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.
The allusion to “grinding bricks into mirrors” originates from a Zen Buddhist parable.
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…