Sun Wukong and the

Buddhist Saint Mulian

SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 2 COMMENTS
Sun Wukong first appears as the “Monkey Pilgrim” (Hou xingzhe, 猴行者), in The
Story of How Tripitaka of the Great Tang Procures the Scriptures (Da Tang
Sanzang qujing shihua, 大唐三藏取經詩話, late 13th-century) (The Story,
hereafter), the earliest known printed version of the Journey to the West story
cycle. He is described as an immortal punished by heaven for stealing peaches
from the Queen Mother of the West, and after being banished to earth, he
becomes the ruler of the 84,000 monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain. He enters
the story as a white-clad scholar and a willing participant in the journey who
actively seeks out the monk Tripitaka and his retinue of travel companions on
their quest to India. The Monkey Pilgrim then uses his magical abilities, aided by
treasures from heaven, to protect the monks from all manner of demons,
wizards, and dragons. In the end, he is bestowed the title “Great Sage Bronze
Muscles and Iron Bones” (Gangjin tiegu dasheng, 鋼筋鐵骨大聖) (Wivell, 1994).
The Monkey Pilgrim’s heavenly treasures are based on those used by the famed
Buddhist saint and hero Mulian (目連; Sk: Maudgalyayana), a disciple of the
Buddha, who appears in a late 9th to early 10th-century Bianwen (變文) text in
which he travels to the underworld to release his mother from karmic
torment (fig. 1). Originally discovered in the oasis of Dunhuang, the text serves as
the foundation for the Ghost Festival, which is held on the fifteenth day of the
seventh lunar month. In this article, I will discuss the treasures of both Mulian
and the Monkey Pilgrim, as well as the saint’s influences on Sun Wukong from
the Ming Journey to the West.