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The Journey to the West

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?.

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The Journey to the West

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  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 dynasty—the 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 father’s murder; Minister Wezheng excuted a dragon, Emperor Tang Taizong’s 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 King’s 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 King’s 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 formula—Buddhist 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 (Maitreya’s 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) • Guanyin’s 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) • Bajie’s 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 immortal’s 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 King’s 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)

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