#patriarch subodhi

[journeytothewestresearch]

Tree-Born Beings in JTTW?

Upon meeting the Monkey King, the Patriarch Subodhi asks him a number of questions, including his surname (xing, 姓). Monkey confuses this for an inquiry into his temperament or nature (xing, 性):

"I'm not speaking of your temperament," the Patriarch said. "I'm asking after the name of your parents." "I have no parents either," said the Monkey King. The Patriarch said, "If you have no parents, you must have been born from a tree" (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 114-115). 祖師道：「不是這個性。你父母原來姓甚麼？」 猴王道：「我也無父母。」 祖師道：「既無父母，想是樹上生的？」

The part in bold really interests me.

The possibility of something being born from a tree is the first thing that comes to Subodhi's mind. Remember that the Patriarch is an enlightened master with knowledge of a great many things. Therefore, within the novel's universe, this might point to a category of spirits born from the flowers and/or fruits of trees. Just imagine the possibilities for fanfiction!

This reminds me of Momotarō (桃太郎, "Peach Boy") from Japanese mythology. Like Monkey, he experiences a supernatural birth from a spherical object and later becomes a great hero who battles demons with the help of animal friends.

#trees #Sun Wukong #Monkey King #Journey to the West #Patriarch Subodhi #Master Puti #Peach Boy #Momotaro #Chinese mythology #Japanese mythology #tree mythology #plant mythology #fruit #flowers #peaches #immortal peaches

[starsfic]

Subodhi gesturing to MK: Wukong, explain this

Wukong: look Master it’s really hard to-

Subodhi: why did you not tell me I had a grandson

Wukong:… well if I had you would have spoiled him rotten

Subodhi taking out the latest video games, a mountain of stuffed toys, and a new BMX bike: your damn right I would

More canon would be...

Sun Wukong: "You gave my student an identity crisis??"

Subodhi: "Oh, don't be so upset, everyone has one."

Wukong, gesturing to glitching Qi Xiaotian: "Not like this! In fact, you lose grandpa title!"

Subodhi: "What?!"

Wukong: "You are banned from being grandpa! Forever!"

#LMK #Monkie Kid #Lego Monkie Kid #Sun Wukong #Patriarch Subodhi #Qi Xiaotian #Stars Answers

[sketching-shark]

First attempt at illustrating Puti Zushi, the great immortal and Sun Wukong’s first shifu! I’m still pretty fuzzy on how precisely his kind of teaching and spiritual stance--which I understand to be a combination of Taoism and Buddhism--works, but I hope I did an okay job on this imagination.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #jttw #puti zhushi #patriarch subodhi #kind of neat to note that jttw was written during an era where there was a real effort #being put towards getting buddhism taoism and confucianism into harmony with each other #does make me wonder if the novel's imagining of patriarch subodhi was influenced by that... #shark's sketches

[immediatebreakfast]

When the Patriarch heard this, he uttered a cry and jumped down from the high platform. He pointed the ruler he held in his hands at Wukong and said to him: "What a mischievous monkey you are! You won't learn this and you won't learn that! Just what is it that you are waiting for?"

This is so funny. You are a disciple of the daoist immortal patriarch Subodhi, and one of the newer disciples (who is an actual monkey) finally spent enough time on the mountain to learn a Daoist art.

Then you see the monkey reject every single art that the patriarch offers to the point that you see with your own eyes how your educational (and somewhat parental) figure loses his marbles in front of the whole sect, scream at the monkey with anger, hits him on the head with a ruler, and storm inside the mountain.

Also the patriarch closed the main doors of the mountain, and left you, the monkey, and all of the other disciples outside.

#Journey to the West is a comedy actually #Love how Sun Wukong can just utter some words and everyone else goes “what the fuck is wrong with you monkey?!?!” #journey to the west daily #Jttwdaily #journey to the west #sun wukong #patriarch subodhi

[the-monkey-ruler]

how long did swk study taoism and did he complete his training before he was kicked out?

Short answer: It took him about 10 years to find the place and another 10 years to learn. So he was gone for about 20 years.

Long answer:

When he left Flower Fruit Mountain it took him about 8 or 9 years (I would say 10 to make it safe) for him to find even a clue as to where an immortal would be. In that time it looked like he had learned and went from cities to towns and in the woods, learning about the human world on his own though there is little to say as he didn't seem to run into trouble or cause trouble in that time (besides stealing some poor sap's clothes).

It was only when he found a Woodcutter that lived near the Master Puti did he finally have an idea of where to go.

He was able to join and from there trained for the first 7 years in the art of scholarly studies and botany. He was given general chores, etiquette, scriptures, writing, reading, and so on.

It is only after 7 years that was he able to start training in a certain division from which there are about 360 different kinds. He was offered Method division, Schools division, Silence division, and Action division but denied each one but each one only asking for one that will give him immortality. From there of course he solved Master Puti's test and was able to get the oral formulas for immortality through the Dao.

He then studied ANOTHER 3 years on top of his 7 only to learn he would face three calamities for learning apparently the 'stolen' ways of immorality and this must protect himself from these calamities that being thunder sent from heaven after 500 years, fire to burn him alive after another 500 years and then a great wind to disintegrated him after about 500 years to make sure he is dead.

Funny enough I don't think we see these things but either way, he was able to avoid them learning the 72 transformations under Puti. He wanted 72 over the normal 36 because that is more, and more is always better.

