Buddha and the Buddhism based on the Journey to the West by Wu Chengen - Research Paper Example

? Introduction A ical novel of the Chinese literature, Journey to the West is a literature works by Wu Cheng’en. This literature is a narrative of the renowned journey to India by a Buddhist monk called Xuanzang. It draws its sources from traditional folk tales and Xuanzang’s own written accounts of the journey in the ‘Great Tang Records on the Western Regions’ (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). This classical novel has a firm foundation on the Chinese mythology, value system and folk religions which are reflected even to this date on some of their religious way of life (Flanagan, 2011). Based on this classical Chinese novel, how then can one deduce the portrayal of Buddhism in Journey to the West? The Journey to the West depict different religions including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and to some extent Christianity (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). Buddhism takes a center stage as the whole journey is about collecting Buddhist sutras. Among the four deities who embark on a journey to India, three were once from heaven. Because of their disobedience, they are disgraced and sent back to earth. They are given a mission which if they are successful, they get forgiven of their sins. The reward is that they get admitted back to heaven. This description is in tandem with Christian principles of faith (Miller, 2006). Another depiction of Christianity is from the monkey king who eats the holy peaches. Like forbidden fruits portrayed in the bible, the monkey king eats these fruits reserved for special guest to heaven. He gets enlightened and for his acts, he is kicked out of the Heavenly Garden. A symbolic representation of what unfolded in the Garden of Eden (Miller, 2006). In the novel, Taoist heaven, found in China, coexist with Buddhist western paradise, implied in the novel as a location in India. Taoist gods like the Jade Emperor and Buddhist venerable like Buddha even consult and help one another. When the Jade Emperor becomes overwhelmed by the monkey king’s antics, he presents his lamentations to Buddha who subdues the monkey (Wilkinson and Teague, 2003). The Journey to the West relays a simplified and literalized ascetic Taoism in the Chinese popular origin. Taoist ascetics for instance consider that the final stage of discipline is to attain immortality (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). Since most Chinese were confused about elements of Taoism, this was simplified by popular legend as presented in the novel. As the monkey goes to see Taoist god, he steals pills from Taoist alchemy laboratory. The pills are to prolong life of a human being by a few thousand years (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). This becomes a simplified explanation of ascetics that is easily discernable by the Chinese. The gods of the different religions presented in the novel differ in hierarchies and roles. For instance, Jade Emperor is depicted as the ruler of Earth and Heavens, though he is not as supreme as Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu administratively. These gods are also subject to much superior universal forces. The folk heaven which the novel mainly draws from Taoist mythology is a model of the government of Chinese emperors (Flanagan, 2011). The Chinese folk heaven is therefore conveyed as bloated bureaucracy with numerous officials holding grandiose titles. This scenario is underscored by the rewards Xuanzang disciples receive after delivering the sutras. It is also worthy to note that these heavenly administrators are mortals whose virtues in their earthly lives got them their current positions (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). The different religions in Journey to the West find a striking balance and try to accommodate one another (Buswell, 1990). They are not into direct competition with one another. Buddha helps Jade Emperor when he is besieged by the monkey king, whereas Bodhisattva Kwan Yin plays an important role in the novel by helping the pilgrims when on very difficult situations. Although the disciples are promoted to heaven, Xuanzang remains on earth to translate the sutras. This leads to Buddhism being the dominant religion over the others (Miller, 2006). In Buddhism, it is considered the highest honor when someone leaves their home to realize their religious destiny. One leaves the home to become a monk or nun. This has been viewed by some cultures as turning away from fellow community members (Miller, 2006). This predicament also faced Buddha Shakyamuni. Born a royal prince, his father summoned a seer to make predictions on the young prince’s future. The verdict was that either he will become a king or a Buddha. King Shuddhodana desired that he be a king. He therefore ordered that he be put in a palace and prevented from coming into contact with suffering that could influence him to be a Buddha. Soon the prince became disenchanted and yearned to see the world outside his palace. On his four trips outside the palace, two things greatly impacted on his life; the people suffering and the wondering monk he saw. He therefore left the palace and his family to become a monk. His journey to find an end to suffering kicked off. This tale is replicated in the novel. Though in this case, the pilgrims have the blessings of Buddha (Buswell, 1990). Buddhism has influenced the cultures on which it has been accepted. In Chinese culture, according to the novel, it brought with it new beliefs, concepts and doctrines. Some of the concepts that gained root in the classical culture depicted in the novel included belief in reincarnation and formation of hell and heaven (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). In journey to the West, reincarnation is epitomized by Zhu Bajie or Pig. After his ouster as an immortal and a marshal commanding naval soldier of the heavenly canopy, his punishment is mortality as a man. Unluckily, he turns into half-man half-pig monster due to an error in his Reincarnation Wheel. Behavior is another area that Buddhism had a notable