking liberation."
"Everywhere, you sought something. Everywhere, it eluded you."
"When what you seek eludes you, resentment arises. When resentment seeps into the bones, it becomes a demonic hindrance."
Xuanzang paid no heed to the trembling skeleton.
He turned and sat back down on the bluestone. He folded his right leg beneath him and let his left hang naturally, leaning slightly as he bent his elbow and rested his knuckles lightly against his cheek.
He faced the skeleton, but instead of looking at him, he gazed into the empty space behind him and said, "There is another version of the story I just told, about the Modgalyayana Woman and the Venerable Ananda."
"Let this humble monk tell it to you."
"The Buddha said, 'This Modgalyayana Woman was Ananda's wife for five hundred previous lifetimes. Through those five hundred lifetimes, they respected one another and clung to their love for one another.'"
Xuanzang spoke evenly, as though he had witnessed it himself.
"Through five hundred past lives in the cycle of reincarnation, the Modgalyayana Woman and Ananda were husband and wife. In every lifetime, they treated each other with the courtesy of honored guests, loving and respecting one another."
"Once, Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples traveled on foot to a village. Ananda walked at the rear of the group, and suddenly grew distracted."
"His gaze fell