It doesn't say how long it took Wukong to learn these transformations nor how long it took his supper sault cloud just that he practiced day and night. But considering that he started in his tenth year and left in his tenth year it must have been between those 12 months.

So if you wanna break it down.

9 years - looking for an Immortal

1 year - search near the Western Ocean

7 years - studied etiquette and scholarly pursuits

3 years - mastering his foundational studies

ending months - 72 transformations and somersault cloud

20 years altogether

#sun wukong #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #master puti #Patriarch Subodhi #Master Bodhi #Puti Zushi #monkey king #anon #anon ask #anonymous #ask

[journeythroughjourneytothewest]

Chapter Recap 1: The divine root conceives, its source revealed; Mind and nature nurtured, the Great Dao is born

Hello to everyone, and thank you for a good showing on this first official “meeting” for the Journey to the West reading group. Many thanks to everyone who participated! You comments, memes, art, and meta was all wonderful. To end the day, I will provide a quick chapter recap for anyone who may want or need it. I  hope you all find it useful. Here’s looking forward to next week’s session.

---

Chapter 1 covers a LOT, beginning with the primordial figure Pan Gu’s construction of the Universe, the creation of Heaven, Earth, and Man, before we then zoom into Flower-Fruit Mountain. The focus is here put on an immortal stone which, “nourished for a long period by the seed of Heaven and Earth and by the essences of the sun and the moon,” becomes “pregnant with a divine embryo” (i.e. a stone egg), which later on, being “exposed to the wind,” is “transformed into a stone monkey.” Thus is the hero of Xiyouji created!

We then follow the stone monkey as he lives a life of feasting on the fruits of the Earth that Flower-Fruit Mountain provides and becoming friends with everything from tigers to deer to gibbons. And then one fateful day, while playing with a group of monkeys, all these simians decide to follow a mountain stream to its source. Encountering a great waterfall, the monkeys declare that “‘If any of us had the ability to penetrate the curtain and find out where the water comes from without hurting himself, we would honor him as king.’” The stone monkey is the only one to take on the challenge, and, jumping through the waterfall, he discovers a sizeable cave all ready and furnished. The stone monkey, delighted with his discovery, soon convinces the rest of the simians to jump through the waterfall and join him in the cave so that they might “spare ourselves from being subject to the whims of heaven,” i.e. the weather. And so the stone monkey “ascended the throne of kingship” and “assumed the title, Handsome Monkey King.”

The Handsome Monkey King and his subjects, “a flock of gibbons and baboons,” enjoy “their independence in perfect happiness” for “three or four hundred years.” Yet one day during a feast, the king “suddenly grew sad,” soon after explaining to his alarmed subjects that his sorrow comes from fact that though “‘we are not subject to the laws of man today, nor need we be threatened by the rule of any bird or beast, old age and physical decay in the future” will bring an end to their happiness. The monkeys are left weeping, “each one troubled by his own impermanence.” Yet from “among the ranks a bareback monkey suddenly leaped forth” and informs the Monkey King that the Buddhas, the immortals, and the holy sages “can avoid the Wheel of Transmigration as well as the process of birth and destruction, and live as long as Heaven and Earth, the mountains and the streams.” The Monkey King immediately resolves to “find these three kinds of people” so that he can learn how to escape death and be young forever. The monkeys are delighted at this idea, and declare that they will “send the Great King off with a great banquet.”

After an entire day spent drinking and feasting, the Monkey King has his subjects make him a raft, and he sets off in search of the immortals. When he arrives on a distant shore, he soon afterward catches and strips a man of his clothes so that he can wear them himself, “aping the way humans wore them.” The Monkey King then made his way “though counties and prefectures, imitating human speech and human manners,” always “bent on finding the way of the Buddhas, immortals, and holy sages, on discovering the formula for eternal youth.” Yet his search seems fruitless, as “the people of the world were all seekers after profit and fame; there was not one who showed concern for his appointed end.”

The Monkey King is unsuccessful in finding the immortals on one continent, though he spent eight or nine years searching. So he builds himself another raft and drifts across another ocean to another continent. Here he comes across a magnificent mountain, and here encounters a woodcutter that he mistakes for an immortal. Yet this man is neighbors with an actual immortal, and is thus able to tell the Monkey King how he can find “‘the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars. Inside the cave is an immortal by the name of the Patriarch Subodhi, who has already sent out innumerable disciples.”

Finding the cave exactly as the woodcutter told him he could, the Handsome Monkey King nevertheless doesn’t dare to knock. And, being a monkey, he instead “jumped onto the branch of a pine tree, picked a few pine seeds and ate them, and began to play.” Yet doing so works out in his favor; an immortal youth, coming out both because his shifu told him to and to see who was making a disturbance, soon afterwards brings the Monkey King inside to meet Patriarch Subodhi.

As soon as he sees Patriarch Subodhi, the Handsome Monkey King “prostrated himself and kowtowed times without number, saying ‘Master! Master! I, your pupil, pay you my sincere homage.’” And indeed, after being questioned on where he came from, how he got to the immortal’s cave, and even on how he looks and moves, the Patriarch gives the Monkey King the religious name “Sun Wukong,” or “monkey awakened to the void,” accepting the simian as his pupil.