influence on. Meditation, confessions and use of images in making offerings had an impact on Chinese behavior. This is attributed to the translation of sutras by Xuanzang (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). Buddhism also distorted the material culture of societies within the context of the novel. Sacred objects, buildings, symbols and ritual implements are just a few concepts introduced by this religion touching on material culture. Ways of thinking and relating to material culture was also influenced (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). A clear depiction is offered in the Journey to the West. Xuanzang and his disciples set out to collect the sacred scriptures from India. Buddha orders that they get this item in order to be interpreted in the local language hence benefit the community. By introducing new material objects, Buddhism has retrospectively scorned on the material world. Abandonment of worldly things was a key element in attaining Buddha hood in this religion (Wilkinson and Teague, 2003). Shakyamuni born in luxury as a prince had rejected physical objects including attachment to family and sexual pleasure. This act is the model of anyone who wants to be Buddhist monk. Therefore unlike traders, a monk will be seeking the truth and not material wealth. Buddha teachings have discouraged people from pursuing material things which are a distraction from attaining purity. However, Buddhist doctrines do not entirely oppose the acquisition of material things. This is proven by the grandiose titles that the disciples acquire after attaining Buddha hood (Miller, 2006). Buddhism has played a vital function in the Chinese culture, both as a system of ideas and a religious practice. It greatly enhanced the Chinese beliefs, arts and literature besides swaying the character and minds of the Chinese (Flanagan, 2011). True to its adaptive nature, Buddhism tries to reflect the Chinese bureaucratic system. The Chinese faith transfer earth to heaven including the emperors, ladies, lords and lower echelons. To them life is a continuation process even after death. The same bureaucratic system on earth will be replicated in the heavens (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). This dynamism is reflected in the nature of characters in the Journey to the West. There are earthly beings denoted by Xuanzang and those from heavenly realms like the monkey king and his fellow disciples. The Chinese do not stick to a single religion for a long time (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). From the tale, clearly the monkey king and Xuanzang were previously Taoist but changed religion before embarking on the adventurous journey to India. In the classical novel, voyage to the west, Xuanzang’s each disciples had suffered some form of condemnation. As he heads towards India, he incorporates them to the pilgrimage. Some after resistance and a final defeat accept to follow and serve him. This is after encouragement from Guanyin with the belief that their past sins will be forgiven after the journey. Each is given a newer name. The monkey king becomes Sun Wukong meaning ‘awakened to emptiness’. This is after being subdued by Buddha and being trapped at a mountain for 500 years. He escorts Xuanzang to meet Buddha and get a chance to worship him appropriately (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). An important relationship between Buddha and Monkey king is highlighted here. Buddha is the only being capable of stopping the monkey king from his dangerous exploits even after acquiring immense power capable of defeating the heavens armies. Monkey king easily presents himself in this novel as the major character as opposed to Xuanzang who is highlighted as a supposedly main character, considerably because he is the one chosen to lead in bringing the sacred scriptures. He is therefore considered a hero. Quick-witted and agile, the monkey king uses his acquired skills to defeat the most dominant demons in the pilgrimage (Buswell, 1990). Zhu Bajie is given the name Zhu Wuneng meaning a ‘Pig Awakened to Ability’. For his voracious pleasure for women, a potent reason why he was banished, he finds himself in the Goa Family Village and soon marries a maiden there. Sooner than later, his cover gives in and the villagers realize he was a monster. He takes the girl into custody. On their way, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong arrive at this village and help defeat him. It is here that he joins the pilgrimage (Buswell, 1990). Another characteristic attributed to him is greed. He is skilled in fighting on water and easily becomes the second sturdy member of the pilgrimage (Wilkinson and Teague, 2003). Sha Wujing, a river ogre, gets the name Friar Sand. From the Flowing Sands River where he resides, he terrorizes travelers and nearby villagers. He gets restrained by Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong and joins Xuanzang for the journey to the West. He is a less controversial character who is polite, obedient to his teacher and highly rational than the other disciples. He is good at water battles (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). Finally among the disciples there is the prince of Dragon, a minor character that has less dialogue role. He majorly emerge as the horse that Xuanzang journeys on. It important to note that the three most prominent characters of Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng and Friar Sand have all transformational abilities that help them in combating the numerous demons and monsters from their master and teacher, with Sun Wukong being able of 72 transformation against Zhu Wuneng’s 36 and Sha Wujing’s eight (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). From the above characters experiences on their journey to India, the novel depicts Buddhism as a religion upon which to attain full awakening, one has to undergo severe temptations and tribulations (Flanagan, 2011). Buddhism is the first external religion to penetrate China under the backdrop of established religions (Miller, 2006). It faced serious rivalry from Daoism also known as Taoism, albeit principally. The