Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13The Journey to the WestA story about pilgrimageXuanzang (Hsuan-tsang, 596-664) and his adventurous pilgrimage to India.Characters: Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha WujingSources of this novel:Story cycles already popular before the writing of the novelIndian work Ramayana?Xuanzang: the foremost pilgrim in Chinese HistoryXuanzang or Tang SanzangHistorically, the most respected Chinese pilgrim and one of the greatest Buddhist mastersTraveled to India for 16 years (629-645), brought back 657 items of Buddhist scriptures, as well translated and compiled translations of 74 works in 1335 volumesFounder of a new Chinese Buddhist school in the Tang dynasty—the Faxiang or Weishi (Conscious-only) SchoolProbably responsible for the composition of the Heart Sutra (Xinjing), the shortest Buddhist sutra, but the most-recited one.His pilgrimage, which was to resolve the controversy regarding “Buddha nature,” inspired storytellers to write stories about his adventurous journeyGeneral Synopsis of the NovelChapters 1-7: the birth of Sun Wukong, his acquisition of immortality and magic power, his invasion and disturbance of Heaven, and his final subjugation by the Buddha under Mt. Five PhasesChapter 8: the Buddha declars his intention to impart the Buddhist canon to the Chinese, and the journey of Guanyin to the EastChapters 9-12: fictional account of Xuanzang: his birth and his vengeance on his father’s murder; Minister Wezheng excuted a dragon, Emperor Tang Taizong’s journey to the underworld. Chapters 13-97: the journey with 81 ordeals preordained for XuanzangChapter 98-100: successful completion of the journeyNarrative Structure of the NovelProse interlaced with verseWriter influenced by vigorous poetic traditionWriter inherited prosimetric characters of “transformation text” (bianwen)Purposes of the short, interlaced poetryPersonal commentary: e.g., critique of decadent Confucian and Buddhist moralityMoral judgment Exemplum: sustain moral argumentsSummaryFunction of narrative versesDescribing scenery, battle, seasons, living beingsPresenting dialoguesPresenting authorial commentary on the action and characterhighlighting religious themes and rhetoric as well as allegorical devicesIdeas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (I)Four great continents (p. 66)Ten thousand kalpas (p. 67)Rare pagodas (p. 69)Worshiped bodhisattva (p.69)Monkey King’s vexation (p.72)King Yama, king of the underworld (p.73)Trouble by impermanence (p.73)Three species: the Buddhas, the immortals, the holy sages (p.73)Wheel of transmigration (p.73)Origin and the dharma of all things (p.75)Never ending desire (pp.75-76)Patriarch Subodhi and Buddha nature (pp. 79-81)Monkey King’s name change: “Wukong”-- awakening to emptiness (p. 82)Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (II)Gold lotus, three vehicles, Zen (Chan) –p.83Buddha or immortal (p.88)Three calamities (thunder, fire, mighty wind) (p. 89)The mind (p.91) that make things difficultOral formula—Buddhist mantra (dharani)(p.91)Merit accumulation (p.91)Dragon king and Yaksa (p.103)Birthless and deathless body (p.103)Three religions (p.111)Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (p. 112)Samsara (p. 113)Bodhisattva Guanyin (pp. 150, 155, 180f)Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (III)Tushita Palace (Maitreya’s Heaven) (p.167)Tathagata (p.168), his might, unfathomable power (p. 176)Western Region (p.170)Ananda, Kashypa, Sakyamuni(p.171)Buddha is universe (p.173)Western Paradise (p.175)Monkey King meets retribution (p.174)Amitabha (p. 178)Compassion (p.179)Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (IV)The mind is Buddha, and the Buddha is mind (p.297)Beginning of pilgrimage (p.303)Six robbers [whose names represent six senses when they are impure: eye, ear, nose, tongue, mind, body]Violence vs. Anti-violence: Pilgrimage Sun (disciple) vs. Tripitaka (master) (pp.301,308), ,ore killings (p.355)Guanyin’s manifestation (pp.309-310)Ideas and Terms Associated with Buddhism (V)Greed (Bajie, chapter 18, p.457; monks in Guanyin Hall, p.333); gluttonous (Bajie, p.373) Pilgrim calls Bajie “glutton”, “preta” (p.402)Bajie’s name means forbidding killing, stealing, sexual immorality, lying, the use of cosmetics and other personal comforts, strong drink, the use of dancing and music, and eating out of regulation hour)Monkey King slowly transforms, becoming less violent (p.338)Guanyin always helps (p.361)World of dust (p.386)The dharma is born through mind (p.597)The Heart Sutra (pp.393-394)Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (I)Yin-Yang (p.66)Man was born at Yin (P.66)Immortal stone (p.67)Celestial Jade Emperor (pp.68, 102)The Flower-Fruit Mountain (p.68)The Blessed Land of FlowerFruit MountainAll kinds of herbs, yellow sperms (p.72)Does not know contentment (p.72)Immortal mountain in a blessed land (p.73)Immortal peaches (p.73)Fruits associated with health/longevity (p.75)In search of immortal’s way (p.75), immortality (p.76)Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (II)Cultivation of the Tao (p.78)Nature described in poem (p.79)Yak-tail (symbol of purity and detachment) (p.83)Vital force, the semen, the breath, breathing exercise (p.88)Transformations (p.90)Fly and ascension (p.90)North Sea (p.90)Monkey King’s dream (p.109)Register of DeathIdeas and Terms Associated with Taoism (III)Three Pure Ones (p.134)Immortal maidens (p.136)Queen Mother of the West (p.137)Lao-tzu (p.141)Golden Elixir of Nine Turns (p.43)Power of Taoism (p.167)Eight Trigrams (p.167)Huang Shih-kung and Red Pine Seeds (p.311)Weakness conquer strong (Tripitaka vs. Pilgrim)“The rare object of art should not be exposed” (p.334)Knead the cinnabar and refine the mercury (p.348)Ideas and Terms Associated with Taoism (IV)Taoist ideals (poem on p.368)Taoists as exorcists (p.370)Longevity (p.464)Ginseng fruit and Ginseng tree
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