And so we leave the stone monkey, the Handsome Monkey King, the newly named Sun Wukong, at the beginning of his Daoist cultivation. We’ll see how successful he is at it next week.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #sun wukong #monkey king #patriarch subodhi #chapter recap

[nikofortuna]

JTTW Chapter 2 Thoughts

Onto the second chapter for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

On dual-reading, it has now become a multi-reading of each chapter as I have added the German translation for additional comparison! At that point shoutout to @journeytothewestresearch for compiling many different translations including the German one!

For those who understand German, I can very much recommend taking a look at the translation. It is very easy to read, almost reading modern/casual. Though it does not translate everything for example most of the poems of which the ones essential to the story are kept while the descriptive ones are largely glossed over. However instead it has some pictures, which were really lovely to see!

Either way the second chapter has been overall easier to go through in my opinion than the first one likely due to it having more dialogue. In hindsight there was a lot of exposition in the first, while this one really gets the story rolling.

Sun Wukong reads so neurodivergent to me and I adore it so much! Him practically stimming when he’s happy is so cute! Additionally immortality is basically his special interest or at least his current hyperfixation. Not to mention him calling himself stupid/feeble-minded, when he is actually really smart! He just doesn’t understand slang, which honestly I didn’t get the first two metaphors without the explanation either, only the one about scooping the moon from the water I figured right away.

It is also rather interesting how Sun Wukong is very relaxed with everything as of current, even the few times he does get insulted. He truly displays no temper, yet. The first instance of him getting the angry kind of upset is when he finds out his family has been attacked, which is very understandable. I wonder if getting sent away by Patriarch Subodhi has put a first crack into his self-confidence.

Speaking of Patriarch Subodhi he is such a Dad to Sun Wukong. Particularly when he wants to keep Sun Wukong out of danger even if that means sending him away. I believe he might suspect his other disciples to potentially trouble him now that they know of his abilities. Though he doesn’t actually blame Sun Wukong for showing off since he didn’t know better at the time.

And he’s a great teacher too with how he adjusts his teaching to the specific ways his student does things! I actually didn’t know before that the Cloud Somersault is a technique specific to Sun Wukong, while most other’s practice Cloud Soaring instead. Very neat to see!

Once again a second read of the J.F. Jenner translation coming in clutch with additional understanding! Particularly of the different divisions via the titles with the mention of Sects. Truly made me go “Oh yeah, it’s that Way!”.

On a related note to this particular example, I always get very happy whenever my love for Xianxia and Cultivation comes into play in understanding certain things like what Dāntián are. Or another term I recognized correctly being Elder Brother aka Shīxiōng.

Also I knew exactly what Patriarch Subodhi was holding thanks to it.

Additionally I occasionally use a combination of the Chinese version and Google Translate whenever I pick up on a term I recognize to check if I’m correct.

Like Lǎo Sūn whenever Sun Wukong calls himself Elder Sun or Old Monkey depending on the translation.

The specific phrase I checked up on for this is:

你不要怕，只吃老孫一拳。

Nǐ bùyào pà, zhǐ chī lǎo sūn yī quán.

Or Xiǎo Sūn for “Little Sun”, but that’s an easy one.

Regarding this scene specifically, I actually prefer the J.F. Jenner translation of it, though a mash-up of both would be ideal in my eyes. May I propose: "If the Great King is Elder Sun, then we are all Second Sun, Third Sun, Little Sun, Junior Sun - a family of Suns, a nation of Suns, a den of Suns."

Though an honourable mention goes to the German translation, particularly the “fein und klein” part, which is a very adorable way of saying it!

I would like to point out the Audio Drama Series again. Even if you don’t listen to the chapters themselves, do definitely check out the Production Notes for each! They’ll give you some extra insight that even with all its notes the Anthony C. Yu translation doesn’t provide.

It actually took me over five hours to finish this up. Roughly four of it having been spent going through each translation of the chapter and another one to refine all my notes into a coherent post.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #jttw #sun wukong #monkey king #patriarch subodhi #puti zushi #jttw reading group #jttw book club

[cookiescackles]

I can't be the only one who thought Puti was calling Sun Wukong stupid when he named him Sun Wukong. Like the name 孙悟空, if you follow Puti's explanation, means monkey understand emptiness. What did you understand? Emptiness. Emptiness means there's nothing. You understood nothing! Baby me did not understand the Buddhist meaning for 空, so I'd just start giggling every time I hear people call him Wukong.

#me talking #jttw #sun wukong #patriarch puti #patriarch subodhi #journey to the west #but seriously how is the average viewer supposed to know the Buddhist meaning for 'kong'? #if you don't know the Buddhist meaning isn't this the next interpretation? #I can't be the only one who thought this #there's no way #unless im just dumb?

[darkwater-fic-recs]

(Ongoing)

#six eared macaque #sun wukong #lady bone demon #lmk jade emperor #lmk tang #tang sanzang #lmk pigsy #lmk mei #red son #mk #qi xiaotian #demon bull king #princess iron fan #lmk erlang shen #lmk patriarch subodhi #fic rec #shadowpeach #dragonfruit

[digitalagepulao]

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King: my design notes [!! click here for the full line-up !!] [click here for just the goodies on tumblr]

also titled, "I underestimated my file sizes" TAT Separate images and info below the read more, beware this is LONG <3

Stone Monkey: himbs baby, that is all <3 he's mostly based off the François Langur, but some of his anatomy and proportions lean more on the Gray Langur and Macaque side of things. His facial fur sort of forms a pentagon shape for the five elements, and I gave him ginger fur cus it's a common depiction for him but also baby langurs are very bright orange, and him not growing dark feels like an apt display of his more childish side, both good and bad. His nails are golden for a bit of a "hidden gem" from a stone egg. Also keeping the tail either in a spiral of C-curve when "engaged", and when droopy it has a feel of a heavy rope. Old World monkeys don't have prehensile tails, he can use it for balance and basic mobility but it's not a third hand for the sake of keeping his monkey-ness.

