Buddhist scriptures

  • White Horse Temple

    The White Horse Temple is China’s first Buddhist monastery, located east of present-day Luoyang, Henan Province. It was originally built in the eleventh year of Yongping (68 CE) during the Eastern Han dynasty. Historical texts such as the Commentary on the Water Classic (Shuijing Zhu), A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang (Luoyang Qielan…

  • Preface to the Sacred Teachings [Chinese calligraphy]

    Chu Suiliang (596–658 CE) was a prominent statesman and calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty, celebrated for his elegant, refined, and rhythmically fluid style of regular script (kaishu). His masterpiece, the Yanta Shengjiao Xu (Preface to the Sacred Teachings at the Wild Goose Pagoda), was inscribed on stone in 653 CE at the request…

  • Journey to the West – Episode 110 – Picture story

    Tripitaka and his disciples traveled eight hundred miles in a single day to cross the immense Flame Mountain after extinguished its flames. Autumn was coming to an end, and winter had begun to show signs of its imminent arrival.

  • Journey to the West – Episode 26 – Picture story

    The master and disciple traveled for some six or seven days in the wilderness. One day, when it was getting late, they saw a village in the distance. “Wukong,” said Tripitaka, “look! There’s a village over there. How about asking for lodging for the night before we travel again tomorrow?”

  • [Journey to the West]The Sworn Brotherhood Between Emperor and Monk

    As previously discussed, the traditional Chinese concept of “Sworn Brotherhood of Eight Bows” and its representation in Journey to the West reflect deep cultural values of loyalty and kinship. Today, we delve into the historical account of Xuanzang’s sworn brotherhood with a king and its profound influence on the novel’s narrative.

  • The two Scholar-Hermits in Journey to the West

    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.

  • [Journey to the West]The Origin of Zhu Bajie

    The full name of the pig character in Journey to the West is Zhu Bajie, where “Zhu” means “pig” and “Bajie” translates to “Eight Precepts” or “Eight Prohibitions”.

  • Versions and Alternative Titles of Journey to the West

    Journey to the West (Xiyouji) is a literary masterpiece rooted in the historical pilgrimage of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang (602–664 CE) to India in search of Buddhist scriptures. Over centuries of layered cultural creation, it absorbed diverse influences—myths, folklore, religious teachings, and performative arts—to evolve into a literary classic blending adventurous storytelling with…

  • [Journey to the West]What does “Wukong” mean in Chinese?

    The Monkey King was named Wukong (悟空) by his first master. What does “Wukong” signify?