西éŠè®°Pilgrimage To The West
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Channel 8 is showing Pilgrimage To The West at 10.30 pm on every Saturday.
I have a few friends who asked me whether the story is true. Don't be surprise that many do not know that the story is a classical novel, they thought it is a Buddhism true story. I told them it is true that Master Xuan Zang travelled to the West to obtain the sacred texts but without the Sun Wu Kong, Zhu BaiJie and Sha WuJing.
Though I've watched many versions of this story but I will never get tired of it. There's always something to learn from this drama.
There was this part showing a beauty asking Monk Xuan Zang whether she was beautiful. Monk Xuan Zang said he did not know. The beauty asked him why he did not know and insisted on an answer. Monk Xuan Zang replied how to tell a heap of skeletons was beautiful or not. It is always interesting to listen to the reply of someone who practice well or enlightened.
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Zhu BaiJie is the metaphor of laziness and desire craving in a human. Sha WuJing is the metaphor of simplicity, honesty but also not so wise intelligence in a human. Sun Wu Kong is the metaphor of mischief in a human. The characteristics of the three above represent the undesirable traits of a human. I read this analysis in a buddhist magazine.
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I am so glad you started this thread. I have always question if 西�记 is a true story for a long time. According to my understanding of Buddhism the tang shan zhang existed before and the rest of the characters are questionable.
Strangely, Taoism has the Monkey God worship and medium.
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There is also Monkey God in Hinduism (Lord Hanuman). He comes with a very interesting story.
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I'm more interested how Jin Chan Zi was destined to reincarnate to Xuan Zang... Got books on that?
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Originally posted by Leogirldreamer:
There is also Monkey God in Hinduism (Lord Hanuman). He comes with a very interesting story.
I think that is a different Monkey God from the Taoism and 西�记. Correct me if I am wrong. -
Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuán Zà ng; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang Sanskrit:ह�वेनसांग ) (c. 602 – 664) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period. Born in Henan province of China in 602 or 603, from boyhood he took to reading sacred books, including the Chinese Classics and the writings of the ancient sages. While residing in the city of Luoyang, Xuanzang entered Buddhist monkhood at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan (Szechuan), where he was ordained at the age of twenty. He later traveled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Here Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist scriptures that had reached China. He became famous for his seventeen year overland journey to India, which is recorded in detail in his autobiography as well as a biography, both of which provided the inspiration for the epic novel Journey to the West. Xuanzang is also known as Táng-s�nzà ng (�三�), Xuánzà ng S�nzà ng (玄奘三�), Xuánzà ng Dà shī (玄奘大師), or simply as Táng Sēng (�僧), or Tang (Dynasty) Monk in Mandarin; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang
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Originally posted by Leogirldreamer:
Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuán Zàng; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang Sanskrit:हà¥�वेनसांग ) (c. 602 – 664) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period. Born in Henan province of China in 602 or 603, from boyhood he took to reading sacred books, including the Chinese Classics and the writings of the ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang, Xuanzang entered Buddhist monkhood at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan (Szechuan), where he was ordained at the age of twenty. He later traveled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang’an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Here Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian’s visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist scriptures that had reached China.
He became famous for his seventeen year overland journey to India, which is recorded in detail in his autobiography as well as a biography, both of which provided the inspiration for the epic novel Journey to the West.
Xuanzang is also known as Táng-sÄ�nzàng (å”�三è—�), Xuánzàng SÄ�nzàng (玄奘三è—�), Xuánzàng DàshÄ« (玄奘大師), or simply as Táng SÄ“ng (å”�僧), or Tang (Dynasty) Monk in Mandarin;
Thanks for this. Is he now even after death still chanting for the dead? -
Miracle of Guan Shih Yin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jwZ6w3qoVw
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the novel was written during the ming dynasty by Wu Cheng En ...i would say that it is perhaps the first magical realistic fiction which captivated the world and is a timeless classic among the other three...
it is a fiction written to release innate frustration of strict backwardness and dark political conspiracies of his era....with an urgent need to call for morality and help from the heavens...
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Originally posted by Leogirldreamer:
Miracle of Guan Shih Yin
Thanks. Wow! Awesome! Was that a movie or the real stuff? Was that at Ning Po China? -
Yes, it is at the famous Pu Tuo mountain in China. I wish i were there to witness.