Handsome Monkey King: in one of the poems the monkeys are said to weave grass for mattresses, so I can see them coming up with a crown of woven grass and never-fading leaves and flowers for their king at the very least. His face skin is darker as an adult, but not much else changes overall. The fuzzy upper lips and sideburns are a feature of the species I'm basing him on and it felt like a good fit to add. I also love the forest langurs are so long-furred, makes for a good way to give him dimension but also, the linework style reminds me of old woodcut shorthands for fur. Added a jade coin for the symbolism, and it feels fitting that the king of such a miraculous mountain would have a treasure like that on him. Placcid chill eyes are imperative, dude's not had an existential crisis yet, he's straight up vibing.

Sun Wukong: during his odd-ten years away from home, he learned human manners so he can stand but, I can see him still needing to lean on his tail to keep up his balance here and there. As he reaches the Western Continent (India) and learns the Way under Patriarch Subodhi, he adopts proper clothes for an apprentice and eventually becomes a Rishi. He dons his facial paint from then on, and after he masters the Way, there's a brightness in his pupils to show his cultivated immortality. The beads are purple solely to stand out over the deluge of oranges that is his design.

Great Sage Equal to Heaven: really went all out on this one orz this is Wukong at his most egotistical and ambitious, and I wanted his fit to truly embody that. Took bits from Peking Opera costumes and common depiction elements of him, with some bit of extra for appropriate levels of flair, like the phoenix feather design. I wanted to go for a mountain pattern mail but I couldn't figure out how to draw it, so I winged a pattern. I,,, doubt I'll ever draw this armor as detailed as here, but I wanted it to feel a bit overwhelming to look at, while also seeming like it doesn't quite fit him perfectly like it's swallowing him. Bit of a "baby wearing their parent's shoes" kind of vibe; he's stupidly powerful but he doesn't have what it takes to sit on the throne of Heaven. Also I leaned his expression to how he might appear during the Havoc in Heaven and then his bet with the Buddha. Full unbrindled rage murder monkey <3

-- Ruyi Jingu Bang: can't quite move on without my notes on the golden-hooped cudgel, now can I? The secondary hoops are there for further design appeal and for my own visualization of how the staff changes size (the hoops move over the staff's length as if to push it outward or inward). The metal is dark damascus alloy, though the pattern can be omitted for ease of drawing. One hoop end depicts a dragon, the other a phoenix, and in the middle of the staff is the canon inscription as described in the books, in seal script. Glow is optional and mostly for aesthetics.

Sun Pilgrim: out of his stolen armor, Wukong seems to swim in his robes but in a less overwhelming way. Went for the simple fillet headband cus his face is busy enough as it is. I know he's skilled enough to skin a tiger into pretty decent squares, but after one too many battles, anything would get tattered. He wears red, teal, black and yellow, four of the five cardinal colors, while white (the West) is still missing. His red and black half-robe doesn't fully cover the yellow underneath, a call back to his golden armor; he tries to use his wisdom and teachings to fight back the impulses of his past, but they still shine through at times. I kept only the leg bangs for dynamic elements to better show movement, but also one could say he's got.... golden hoops (haha get it, like his cudgel?? :oD)

Victorious Fighting Buddha: leaned hard on the actual portrayals of the Buddha. Seeing that he's depicted with dark/blue skin, it felt appropriate to let the guy grow out of his baby ginger fur and into adult black, but a patch remains where the golden headband used to be. I didn't want to give him long hair so no bun, but instead, his fur has a sorta lotus-petals shape now rather than his single point. His face paint changes into a more domino-mask style, and his brow white line resembles a teardrop urna. I made the mail piece he holds longer to keep the flowy bits of his previous outfits, and I turned Ruyi Jingu Bang into the sword he wields.

Hello hi, this robbed me of three days of my life and I'd like to receive compensation x.x Anyway hope you enjoy this lad, I know I do! Also if you wanna send me asks about him pls feel welcome to, I'd love to chat about this bastard monkey (affectionate) (loving) (i`d die for him)

#jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #jttw sun wukong #sun wukong #jttw fanart #monkey king #stone monkey #victorious fighting buddha #buddha victorious in strife #sun pilgrim #bell dragon art #expedition to the west au

[luminouslumity]

Here's the backstory of the Pilgrims in accordance to the novel. Because at this point, I might as well!

SŪN WÙKŌNG (孫悟空)

The monkey, the myth, the legend himself!

On the continent of East Pūrvavideha in the country of Àolái (傲來) atop Huāguǒshān (花果山)—Flower-Fruit Mountain—there lived monkey who hatched from stone, and being the only one in his troop to be brave (or impulsive) enough to rush through the local waterfall—what would become Shuǐlián Dòng (水帘洞), or Water-Curtain Cave—he's subsequently made the Hóuwáng (猴王), or Monkey King.