demons that Xuanzang and his entourage faced on their journey are descended from the Taoist deities and sages. This depicted the intense rivalry of the two religions, though Buddhism was less hostile to Taoism (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). While Buddhism wanted to master the internal world, Taoism mainly sought agreement with the ordinary world. With these qualities and the desire to flourish in the society, Buddhism needed to change itself into a structure that is compatible with the Chinese way of life. It thus integrated the Chinese ancestors worship besides playing a part in their hierarchical system (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). Works written relative to Buddhism argued that the society gained from the deliverance of its individual members. Therefore monks and these individual’s families contributed to the larger benefit of the society. In the historic context on which Journey to the West is based, Xuanzang received an affectionate reception from Emperor Taizhong of Tang. This context shows that the society embraced monks for they too were going to gain from their faith. In a nut shell, Buddhism has both influenced and been influenced by the Chinese culture, philosophy, politics and literature as illustrated in the novel (Miller, 2006). The ‘Journey to the West’ is compared to a mysterious work of literature, almost similar to the Koran and the Bible in principle (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). These holy books have a characteristic inner and outer meaning. This is also evident in this novel. In Journey to the West, the outer meaning is illustrated by the adventures Xuanzang and his party undergoes in their pilgrimage to India. Among the sceneries highlighted are wildernesses, wide impenetrable rivers, a kingdom inhibited by females only, burning mountains and a den of seductive spirit of spiders. Not to mention dozens of demons, calamities and monsters that constantly terrorizes them (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). The inner meaning is associated with the nurturing of a religious path, lower self; managing the worldly desires and principal of enlightenment to the comprehension of the heavenly present. In journey to the West, Xuanzang disciples who have all banished in the heavenly realm for varied reasons get a chance to redeem themselves by taking part in the journey to collect sacred scriptures from Buddha in India. On successful completion of their pilgrimage, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong attain Buddha hood, the dragon horse becomes a naga, Sha Wujing an arhat, while Zhu Bajie due to his greed is made an altar cleaner. This exemplifies the inner meaning deduced from this Chinese fictional classical novel (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). In this novel, the monk is perceived as a weak being. Xuanzang is the only character with whole human features. He symbolizes the humble and meek, but also reveals lack of faith. This is brought to fore with the incorporation of disciples to aid him in his journey to collect the sacred scriptures for eventual translation to the Chinese people (Kherdian and Wu, 1992. This concept therefore brings out the significance of Buddha in this novel. He is attributed to all the calamities that inflict Xuanzang. From the book, he even orders that Xuanzang and his disciples put to undergo the last tragedy. Buddha becomes an important character in this novel since he is the only character that can tame the monkey king. Undoubtedly the captivating character, the monkey king has the potential to destroy kingdoms therefore ushering the exclusive reign of monkeys. It is him that lightens up the whole story. He exudes wit, brevity, humor and sarcasm. Most significant, he is attributed to encouraging Xuanzang achieve Buddha hood (Flanagan, 2011). Since the Chinese assimilated Buddhism into their way of life differently, it gained prominence over the other established religions. Buddha was henceforth worshiped. The monkey king is given a chance to attain an immortal soul by worshiping Buddha and subsequent elevation to Buddha hood (Wilkinson and Teague, 2003). Conclusion Though many view Journey to the West as a fictional work of Chinese literature whose main theme revolves around the exploits of the monkey king and the influence of Buddhism, it is imperative to underscore the importance of Chinese folklore and mythologies in shaping the outcome of Buddhist principals adopted in Journey to the West. According to Cuevas and Stone, (2007), the Journey to the West also represents the adaptive nature of Buddhism by borrowing from Taoism. The monkey king acquires supernatural Taoist skills but still embark on a pilgrimage to Buddha. His skills are greatly used in subduing the demons thereby helping Xuanzang achieve his mission (Kherdian and Wu, 1992. Buddhism gets an elevated prominence against other religious practices in the novel because it is able to relate well with the hierarchy of being. This is strengthened by fact that Xuanzang is a mortal who resides on earth whereas his disciples were previously heavenly beings who have been striped of their grace and sent back to mortality (Buswell, 1990). This novel therefore allegorically portrays Buddhism as religion which finally gains prominence against others by way integrating their practices. References Buswell, R. E. (1990). Chinese Buddhist apocrypha. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Cuevas, B. J., & Stone, J. I. (2007). The Buddhist dead practices, discourses, representations. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. Flanagan, O. J. (2011). The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Fowler, J. D., & Fowler, M. (2008). Chinese religions: beliefs and practices. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press. Kherdian, D., & Wu, C. (1992). Monkey: a journey to the West: a retelling of the Chinese folk novel by Wu Ch?eng-en. Boston: Shambhala;. Miller, J. (2006). Chinese religions in contemporary societies. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Wilkinson, P., & Teague, S. (2003). Buddhism. New York: DK Pub.. Read More