Journey to the West

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Image:JourneytotheWest.jpg Journey to the West (Template:Zh-tspw) is a Chinese classical novel that remains highly popular even to this day. Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty, and even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives, it is traditionally ascribed to the scholar Wú Chéng'ēn. It has 100 chapters.

The work is also known as Monkey from the title of a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley, and is considered one of the Four Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

The novel is a fictionalized and mythologized version of the Buddhist monk Xuánzàng's pilgrimage to India in order to obtain religious texts called Sutras. The Bodhisattva Guān Yīn, on instruction from the Gautama Buddha, gives this task to the monk and three guardians or protectors in the form of disciples — namely Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuánzàng's horse mount. These four characters have agreed to help Xuán Zàng as an atonement for past sins. The pilgrims undergo 81 calamities of all sorts travelling to India and then bringing the sutras back to the Chinese capital Cháng'ān.

Image:Journey.jpg Some scholars propose that the book is a work of satire on the effeteness of the Chinese government at the time. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, religion, and value systems. In particularly, the pantheon of Taoist and Buddhist deities is still reflective of many Chinese folk religious beliefs today.

Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is an adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended metaphor in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment. It also has much poetry and wordplay.

1 Synopsis
2 Historical Context
3 Main characters
4 See also
5 Notable English-language translations
6 External links

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Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The opening chapters of the novel recount the earlier exploits of Sūn Wùkōng, a monkey born from stone who learns the art of fighting. It culminates in his rebellion against Heaven, when the Gautama Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain for five hundred years.

The Bodhisattva Guān Yīn, acting on the instructions of the Buddha, goes to Táng China to appoint someone to take the sutras back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuánzàng becomes a monk and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by the Táng emperor Lĭ ShìMín, who had previously escaped death with the help of an underworld official. She finds three willing disciples for the monk, who agree to help Xuanzang in order to atone for their sins, as well as a dragon prince who goes in the guise of a white horse:

The monkey king Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空, also Monkey),
The pig-monster Zhū Bājiè (豬八戒, also Pigsy, or Pig),
The river-monster Shā Wùjìng (沙悟淨, also Friar Sand, or Sandy).

Throughout the journey, these four brave travelers have to fend off attacks from various monsters and spirits. Some came in search of immortality (which is obtainable by eating the flesh of the holy monk), whilst others want to hinder the pilgrimage. All three – in particular, Sūn Wùkōng – have to use all their abilities and connections to defeat formidable enemies which include the Bull Demon King, the Iron Fan Princess,(both later became the monkey king's friend)and even an indistinguishable imitation of Sūn Wùkōng himself. The demons on the later parts of the journey include spider-women who spin webs from their navels, a pride of lion monsters, the white-bone demon with shape-shifting powers, and a terrible female spirit who carries Xuánzàng down into her bottomless cave to marry him.

The pilgrimage takes an arduous seven years to complete, after which each traveler is commended to higher posts, with Sūn Wùkōng and Xuán Zàng achieving Buddhahood.

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Historical Context

Image:Great Goose Pagoda Day 2005.jpg The classic tale of "the Journey to the West" was based on real events. The real journey to the west took place during the Tang Dynasty. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xī'ān, Shǎnxī Province, China, was both the starting and ending point of this epic journey. The statue of Xuánzàng can be seen near the right of this panorama. Xuánzàng reached India after he experienced innumerable trials and hardships, of course without the help of his almighty disciples in the novel. Xuánzàng then lived in India for more than a decade, studying at Nalanda University and learning classics of Buddhism and Indian culture. Later he succeeded in going back to China, bringing with him copies of many classic Buddhism texts, which contributed significantly to the promotion of Buddhism China.

Fictionalized stories of Xuánzàng's journey were in existence long before Journey was written. In these versions, dating as far back as Southern Song, a monkey character was already a primary protagonist. It is believed that these legends began forming from Xuánzàng's accounts of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god from the ancient Ramayana epic. During the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming, elements of the Monkey legend can already be seen.

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Main characters

A popular television series portraying the various dieties and characters that appear in the story Journey to the West:

Buddha (Ru Lai)	Jade Emperor (Yu Di)	Guanyin	Laozi
Chang'e	Erlang Shen	Pusa	Yan Wang (god of death)
Xuanzang	Sun Wukong	Zhu Bajie	Sha Wujing

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Xuán Zàng

Xuán Zàng is the Buddhist monk who set out to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for China. Although he is helpless when it comes to defending himself, the gods provided him powerful disciples (Sūn Wùkōng, Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng) who will aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the people by ridding various monsters that are hunting their land. The fact that all the monsters and demons are trying to obtain immortality by eating Xuán Zàng provides much of the plot in the story.