Years later, due to having an existential crises, he decides to go find the secret to immortality and eventually encounters an immortal named Pútí Zǔshī (菩提祖师), Patriarch Subodhi, whom Wùkōng would train under for ten years. Under his tutelage, the Monkey King received lessons on—among other things—human language and etiquette, calligraphy, philosophy, and magic. It was also Subodhi who gave Wùkōng his name, giving the following explanation:

"Though your features are not the most attractive, you do resemble a pignolia-eating monkey (husun). This gives me the idea of taking a surname for you from your appearance. I intended to call you by the name Hu. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what’s left is a compound made up of the two characters, gu and yue. Gu means aged and yue means female, but an aged female cannot reproduce. Therefore, it is better to give you the surname of Sun. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what we have left is the compound of zi and xi. Zi means a boy and xi means a baby, and that name exactly accords with the fundamental Doctrine of the Baby Boy. So your surname will be Sun."

The Patriarch said, “Within my tradition are twelve characters that have been used to name the pupils according to their divisions. You are one who belongs to the tenth generation."

"Which twelve characters are they?" asked the Monkey King.

The Patriarch replied, "They are: wide (guang), great (da), wise (zhi), intelligence (hui), true (zhen), conforming (ru), nature (xing), sea (hai), sharp (ying), wake-to (wu), complete (yuan), and awakening (jue). Your rank falls precisely on the word 'wake-to' (wu). You will hence be given the religious name ‘Wake-to-the-Void’ (wukong). All right?"

"Splendid! Splendid!" said the Monkey King, laughing. "Henceforth I shall be called Sun Wukong."

Eventually, Subodhi sent Sūn Wùkōng away after the monkey displayed his new transformation powers to his fellow disciples, but not before making him promise to not tell anyone where he had learned his abilities from.

Later, after returning to Flower Fruit Mountain and stopping the demon from further terrorizing their home, Sūn Wùkōng then travels to the East Sea for a weapon. Of course he soon obtains his famous golden staff—Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng (如意金箍棒)—from Áo Guāng (敖光), but as for the rest of the items, he gets the phoenix-feathered cap—Fèngchìzǐjinguān (鳳翅紫金冠)—from Áo Qīn (敖欽), Dragon of the South, the cloud-stepping shoes—Ǒusībùyúnlǚ (藕絲步雲履)—from Áo Shùn (敖順), Dragon of the North, and the golden chainmail—Suǒ Zi Huángjīn Jiǎ (鎖子黃金甲)—from Áo Rùn, Dragon of the West.

Later, Monkey manages to cheat death itself by scratching out his name as well as those belonging to several other monkeys from one of the ledgers of the dead.

Finally grabbing the attention of the Jade Emperor, Wùkōng gets tasked by Heaven to become their BìMǎWēn (弼馬溫), the overseer of the imperial dragon-horses, in order to keep him out of trouble. And to his credit, he does an excellent job at it; as a result of this position, horses in general end up fearing and respecting him.

But then when Sūn Wùkōng realizes just how low of a position he's actually in, he abandons his post, proclaims himself Qítiān Dàshèng (齐天大圣)—Great Sage Equal to Heaven—and soon enough, he's at war with the entirety of the Celestial Host and later ends up becoming even more immortal than he already was. Long story short, he's soon bested by Buddha and gets trapped under Five Phases Mountain, Wǔhángshān (五行山), for the next five hundred years.

After being freed, he's given the Jīngūquān (金箍圈) to wear on his head to ensure his good behavior.

TÁNG SĀNZÀNG (唐三藏)

Based on a real monk of the same name, Táng Xuánzàng (唐玄奘)—courtesy name Sēng (唐僧)—also called Táng Sānzàng or Tripiṭaka, was born to a man named Chén Guāngruǐ (陳光蕊) and a chief minister's daughter named Yīn Wēnjiāo (殷溫嬌), and even before going on the pilgrimage, this man has never known peace for very long. And neither have his parents.

For starters, in his first life, he was known as Jinchan Zi (金蝉子)—Golden Cicada—the second disciple of Buddha, but was so inattentive towards the lessons that he eventually entered a cycle of reincarnation as punishment; by the time he's born to the Chens, he'd already been through ten previous lives.

And then it gets worse.

Having been made governor of Jiāngzhōu (江州) shortly after the wedding, Chén Guāngruǐ and Yīn Wēnjiāo began to travel to their new home, only for Guāngruǐ to be killed by the boatmen who were supposed to take them there because one of them—Liú Hóng (劉洪)—wanted Wēnjiāo for himself. Fortunately, Guāngruǐ body is found by a yaksha loyal to the local Dragon King of Hóngjiāngkǒu (洪江口), whom Guāngruǐ had previously rescued while said Dragon King had been in the guise of a fish; repaying kindness with kindness, Guāngruǐ's soul was allowed to stay with the king until the time came for it to reunite with his body, which was given a preservative pearl so it wouldn't decay.

Meanwhile, after giving birth to a son, Wēnjiāo sends her baby down the river to save him from being killed by Liú Hóng, having been promised by the celestials that she'd be reunited with her family one day. This son is then found by Monk Fǎmíng (法明) of Jīnshān Temple (金山寺) and given the nickname Jiāng Liú (江流), River Float, as well as the religious name Xuánzàng, and after eighteen years of being oblivious to his true identity, he finally reunites with his mother and grandparents, gets Liú Hóng arrested, and then reunites with his father afterwards.

