Erill S.

Alejandre Great Books

II – Bravo

The Summary of Monkey: A folk tale in China

By: Wu Cheng’en

Shortly after the creation of the universe, a monkey is born from an immortal
stone, containing both Yin and Yang characteristics. He becomes a king of other
monkeys before training in the Way, a Daoist practice that grants him the capacity to
travel long distances and reshape himself. Unfortunately, he irritates his master and
is expelled, at which point his selfishness and avarice take over. He develops an
inferiority complex, which causes him to anger Heaven. Heaven's ruler, the Jade
Emperor, provides him with a phony title and gifts to keep him under control. When
the monkey offends Heaven again, he retreats to Earth, where he is pursued by a
Heavenly army.

Wukong defies the troops until the Emperor's nephew Erlang and the greatest
sage, Laozi, collaborate to capture him. Wukong is sentenced to death by the Jade
Emperor. Wukong is apprehended by the Buddha, Tathgata, and imprisoned by five
mountains with the promise of redemption one day. Guanyin and Hui'an depart to
find the pilgrim summoned by Tathgata to seek wisdom, and Guanyin provides three
monsters—and Wukong—chances for forgiveness. For Wukong, he must serve the
pilgrim. The pilgrim, Xuanzang, is raised as an orphan by a monk. He learns the
Way, and when he's 18, he discovers who his parents were and how bandits harmed
them. He avenges his parents, and after his mother commits suicide, Xuanzang
returns to monastic life.

Emperor Tang Taizong is meant to save the Dragon King from execution after
the Dragon King destroys a fortune teller, but he fails since the Dragon King is killed
while dreaming by the executioner and judge, Wei. Taizong dies of despair and
promises in the Underworld to bring food and hold a mass for the trapped souls so
they might be reborn—he is then returned to the land of the living because he still
has 20 years to live. Taizong follows through on his commitments.

Guanyin appears and announces the quest to the west during a mass
sanctioned by Taizong and headed by Xuanzang; Xuanzang volunteers. Xuanzang,
also known as Tripitaka, is assisted on his journey and, in exchange, rescues the
spirit of a man's father. When they are on a mountain, they hear Wukong cry out for
his master, and the guy promises to guide him. Tripitaka releases Wukong; they are
assaulted, and Wukong kills the bandits. Wukong escapes after being chastised by
Tripitaka. Guanyin assists Tripitaka in controlling Wukong, who is now known as
Pilgrim. Later, they seize control of the dragon that Guanyin pledged to redeem when
she transforms it into a horse. Pilgrim is becoming a better soul as they travel, but he
still has things to learn, such as how to control his pride and vanity—a lesson he
must learn when the abbot of the Guanyin monastery tries to steal Tripitaka's holy
cassock because Pilgrim wanted to show it off.

Pilgrim and Guanyin collaborate to defeat a bear monster and reclaim

Tripitaka's celestial cassock; Guanyin urges Pilgrim to be nice and not lazy. Despite
this, Pilgrim continues to cause havoc for the rest of Volume I of The Journey to the
West; nevertheless, because the complete epic spans 100 chapters, and Volume I is
only the first 25, the monkey still has time to earn atonement and enlightenment.