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Sūn Wùkōng

Sūn Wùkōng, the name given to him by his teacher, Patriarch Subodhi, means "aware of emptiness". He was born as a monkey out of a rock that had been dormant for ages, and is noted for his bravery to be the first to enter the Water-Curtain Cave, which gave him the title of Monkey King by the monkeys he was with. Later, he started making trouble in the Heavens and defeated an Army of 100,000 heavenly soldiers, led by the Four Heavenly Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, an appeal was sent by the Jade Emperor to Buddha, who subdued and trapped him under a mountain. He was only saved when Xuanzang came by him on his pilgrimage, which led Sūn Wùkōng to become a disciple.

His primary weapon is the Wishing staff, which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep it in his ear when not in use. The staff, used to be a pillar holding the under-sea palace belonging to the East Sea Dragon king, weighs 10 tons, which he pulled out and swung with great ease, causing much fright and distress to those around him. The Dragon king, not wanting him to cause any trouble, also gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined with his devourement of the peaches of immortality and 3 jars of immortality pills while in Heaven, plus his ordeal in a 8-trigram furnace that gave him a steel-hard body and fiery eyes capable of seeing through any disguise, easily makes Sun Wukong the strongest member of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he could also pull hairs from his body and blow on them to transform them into whatever he wished (usually clones of himself to get an numerical adantage in battle). Although he has mastered the 72-methods-of-transformations (twice that of Zhu Bajie), it does not mean that he is restricted to those 72 different forms. It should also be worthy to mention the fact that he can do a "Somersault Cloud," enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap. Wukong uses his talents to fight demons and play pranks. However, his misbehaviors are checked by a band placed around his head by Guān Yīn, which could not be removed by Sun Wukong himself. Xuánzàng can tighten this band by chanting the Tight-Fillet spell (also taught to him by Guān Yīn) whenever he needed to chastise the Monkey King.

Sūn Wùkōng's child-like playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his acrobatic skills, make him a likeable hero, although not necessarily a good role model. His antics presented a lighter side in what proposed to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

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Zhū Bājiè

Zhū Bājiè (Pig of the Eight Prohibitions) is also known as Zhu Wuneng (Pig Awakened to Power). Before he joined Sanzang's pilgrimage, he was also known as Zhu Ganglie (Iron-haired Pig).

He used to be Marshall Tian Peng, the Grand Admiral of 80,000 soldiers of the heavenly lakes. But during a celebration of gods, he drank too much and attempted to flirt with Chang E, the beautiful goddess of the moon, and was punished by being sent down into the mortal world. He was reborn into the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, though he was supposed to be reborn as human; this is why Bajie has the appearance of a half-pig, half-man. He took up residence in Cloud Pathway Cave, where he stayed for a period of time.

However, his desire for women led him to Gao Village, where he posed as a normal man and took a wife. When the villagers discovered his demonic side, he hid the girl away. At this point, Sanzang and Sun Wukong arrived at Gao Village and helped subdue Zhu Baije. Zhu Baije consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is a Nine-Pronged Rake. He is also capable of thirty-six transformations (as compared to Sun Wukong's seventy-two), and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Sun Wukong. However, Zhū Bājiè is noted for his figting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey.

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Shā Wùjìng

Shā Wùjìng (literally meaning Sand Awakened to Purity) used to be the Curtain Raising General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal dish during the Peach Banquet. The demon took up residence in the Flowing Sands River, terrorizing the surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie when the Sanzang party came across him. They consequently took him in to be a part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Shā Wùjìng is a ill-fitting character, in the sense that most of the great dialogue within the book almost always leaves him out. The narrative usually revolves around Sun Wukong, Zhu Baije, and Sanzang, leaving Sha Wujing as a spare tire. However, Shā Wùjìng is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples.

Sha Wujing's weapon is the Sun and Moon Cresent Staff. Aside from that, he knows 18 transformations and is highly effective in water combat, but cannot defend against the attacks of both Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie.

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Notable English-language translations

Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley. For many years, the best translation available in English; it only translates thirty out of the hundred chapters. (Penguin reprint ISBN 0140441115)
Journey to the West, a complete translation by W. J. F. Jenner published by the Foreign Languages Press in Beijing 1955 (three volumes; 1982/1984 edition: ISBN 0-8351-1003-6, ISBN 0-8351-1193-8, ISBN 0-8351-1364-7)
Journey to the West (1977-1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu.
University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0226971457, ISBN 0226971465, ISBN 0226971473, ISBN 0226971481; PB ISBN 0226971503, ISBN 0226971511; ISBN 0226971538; ISBN 0226971546.