Anastasia AU, anyone?

Anyway, he's later selected to go on a journey to India, called Tiānzhú (天竺), to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures, becomes sworn brothers with Emperor Tàizōng (唐太宗) himself before leaving, and then eventually meets a certain mystic monkey who's been trapped under a mountain for five hundred years.

ÁO LIÈ (敖烈)

Known as the Third Jade Dragon Prince and the White Dragon Horse, the son of Áo Rùn is never actually given a name in the original novel, but Liè is the most common in adaptations, and that's when he's given a name at all. But no matter what, his story remains more or less the same throughout—due to inadvertently setting his father's pearls and palace on fire, Áo Rùn reported him to the Jade Emperor, who sentenced him to be executed, but not before having Ao Liè lashed three hundred times first.

But of course, Liè was ultimately saved by Guānyīn a few days before he was set to be executed and was then tasked by her to carry Táng Sānzàng to the West before having his horns and scales taken off, only to regain them at the end of the journey. Being the second of the group Táng Sānzàng would meet, the encounter happens due to Liè eating the monk's original horse and a fight with Sun Wukong ensues until the matter gets resolved with Guānyīn's help.

Technically, he's never counted as an official disciple in the original book and neither Zhū Bājiè and Sha Wujing even realize Liè isn't a regular horse until two months after joining the group.

Other than that, Liè doesn't really do much as far as the original book is concerned, save for two instances. One is sometime after Sun Wukong had been banished the first time and everyone else in the group had been indisposed in some way by Huáng Páo Guài (黃袍怪), Yellow Robe Demon.

Everyone, that is, except for Áo Liè!

In order to save Sānzàng from this latest threat, he disguises himself as a palace maiden, tries to stab the demon while performing a sword dance and... loses. To the point of getting his leg injured.

It's okay, he did his best.

So Zhū Bājiè soon finds him hiding out, and after the pig demon attempts to quit the journey altogether, Áo Liè proceeds to give him one hell of a call out while also showing just how much faith he has in Sūn Wùkōng.

Once again, to quote the Anthony Yu translation (side note for those unfamiliar with Yu, Bājiè's name is given a literal translation, hence Eight Rules):

Idiot mounted the clouds quickly and went back to the city; in a little while, he reached the post-house. The moon was bright and people had become quiet at this time, but he searched the corridors in vain to find any trace of his master. All he saw was the white horse lying there: his whole body was soaked and on one of his hind legs was the mark of a bruise about the size of a pan. "This is doubly unfortunate!" said Eight Rules, greatly startled. "This loser hasn’t traveled. Why is he sweating like that, and with a bruise on his leg? It must be that some evil men have robbed our master, wounding the horse in the process."

The white horse recognized that it was Eight Rules; assuming human speech suddenly, he called out: "Elder Brother!" Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

"Brother,' said Eight Rules, still shaking, "why are you talking today? When you talk like that, it has to mean that some great misfortune is about to befall us."

The little dragon said, "Did you know that Master had landed in a terrible ordeal?"

"No, I didn’t," said Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "Of course, you didn't! You and Sha Monk were flaunting your abilities before the king, thinking that you could capture the demon and be rewarded for your merit. You didn't expect that the demon was so powerful and you were the ones no doubt who were beaten. At least one of you could have returned to give us the news, but there was not one word from either of you. That monster-spirit had changed himself into a handsome scholar and broken into the court to present himself to the king as an imperial relative. Our master was changed by him into a ferocious striped tiger, who was then taken captive by the officials and locked up in an iron cage in one of the palace chambers. When I heard how Master suffered, my heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a sword. But you were gone for nearly two days, and I was afraid that any further delay might mean that Master would be killed. So I had no choice but to change back into my dragon body to go and try to rescue him. When I reached the court, I couldn't find Master, but I met the monster in the Silver Peace Palace. I changed into the form of a palace maid, trying to deceive him. He asked me to do a sword dance, during which I tried to slash him. He escaped my blow and defeated me instead with a candelabrum. I tried desperately to hit him when I threw the sword at him, but he caught it instead and gave me a blow on my hind leg with that candelabrum. I dived into the imperial moat and saved my life; the bruise on my leg was caused by the candelabrum."

When Eight Rules heard these words, he said, "Is that all true?"

"You think I'm deceiving you?" said the little dragon.

Eight Rules asked, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Can you move at all?"

"If I can," said the little dragon, "what then?"

"If you can move at all," said Eight Rules, "move into the ocean then. Old Hog will pole the luggage back to the Old Gao Village to pick up my wife again."

When the little dragon heard this, he clamped his mouth onto Eight Rules's shirt and refused to let go. As tears fell from his eyes, he said, "Elder Brother, you mustn't become indolent."

"Why not?" said Eight Rules. "Brother Sha has already been caught by him, and I can't beat him. If we don't scatter now, what are we waiting for?"

The little dragon thought for some time before he spoke again, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Elder Brother, don't mention the word scatter. If you want to save Master, you have to go and ask a person to come here."

"Who is that?" asked Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "You'd better hurry and mount the clouds to go to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, so that you can invite our Big Brother, Pilgrim Sun, to come back. Most certainly he has dharma power great enough to subdue this fiend and rescue Master, avenging at the same time the shame of our defeat."

