Skip to main content

The Name Makes the Man || Reading Notes: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung Part A


Or monkey as the case may be...

  • These are some long-living monkeys.
    • Even though the Handsome Monkey King fears death, it seems like he's already lived a pretty long and happy life.
  • It's really interesting that there is such an importance of Buddhism in this story, even though Buddhism originated in India and spread to China.
    • The story says that only three beings are exempt from death:
      • The gods
      • The spirits
      • And....the Buddhas?
    • I guess they're really talking about exemption from the cycle of death and rebirth.
  • I like how the king does not take a large number of subjects or a retinue or anything with him. It's just him on his travels. Very hermit or sage-like.
  • This is, of course, immediately contrasted by the fact that he assaults and robs the first person he sees.
  • But it seems that he learns more or less the "rules" of polite society immediately following this transgression. 
  • That naming was kind of anti-climactic. I feel like a retelling could find a more creative way to elaborate on how Sun got his name.
  • 360 ways to reach the truth. I wonder why 360?
    • 360 degrees in a circle
      • The mandala is an important symbol of Buddhism and is purposefully circular.
      • But that seems kind of unlikely.
    • Close-ish to the number of days in a year.
      • Maybe one way for each day?
  • Where can I get me some mystical incantations?
    • They sound like fun.
  • Do a somersault on a cloud and travel 18000 miles?
    • Sounds legit to me.
  • Just a casual "Get the hell out and don't tell anyone you know me."
    • It's not very often that one is threatened with the possibility of having their soul locked up in a " nethermost hell, so that you cannot escape for a thousand eternities."
  • The Devil-King of Chaos. There's a kick-ass name if ever there was one.
  • The Devil-King laughs at Sun and mentions says that Sun isn't even 30 years old. 
    • But isn't Sun already a few hundred years old?
  • How does one burn a cave to the ground?
  • The whole turning a single hair into a thousand little monkeys thing seems a little overpowered to me but oh well.
  • Okay, so he definitely is over 300 years old. He was supposed to live to 324. But he just removed himself (and the entire branch of apes?) from the literal book of life.
  • It seems that Sun is causing a lot of complaints to the Lord of the Heavens.
  • So it was a dream but it was also real.

Monkey King by Ghostexorcist on DeviantArt


Photo Credits:

Bibliography:
Story: The Ape Sun Wu Kung
From: The Chinese Fairy Book
By: R. Wilhelm
Translator: Frederick H. Martens
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hobbies, Hopes, and... I'm Out of H Words || An Introduction

Everyone keeps telling me to change my major... Welcome to the blog! My name is Rhys and I am a senior Psychology major! When I'm not scrambling to complete my degree, I work as a 3D printing student specialist for OU Libraries and as a lab assistant for the OU Visual Neuroscience Laboratory.  I'm looking forward to graduating this summer after a study abroad trip to Scotland.  Move In Day! When I'm not at work or school, I spend my time entertaining a variety of hobbies including programming, circuit building, 3D art, animation, and design, 3D printing, video production, visual effects, and cooking! I spend quite a lot of time working on all of these things, which has led to a running joke among my family and friends that I declared the wrong major.  3D World Animation I'm always looking to learn new skills. I honestly love learning and school. In fact, I plan on pursuing a career in academia as a psychology researcher. Essentially, I plan on never ...
20 comments
Read more

Week 2 Story: The Lawyer, the Plaintiff, and the Innocent?

The Lawyer, the Plaintiff, and the Innocent? "Mr. Brahms, please tell the jury how you came to meet the defendant." "Well...it was a Saturday a couple months ago. I was working late at the hospital...maybe 10:00 or 11:00? When I left work, I was walking down the sidewalk to our parking garage when I saw Mr. Tigris lying facedown on the concrete." "What happened then, Mr. Brahms?" "I....I walked up to him to check to see if he was okay. I approached and shook his shoulder to see if he was conscious. When I did, he started moaning and groaning like he was in pain. I tried to see if he was injured..." "Now, Mr. Brahms, you are a medical professional, correct?" "That's right. I'm a nurse." "So you would have been able to fairly easily identify any physical wounds on the defendant?" "Yes, I believe I would be." "But you did not find any on the defendant?" "No, I did not...
4 comments
Read more

Microfiction: Snow and Sadness

Short stories require big effort... 140-Character Story: It Bites So difficult. So painful. The snow, the wind, and the cold all bite. But not as bad as those wolves. Run faster and leave the others behind. Wolf and Snow 280-Character Story: See Them Again In the normal course of events, I would've been delighted to see my mother. Always loving and caring. I really miss her. And here she is in front of me. A happy reunion waiting to happen. But it can't happen. She's been gone too long. She's not real. So why can I feel her hug me? Author's Note: I swear I'm not a sad or gloomy person. That last story may have been a little on the depressing or hopeful side depending on how you look at it. Don't worry, my mother is alive and well and will probably stay that way for a long time. But I do know the feeling of wanting to see a loved one again. Hug them one last time. Even if it might be a dream... The first story was really a fun one to writ...
3 comments
Read more