The Journey to the West

1
The Journey to the West

• A story about pilgrimage
• Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang, 596-664) and his
  adventurous pilgrimage to India.
• Characters Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie,
  Sha Wujing
• Sources of this novel
• Story cycles already popular before the writing
  of the novel
• Indian work Ramayana?

2
Xuanzang the foremost pilgrim in Chinese History

• Xuanzang or Tang Sanzang
• Historically, the most respected Chinese pilgrim
  and one of the greatest Buddhist masters
• Traveled to India for 16 years (629-645), brought
  back 657 items of Buddhist scriptures, as well
  translated and compiled translations of 74 works
  in 1335 volumes
• Founder of a new Chinese Buddhist school in the
  Tang dynastythe Faxiang or Weishi
  (Conscious-only) School
• Probably responsible for the composition of the
  Heart Sutra (Xinjing), the shortest Buddhist
  sutra, but the most-recited one.
• His pilgrimage, which was to resolve the
  controversy regarding Buddha nature, inspired
  storytellers to write stories about his
  adventurous journey

3
General Synopsis of the Novel

• Chapters 1-7 the birth of Sun Wukong, his
  acquisition of immortality and magic power, his
  invasion and disturbance of Heaven, and his final
  subjugation by the Buddha under Mt. Five Phases
• Chapter 8 the Buddha declars his intention to
  impart the Buddhist canon to the Chinese, and the
  journey of Guanyin to the East
• Chapters 9-12 fictional account of Xuanzang his
  birth and his vengeance on his fathers murder
  Minister Wezheng excuted a dragon, Emperor Tang
  Taizongs journey to the underworld.
• Chapters 13-97 the journey with 81 ordeals
  preordained for Xuanzang
• Chapter 98-100 successful completion of the
  journey

4
Narrative Structure of the Novel

• Prose interlaced with verse
• Writer influenced by vigorous poetic tradition
• Writer inherited prosimetric characters of
  transformation text (bianwen)
• Purposes of the short, interlaced poetry
• Personal commentary e.g., critique of decadent
  Confucian and Buddhist morality
• Moral judgment
• Exemplum sustain moral arguments
• Summary
• Function of narrative verses
• Describing scenery, battle, seasons, living
  beings
• Presenting dialogues
• Presenting authorial commentary on the action and
  character
• highlighting religious themes and rhetoric as
  well as allegorical devices

5
Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (I)

• Four great continents (p. 66)
• Ten thousand kalpas (p. 67)
• Rare pagodas (p. 69)
• Worshiped bodhisattva (p.69)
• Monkey Kings vexation (p.72)
• King Yama, king of the underworld (p.73)
• Trouble by impermanence (p.73)
• Three species the Buddhas, the immortals, the
  holy sages (p.73)
• Wheel of transmigration (p.73)
• Origin and the dharma of all things (p.75)
• Never ending desire (pp.75-76)
• Patriarch Subodhi and Buddha nature (pp. 79-81)
• Monkey Kings name change Wukong-- awakening
  to emptiness (p. 82)

6
Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (II)

• Gold lotus, three vehicles, Zen (Chan) p.83
• Buddha or immortal (p.88)
• Three calamities (thunder, fire, mighty wind) (p.
  89)
• The mind (p.91) that make things difficult
• Oral formulaBuddhist mantra (dharani)(p.91)
• Merit accumulation (p.91)
• Dragon king and Yaksa (p.103)
• Birthless and deathless body (p.103)
• Three religions (p.111)
• Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (p. 112)
• Samsara (p. 113)
• Bodhisattva Guanyin (pp. 150, 155, 180f)

7
Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (III)

• Tushita Palace (Maitreyas Heaven) (p.167)
• Tathagata (p.168), his might, unfathomable power
  (p. 176)
• Western Region (p.170)
• Ananda, Kashypa, Sakyamuni(p.171)
• Buddha is universe (p.173)
• Western Paradise (p.175)
• Monkey King meets retribution (p.174)
• Amitabha (p. 178)
• Compassion (p.179)

8
Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (IV)

• The mind is Buddha, and the Buddha is mind
  (p.297)
• Beginning of pilgrimage (p.303)
• Six robbers whose names represent six senses
  when they are impure eye, ear, nose, tongue,
  mind, body
• Violence vs. Anti-violence Pilgrimage Sun
  (disciple) vs. Tripitaka (master) (pp.301,308),
  ,ore killings (p.355)
• Guanyins manifestation (pp.309-310)

9
Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (V)

• Greed (Bajie, chapter 18, p.457 monks in Guanyin
  Hall, p.333) gluttonous (Bajie, p.373) Pilgrim
  calls Bajie glutton, preta (p.402)
• Bajies name means forbidding killing, stealing,
  sexual immorality, lying, the use of cosmetics
  and other personal comforts, strong drink, the
  use of dancing and music, and eating out of
  regulation hour)
• Monkey King slowly transforms, becoming less
  violent (p.338)
• Guanyin always helps (p.361)
• World of dust (p.386)
• The dharma is born through mind (p.597)
• The Heart Sutra (pp.393-394)

10
Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (I)

• Yin-Yang (p.66)
• Man was born at Yin (P.66)
• Immortal stone (p.67)
• Celestial Jade Emperor (pp.68, 102)
• The Flower-Fruit Mountain (p.68)
• The Blessed Land of Flower
• Fruit Mountain
• All kinds of herbs, yellow sperms (p.72)
• Does not know contentment (p.72)
• Immortal mountain in a blessed land (p.73)
• Immortal peaches (p.73)
• Fruits associated with health/longevity (p.75)
• In search of immortals way (p.75), immortality
  (p.76)

11
Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (II)

• Cultivation of the Tao (p.78)
• Nature described in poem (p.79)
• Yak-tail (symbol of purity and detachment) (p.83)
• Vital force, the semen, the breath, breathing
  exercise (p.88)
• Transformations (p.90)
• Fly and ascension (p.90)
• North Sea (p.90)
• Monkey Kings dream (p.109)
• Register of Death

12
Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (III)

• Three Pure Ones (p.134)
• Immortal maidens (p.136)
• Queen Mother of the West (p.137)
• Lao-tzu (p.141)
• Golden Elixir of Nine Turns (p.43)
• Power of Taoism (p.167)
• Eight Trigrams (p.167)
• Huang Shih-kung and Red Pine Seeds (p.311)
• Weakness conquer strong (Tripitaka vs. Pilgrim)
• The rare object of art should not be exposed
  (p.334)
• Knead the cinnabar and refine the mercury (p.348)

13
Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (IV)

• Taoist ideals (poem on p.368)
• Taoists as exorcists (p.370)
• Longevity (p.464)
• Ginseng fruit and Ginseng tree (p.478)