"Brother," said Eight Rules, "let me go ask someone else. That monkey and I are not on the best of terms, you know. When he killed that Lady White Bone back there on the White Tiger Ridge, he was mad at me already for wheedling Master into reciting the Tight-Fillet Spell. I was just being frivolous, and I didn’t think that the old priest would really recite it and even banish him. I don't know how he hates me now, and I'm certain also that he won’t come back. Suppose we have a little argument then: that funeral staff of his is pretty heavy, you know. If he doesn't know any better at that moment and gives me a few strokes, you think I'll be able to live?"

The little dragon said, “He won't hit you, because he is a kind and just Monkey King. When you see him, don't say that Master is in peril; just tell him that Master is thinking of him and deceive him into coming. When he gets here and sees what's happening, he will not get mad. He will want most certainly to have it out with the monster-spirit instead. Then the demon will surely be caught and Master will be saved."

"All right, all right!" said Eight Rules. "You are so dedicated. If I don't go, it'll mean that I’m not dedicated. I'll go, and if indeed Pilgrim consents to come, I'll return with him. But if he is unwilling, then don't expect me, because I won't be coming back either."

"Go! Go!" said the little dragon. “He will certainly come."

Clearly the dragon is the true unsung hero of this story.

As for the second instance, long story short, Sūn Wùkōng wanted to make what he ended up calling the Elixer of Black Gold for an ailing king and needed Liè's help—in his horse form—for one of the ingredients.

ZHŪ BĀJIÈ (豬八戒)

Originally holding the Heavenly title of Tiānpéng Yuánshuài (天篷元帅)—Marshall of the Heavenly Reeds—Zhū Wùnéng (猪悟能)—also known as Zhū Gāngliè (猪刚鬛) and Zhū Bājiè, and often given called Idiot, dāizi (呆子), was punished via reincarnation because he'd attempted to seduce the moon goddess Cháng'é (嫦娥), a massive no-no! In certain retellings, such as the 1996 version, this is expanded to him going through many lifetimes of tragic romances. Regardless, his soul eventually passes through the womb of a sow by accident, thus becoming the pig demon we know him as today.

The second of Táng Sānzàng's disciples, Zhū Wùnéng joins the pilgrimage after he kidnaps and marries a young woman from a wealthy family in Gāolǎozhuāng (高老莊) named Gāo Cuìlán (高翠蘭). Disguising himself as Cuìlán, Sūn Wùkōng eventually defeats Wùnéng in battle and he becomes a disciple afterwards, earning the name Bājiè (referring to the first eight of the ten Buddhist commandments) in the process.

Glutenous and selfish, Zhū Bājiè is often at odds with Sūn Wùkōng and also tries to find reasons to quit the pilgrimage on more than one occasion. His weapon is known as jiǔchǐdīngpá (九齒釘耙), the Nine-Toothed Rake.

SHĀ WÙJÌNG (沙悟淨)

And last but not least, Shā Wùjìng! Once Juǎnlián Dàjiàng (捲簾大將), or Curtain-Raising General, in Heaven, Wùjìng was banished after he carelessly broke a crystal cup during the Festival of Immortal Peaches, and as such, was not only banished to the Mortal Realm as punishment, but was also sent flying swords to stab him every week. Growing desperate, he soon starts to eat any traveler who passes by his territory. Taking mercy upon him, Guānyīn tasks him with also accompanying the Táng Monk on his mission.

Eventually, the other pilgrims encounter Wùjìng, Wùkōng fights him for a bit, and then after that gets resolved, our heroes, having finally assembled, are all ready to carry on with their journey to the West. He also carries a staff.

You all know the rest: they traveled for the fourteen years in total (as opposed to the eighteen years it took the real Táng Xuánzàng), got the scriptures, Sānzàng completely forgot his promise to a turtle to ask Buddha about how much longer it would take for him to regain human form and so the Pilgrims were forced to swim to shore after being thrown overboard (no one ever say that older books can't be hilarious), and then they were all granted titles upon returning home: Táng Sānzàng and Sūn Wùkōng are made Zhāntán Gōngdé Fuó (旃檀功德佛) and Dòu Zhànshèng Fó (鬥戰勝佛), or Buddha of Candana Merit and Buddha Victorious in Strife, respectively, Zhū Bājiè is named Jìngtán Shǐzhě (淨壇使者), or Cleanser of the Altars, Shā Wùjìng becomes Jīnshēn Luóhàn (金身羅漢), or Golden-Bodied Arhat, and Ao Liè gets promoted to Bābùtiān Lóngmǎ (八部天龍馬), or Dragon Horse of the Eight Heavenly Sections.

#journey to the west #jttw #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk #sun wukong #monkey king #tang sanzang #white dragon horse #zhu bajie #sha wujing

[journeytothewestresearch]

Wait, Sun Wukong is a Buddhist monk, Jade Emperor is from Taoist myth then which myth Patriarch Subodhi came from?? Is he from Taoist myth?

Subodhi is based on Subhuti, one of the ten main disciples of the Buddha. Despite Subodhi's image as a Taoist immortal in popular culture, JTTW actually suggests that he is a Buddhist deity. See section 2.3 of my previous article.

