American Born Chinese The Journey to the West

The Journey to the West

What is it?

The Journey to the West[1] is a novel based on the pilgrimage of Tang Sanzang, the Chinese monk who went to India in search of Buddhist scriptures in the 7th century. The main story is about Sanzang's spiritual quest, but Monkey (Sun Wukong) emerges as a prominent character in the story as Sanzang's disciple. They encounter various fantastic adventures, often involving gods, demons, and animal spirits.

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The Monkey

The beginning of the book talks about The birth of the Monkey[2], who is hatched from a stone egg under the influence of the sun and moon. He lives on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and has acquired such great powers under the tutoring of Subhodi that only Buddha can subdue him under the Mountain of Five Phases. He is released 500 years later by Tang Sanzang after he promises to protect Sanzang on his journey to the West and to be Sanzang's acquaintance.

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Sanzang

The middle of the book describe the background and birth of Sanzang and the origin of his mission to India. Major episodes include Buddha's intention to impart the Buddhist canon to the Chinese, preparation for the journey by Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy), Sanzang's revenge on his father's murderers, Wei Zheng's execution of the Eastern Dragon King, the journey of Tang Taizong to the underworld, his convening of the Mass for the Dead, and the appointment of Sanzang as the pilgrim to seek the scriptures after the epiphany of the Goddess of Mercy.

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How it ended

The end of the book tells of the successful completion of the journey: the meeting with the Buddha, the return with the scriptures to China, and the final reward of the five pilgrims (including Sanzang's white dragon horse).