In Journey to the West, Zhang Shao and Li Ding are two distinctive yet minor characters. A fisherman and a woodcutter, respectively. Traditionally, these professions symbolized an idyllic life detached from worldly strife, embodying the Taoist ideal of reclusive simplicity.
(more…)Category: Journey to the West
-
Where does Subhuti live in Journey to the West?
Subhūti, the mentor of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), resides in Lingtai Fangcun Mountain (灵台方寸山), Slanted Moon and Three Stars Cave (斜月三星洞), located in the Western Continent of Aparagodānīya in Journey to the West.
(more…) -
The Prototype of Sha Monk
Sha Wujing, also known as Sandy, Friar Sand, or Sha Monk, is the youngest disciple of Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West.
The Prototype of Sha Monk (Sha Wujing) can be traced to multiple images in Buddhist stories and historical documents.
Biography of the Tripitaka Master of Da Ci’en Monastery
The biography of Master Sanzang, created in Tang Dynasty, records that during Xuanzang’s perilous journey across the desert, he dreamed of a Buddhist Dharma-protecting deity (Dharma-pāla) who guided him to safety. Over time, this celestial guardian figure evolved into the character of Sha Wujing in Journey to the West.
The Tale of Tang Tripitaka’s Scripture Quest
The most comprehensive prototype of Sha Monk is the Shen Sha (Deep Sand God) from this narrative.
In the text, Shen Sha declares:
“Once you were a monk; twice I devoured you. Your bones remain in my sack.”
This refers to Shen Sha killing Tang Sanzang’s first two reincarnations and collecting their bones.
In Journey to the West, Sha Wujing’s backstory mirrors this:
He murdered the first nine reincarnations of the Golden Cicada (Tang Sanzang being the tenth) and wore their nine skulls as a necklace—a haunting symbol of his past sins.Xiyouji Zaju (Journey to the West Poetic Drama)
The opera, created by Yang Jingxian during the Yuan Dynasty, was the first theatrical adaptation of Tang Sanzang’s pilgrimage to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. This groundbreaking work laid crucial foundations for Wu Cheng’en’s Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West.
In the Yuan-era Xiyouji Zaju, the character resembling Sha Wujing declares:
“A monk vows to journey west for scriptures—how can he cross my Sandy River? That man lived nine lifetimes as a monk, and I devoured him nine times. Nine skulls still hang around my neck!”
This dialogue directly foreshadows Sha Wujing’s backstory in Wu Cheng’en’s novel:
- Nine Skulls: In the Ming novel, Sha Wujing wears the skulls of Tang Sanzang’s nine prior incarnations (the Golden Cicada) as a grotesque necklace, symbolizing his violent past as a river demon.
- Sandy River: Corresponds to the Flowing Sands River in Journey to the West, where Sha terrorized travelers before his redemption.
Wu Cheng’en’s genius lay in elevating these raw elements into a cohesive allegory of spiritual growth, with Sha Wujing’s arc embodying sin, penance, and rebirth—a theme rooted in Yang Jingxian’s Yuan-era vision.
-
The Parable of “Grinding Bricks into Mirrors”
The allusion to “grinding bricks into mirrors” originates from a Zen Buddhist parable.
During the Tang Dynasty, a monk named Ma Daoyi practiced under Chan Master Huairang on Mount Nanyue. Ma devoted himself to seated meditation, believing it would lead to enlightenment. However, Huairang questioned his approach. To illustrate the futility of rigid formalism, Huairang likened Ma’s meditation to grinding bricks into mirrors—a superficial act that could never achieve its goal.
Huairang explained:
“True cultivation isn’t about external forms like sitting in meditation. It requires realizing the Buddha’s teachings and discovering one’s true heart. Suppose a cart stops moving—do you strike the cart or the ox pulling it? Similarly, if you study Zen by sitting, Zen isn’t mere sitting or lying down. If you study Buddha by sitting, Buddha isn’t a fixed state. Clinging to the idea that enlightenment comes through seated meditation misunderstands the Dharma. You become trapped in the form, unable to penetrate reality’s true essence.”
Connection to Journey to the West
The poem opening Chapter 8 of Journey to the West critiques those who chase enlightenment through empty rituals:
“Grinding bricks into mirrors, piling snow as grain—delusions that bind them.”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 8
This Zen parable and the novel’s verse share a core message:
- Beyond Formalism: True spiritual progress demands inner awakening, not mechanical adherence to practices.
- Essence Over Ritual: Sun Wukong’s journey mirrors this lesson—his initial pursuit of immortality through brute force (stealing peaches, pills) fails until he embraces self-discipline and wisdom.
- Satirical Reflection: Both the parable and the novel mock rigid asceticism, urging seekers to transcend superficiality.
Just as Huairang guided Ma Daoyi to abandon futile grinding, Journey to the West challenges its pilgrims—and readers—to seek enlightenment beyond appearances. The Monkey King’s path from reckless ambition to enlightened protector embodies this truth: liberation lies not in rituals or power, but in understanding one’s true nature.
-
Wukong quotes Confucius’ Analects
Sun Wukong is portrayed in Journey to the West as quick-witted and rhetorically adept. Notably, statistical analyses of the novel reveal that of its approximately 300 cited classical quotations, Sun Wukong alone delivers 110 lines—over a third of the total.
(more…) -
Su Wu Man: Ask at meditation-pass – explained
Chapter 8 of Journey to the West marks the beginning of the quest for Buddhist scriptures. The chapter opens with a poem, titled “Su Wu Man: Inquiring at the Zen Gate” (or “Su Wu Man: Ask at meditation-pass”). It was not composed by the author of Journey to the West but by Master Feng of the Yuan Dynasty.
(more…) -
Ask at meditation-pass – the lyric Su Wu at Slow Pace
Chapter 8 of Journey to the West marks the beginning of the quest for Buddhist scriptures. The chapter opens with a poem expressing the arduous path to enlightenment: countless trials must be overcome to attain the highest state of Buddhism.
(more…) -
Do the immortals in Journey to the West eat dragons?
In traditional Chinese culture, dragons are revered as divine beings symbolizing authority and cosmic power.
(more…)