#Subodhi #Subhuti #Master Puti #Journey to the West #JTTW #Buddhism #Taoism #sun wukong #monkey king #lego monkie kid

[starsfic]

Macaque Gets Slapped

Okay, funny story is, I originally thought of Tang getting slapped, after watching a compilation of him. Tang can be really annoying at some parts and it wouldn't surprise me that, if he does that enough, Wukong or Subodhi might slap him. But, then I thought about it some more. Who else needs a slap? Macaque. What did he do? Up to you!

Slap!

Macaque stumbled back, blinking for a few seconds as pain erupted across his face. What...had just happened?

His cheek throbbed furiously. Over in the back, Qi Xiaotian looked horrified. Pigsy was moving forward, rolling up his sleeves, before Sandy grabbed his shoulder. Closer to him, Sun Wukong had a similar look of horror as Xiaotian did...

Oh, right.

Subodhi stood in front of him, lowering his hand.

Subodhi had slapped him. Patriarch Subodhi, Sun Wukong's first teacher, had slapped him. Why?

Good question. All Macaque could think of was that it had been a good hit. As he raised a hand to massage his throbbing cheek, he winced. It had been hard enough that he could still feel the fingers.

"I've been waiting to do that for years," Subodhi said, almost airily. He turned and walked away, turning Wukong around and walking away with him. "Now, tudi, we have much to discuss..."

Macaque blinked.

"What did I do?"

#my writing #LMK #Monkie Kid #LEGO Monkie Kid #Macaque #Patriarch Subodhi

[sketching-shark]

Imagine tripitaka and heaven's reaction to knowing that wukong not only had a master Subodhi whom he respected and listened to but was also a relatively tame and disciplined student.

OUGH HEY ANON AU STORY WHEN???

But in all seriousness this is a scenario that I would LOVE to see explored! I know @antidotefortheawkward did make a lovely little comic kind of about this of a post-Xiyouji Sun Wukong learning that Patriarch Subodhi is specifically mentioned as his shifu in Wu Cheng'en's classic and traveling to the immortal's cave in a slight panic to explain that he never told anyone about this & that he'd confiscate every copy of Xiyouji he could find, only for Puti Zushi (another name for Patriarch Subodhi) to tell SWK that he himself let that information out into the world as a way to signal he wanted to renew ties with his tudi ;_;

But yeah yeah yeah this presents a really neat scenario to explore! I feel like it would be particularly interesting not just in terms of making it even more obvious how the Monkey King is far more than the undisciplined monster many paint him as, but I think it could offer a really interesting point of conflict and growth for Tang Sanzang if/when he sees & understands how much more respectful SWK was under Puti Zushi from day 1 than under him and thinks about why that would be, along with all the doubts about his own character that could be stirred from Tang Sanzang realizing that he's the shifu that was more or less forced on the Monkey King whereas Patriarch Subodhi was the shifu that SWK spent years seeking out. Like I know numerous recent adaptations of JTTW include a scene of Tang Sanzang apologizing to SWK, but can you imagine one that maybe comes after the monk getting an arc that included meeting & talking to the immortal and asking him about how to be a good teacher??? And maybe also Patriarch Subodhi expressing his own regret about forcing SWK to leave forever & condemning him as an inevitable evildoer at the first sign of the monkey showing off & taking too much pride in his abilities??? AUGH there's so much that could be done with all this!!!

#anon answered #jttw au #tang sanzang #tripitaka #patriarch subodhi #puti zushi

[immediatebreakfast]

His sole concern was to eat three meals a day and to sleep soundly at night. Having neither duties nor worries, he was free and content to tour the mansions and meet friends, to make new acquaintances and form new alliances at his leisure.

Me: Wow, I didn't believe that giving Sun Wukong an empty title (again) would work, but it seems that this time is actually working! Who knew that simply leaving Monkey be just like in Flower - Fruit Mountain would have such good results, they only needed to leave him happy!

The fucking title of the chapter:

Disrupting the Peach Festival, the Great Sage steals elixir; With revolt in Heaven, many gods would seize the fiend.

Me: Oh.

#Who... Gives a monkey. A MONKEY #The job of taking care of a bunch of heavenly and delicious fruit #They really thought that the monkey wouldn't eat the immortal fruit #Patriarch Subodhi don't look at your disciple his ass is not practicing taoist principles! #journey to the west daily #Jttwdaily #journey to the west #sun wukong

[the-monkey-ruler]

Is there a clear reason why wukong cried after master Subhūti kick him out? Or is it up for interpretation?

So funny enough while he does leave DEPRESSED, he doesn't leave crying. He is clearly upset that he has to say goodbye at all considering how long he has been there... which I think is fair considering how much care and respect he had to Master Puti. He did spend ten years training under this guy, the man taught Wukong everything he knows and considering how Wukong has shown the importance he has put master-student relations I could argue that Wukong could have seen a father figure in this teacher. And then for him to be sent away like that.... it must hit hard.

Funny enough he is sent away by Sanzang those two times he DEF cries.

I don't know if it is because Wukong on some level knew that he had a home to go back to after leaving Puti's or that with Sanzang he felt more responsibility was to be had with why he was kicked out. It's hard to say but love seeing Wukong being emotional about his relationship with Mater Puti, they have such an interesting dynamic

#mater puti #Patriarch Bodhi #Patriarch Subodhi #sun wukong #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #ask