The Book about Journey to the West - Essay Example

Journey to the West Introduction Journey to the West, one of the most known Chinese folklore books is based on the real life pilgrimage of Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk. I picked this particular book because Buddhism is said to be one of the fastest growing beliefs today. This claim sparked my curiosity to learn more about this practice. The book is an excellent choice as the primary idea was influenced by a real life story, recounted by Xuanzang himself on his pilgrimage to India seeking the Buddhist scriptures so that he could bring them back to China. In the book, we find a number of ancient Buddhist beliefs, which form the core of the religious practice. In most European countries, it is referred to as “Monkey” because it focuses on the Tang Monk as well as his monkey disciple Sun Wukong. The first edition was written in Chinese by Wu Chengen in the sixteenth century, however, since then there have been numerous other publications in English translation. I used the fourth volume of the revised edition translated by Anthony C. Yu. This version lays its focus on the pilgrimage itself, the journey towards getting the Holy Scriptures and bringing them back to Tang dynasty, which is in China. In its twenty-five chapters, it gives the exaggerated adventures, encounters and challenges that the monk, Tang Tripitaka, and his three disciples Great Sage Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie Wuneng and Sha Wujing faced during the pilgrimage. His disciples were meant to serve and protect their master from any harm and ensure the success of the pilgrimage. Summary of the book The book begins with chapter seventy-six of the original book giving a tale whereby some demons have captured the Great Sage Sun-the monkey disciple of Tang Monk. One of the demons has swallowed him, and he is causing it distress from the insides of its stomach (Yu 2). Sun Wukong, in a smart and tricky way and with the help of his magic manages to salvage himself from the situation and coerce the demons to agree to transport him, his brothers and their master Tang across the mountains (Yu 4). We then see a battle of muscle and wits between the demons and the Monks on pilgrimage as the demons try to devour the Tang Monk. They do so because they believe his meat will grant them immortality and free them from their sins (Yu 17). In the following chapter, the demons trick and seize all the four and prepare to eat the monk. However, Sun Wukong uses his wits, magic and to save himself, his brothers and his master from these demons (Yu 28). As the book continues, the monk runs into numerous demons and evil creatures, a land of women only, sea gods and evil creatures from the sea, seductive women with ill intentions, natural calamities that make it difficult to travel. He also encounters flaming mountains, fierce animals in the wilderness, temptations of material wealth from earthly kings, and internal wrangles among his disciples. The Tang monk and his disciples get out of all these situations unscathed by sing special weapons and skills. The monk is mortal (Yu 32) and has no ability to save himself from spiritual evil beings. He, therefore, relies on protection from his disciples. Sun Wukong, the strongest of the disciples, is of great use with his magical powers, his ability to see far distances and recognize demons in disguise, the ability to transform himself seventy-two times, smart mind, trickery, his unique weapon, and golden rod. Zhu Bajie the second strongest uses his iron rake, excellent fighting skills in water and ability to transform himself thirty-six times to fight whatever battles. On the other hand, Sha Wujing uses his special spade, good water fighting skills and ability to turn eighteen times to fight these battles. In the end, they manage to protect their master by getting away from the demons and evil creatures. In chapter ninety-nine, they come to the realization that these tribulations were sent by the Buddha. We even see him asking for them to receive the final test (Yu 359). Upon reaching Vulture Peak, India-where the monk was to collect the sutras, the Buddha also commends him on enduring the eighty-one tribulations and surviving through them (Yu 362). It was required for one to be able to withstand these trials in so as to attain Buddhahood (Yu 366). In the end, the monk and his disciples begin their journey back to Tang where they were meant to take back the scriptures (Yu 379). The book ends with each of them receiving a reward for completing the pilgrimage. The Tang monk- Tripitaka was made a Buddha, Sun Wukong was also appointed Buddha, Sha Wujing became an arhat, one who has not achieved full Buddha hood but has attained a great deal of enlightenment, and Zhu Wuneng became an alter cleanser (Yu 374). My personal Reflection of the book As I was reading the book, various things caught my attention. I was impressed by the active attributes displayed by the monk’s disciples. However, the various powers and abilities of the demons and the evil creatures, the many hardships that they had to endure and the vastness of evil were distressing aspects. The one thing that all the three disciples had in common was the determination to fight and reach their destination. This common goal gave them the willpower to make it through any difficulties and protect their master. Sun Wukong despite having magical powers never lost hope even in captivity. He always encouraged his fellow priests and his master that they would to get out of the hard situation no matter difficulty involved. Sha Wujing also had the ability to maintain positivity even in the face of adversity and was the peacemaker whenever his fellow disciples were arguing. Zhu despite being fearful, he knew that Sun Wukong would eventually find a way out of any tight situations. It remains distressful to see how the demons and evil creatures exhibited massive powers and abilities. Some of them were way stronger than the three disciples who could have given up, but they did not. Even Sun Wukong, the strongest one of all, lost hope on various occasions when Tang Monk’s life was in danger. The fact that they endured one hardship after another for more than a decade was also a distressing aspect. Since it was a religious pilgrimage, one would expect that the Buddha would protect them but all they encountered were hardships. One more painful aspect is the vastness of evil. It appeared that evil and temptation hovered around them everywhere they went. This would have easily broken the spirits of the Tang monk and his disciples, but they did not lose hope and went on with their journey. Conclusion Journey to the West is a book that gives a fictional account of Tripitaka the Tang Monk’s pilgrimage from China to Vulture Peak in India to seek the Holy Scriptures. He embarked on this journey with his three disciples, Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing, who were meant to protect their master. They encountered a total of eighty-one evils and hardships but were able to reach their destination. Upon returning home Tripitaka and Sun were awarded Buddhahood, Zhu was appointed alter cleanser and Sha became an arhat. The book is full of fantasies and exaggerated accounts, but then it is a mythology; hence, not all facts are one hundred percent correct. However, it comes out negatively when it is revealed that the Buddha sent the tribulations; he is portrayed as the controller of both good and evil. It is thus not advisable for one who seeks to learn the teachings of the Buddhist philosophy, to believe everything that is in the book. All the evil creatures, demons, and evil spirits as well as the surreal powers they possess are just fiction. The book is a good narrative but not a foundation for religious beliefs. As I read the book, I was left with three questions. The first one; How powerful is a Buddha? He is portrayed as being able to control good and evil even when the evil demons seemed stronger. The second question is; why does the Buddha allow evil to prevail yet he is portrayed to have power over it? The third and final question is; do evil powers and demons exist? We see them in mythologies and ancient narratives but then having never experienced any myself it is difficult for me to believe that they really do exist. This kind of assignment has both a good impact on me as well as a bad one. The bad one is that it can confuse one’s religious beliefs. During research, I came across facts that contradict with my personal beliefs thus causing me to question my religious beliefs. On the other hand, it also sheds light on other faiths and helps me understand and become more liberal to other people’s religious practices. Works Cited Yu, Anthony C. Journey to the West. London: University of Chicago Press, 2012. Read More