As Sun Wukong’s first teacher, Master Subhuti plays a pivotal role in Journey to the West. He imparts Wukong with supernatural abilities, including the 72 Transformations and Cloud Somersault. However, after his initial appearance, Subhuti vanishes mysteriously and is never mentioned again, leaving his fate as enigmatic as that of Zen Master Wu Chao.
In traditional Chinese culture, the conflict and fusion between Buddhism and Taoism underwent a prolonged historical process, a phenomenon vividly expressed and embodied in Journey to the West.