SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Journey to the West

  • How Powerful Is Sun Wukong?

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    Many readers of Journey to the West have wondered just how strong Sun Wukong truly is. Known as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong possesses a body forged like black iron, fiery golden eyes that see through illusions, immortality, the 72 Transformations, and a somersault cloud that carries him 108,000 li (approximately 54,000…

  • On Horses

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    by Han Yu (Tang Dynasty) In the world, only after there is a Bo Le can there be a “thousand-li horse” (a steed capable of running a thousand li in a day, see the story to pay thousand gold for a deed horse). Such exceptional horses are always present – but true judges like…

  • Journey to the West: China’s Epic Tale of Adventure, Faith, and Redemption

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    If there is one Chinese literary work that has captured the imagination of generations across East Asia and beyond, it is Journey to the West (Xiyou Ji). Written in the 16th century during China’s Ming Dynasty by Wu Cheng’en, this magnum opus is more than just a novel – it is a cultural icon,…

  • Two minor characters: Guo Chang and His Son [Three Kingdoms]

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    Though appearing only once in Chapter 28 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the brief episode involving Guo Chang and his wayward son serves far more than a passing narrative function. This seemingly minor interlude not only deepens Guan Yu’s characterization as a paragon of righteousness and mercy, but also offers a microcosm of…

  • The false cultivation in Laoshan

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    The pursuit of Daoist cultivation is a recurring theme in classical Chinese literature. For instance, Journey to the West’s Sun Wukong voyages to the Spirit Terrace, Square-Inch Mountain seeking immortality from Patriarch Subodhi (Subhuti).

  • The authority and flexibility of longevity management by Underworld

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    In the story “The Examination for the City God”(Candidate for the City God) from Strange Tales from Liaozhai Studio, the protagonist Song Tao gains sympathy and assistance from Yama King (King of Hell) due to his elderly mother having no one to care for her.

  • Why Guanyin Bodhisattva stayed in the temple of the local spirit in Chang’an?

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    In Journey to the West, when Guanyin Bodhisattva and her disciple Moksha (Hui’an Pilgrim) were sent by Tathāgata to find a scripture-seeking monk in Chang’an, their choice to lodge temporarily in a temple of the local spirit was no random decision.

  • Why Tang Monk stopped the Tight-Fillet Spell?

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    According to the Journey to the West novel, after the Six-Eared Macaque was slain, Tang Monk indeed never recited the Tight-Fillet Spell again.

  • Why Wukong accused Tathagata of trickery?

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    In Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, Guanyin Bodhisattva visited him. Wukong declared, “Tathagata deceived me!” But why did he claim deception? How exactly did Tathagata trick him?