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I was at Poh Ming Temple Guan Yin symposium on sunday. The event had a panelist of 5 people ( from Prof to Venerable ) to answer Questions. Poh Ming Tze Temple is a very modern building . Singapore Buddhism has come a long way. To see the modern design of Poh Ming Tze , click on the temple website www.pmt.org.sg
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Originally posted by shanfan:
I am so glad you started this thread. I have always question if 西�记 is a true story for a long time. According to my understanding of Buddhism the tang shan zhang existed before and the rest of the characters are questionable.
Strangely, Taoism has the Monkey God worship and medium.
Off topic a bit. The other thread is locked, so I answer your question here.
Those wondering spirits on earth, which category they belong to?I know of some encountering spirits disturbing them day and night, don't these spirits have any source in charge of them to control them?
Wondering spirits belong to ghosts path. God's religion deny their existence, it thinks that they are demons in disguise. Actually they are the lost souls. Buddhists dedicate merits to them after chanting events so that their sufferings can be lessen or shorten. Earth Store Buddha（地�王��) is there to teach and "save" them but provided they wish to be "save". Just like we humans, some believe in Buddha's teachings and some do not. Same goes with ghosts.
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I've heard of ignorant people do not believe in Buddhism because they thought Pilgrimage To The West is a true Buddhism story and they don't believe the story. Who will believe in Monkey God, Zhu BaiJie and Sha WuJing are real. They did not know it is just a classical novel.
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There are people who do not believe in ghosts. Till they meet one. Then they become frightened instead of finding out more how to help the ghosts, they will try to block all future meetings with the third dimension. Actually ghosts are transformed from humans. They were humans too when they were alive. Instead of being scared of them, why not find out more on how to help them. Buddhists can help in various methods, chanting for them, transferring merits to them so that they can be released from the ghosts realm. Buddhists/Taoists can even help by providing food and clothes to them before preaching the goodness of Pureland to the ghosts. Ghosts need help as much as humans.
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I grew up watching this show.
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It was actually depicting Xuánzàng DàshÄ« as Shan Chai in the flower adornment sutra. For instance Wu Kong is realization and embarking on the journey of actualization. This 西é�Šè®° is a lecture note for buddhism path of the monkhood in some part of China
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Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
Off topic a bit. The other thread is locked, so I answer your question here.
Those wondering spirits on earth, which category they belong to?I know of some encountering spirits disturbing them day and night, don't these spirits have any source in charge of them to control them?
Wondering spirits belong to ghosts path. God's religion deny their existence, it thinks that they are demons in disguise. Actually they are the lost souls. Buddhists dedicate merits to them after chanting events so that their sufferings can be lessen or shorten. Earth Store Buddha（地�王��) is there to teach and "save" them but provided they wish to be "save". Just like we humans, some believe in Buddha's teachings and some do not. Same goes with ghosts.
Thanks for your reply. -
Watched it on weekend. It is more of a taoism (fiction?) story than buddhism. Monkey God is one of the deities or god in Taoism.
Can be misleading to some if they do not know the differences between Taoism and Buddhism.
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Originally posted by Ianytha.....:
Watched it on weekend. It is more of a taoism (fiction?) story than buddhism. Monkey God is one of the deities or god in Taoism.
Can be misleading to some if they do not know the differences between Taoism and Buddhism.
Yeah, many people have mistaken what is true Buddhism. Those who criticise Buddhism are mainly those who don't know what is true Buddhism. Those who know about true Buddhism can't find fault with Buddhism. -
an open mind accepts criticism...and outgrow them
that is the spirit of man before his higher being...be it buddhism or any other religions....
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the man who wrote pilgrimage to the west also had written another work called 禹鼎志...but this classic was long lost....except for the preface page....
it should be a sequel to the pilgrimage ....wherein there were many odd creatures like those in pilgrimage.....again it intensified his frustration against the examination system in which he failed and the political darkness of his times....
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Originally posted by Leogirldreamer:
There are people who do not believe in ghosts. Till they meet one.
Then they become frightened instead of finding out more how to help the ghosts, they will try to block all future meetings with the third dimension.
Actually ghosts are transformed from humans. They were humans too when they were alive.
Instead of being scared of them, why not find out more on how to help them.
Buddhists can help in various methods, chanting for them, transferring merits to them so that they can be released from the ghosts realm. Buddhists/Taoists can even help by providing food and clothes to them before preaching the goodness of Pureland to the ghosts.
Ghosts need help as much as humans.
Hahaha, so people don’t believe until they meet one? By the same token, people should believe in God only when they meet one. Trouble is they are already people who claimed they have seen ghosts or God. But the picture they painted is more human than humorous. Ghosts look like human except they do look like they need a makeover! And God looks like an old man with beard (Sistine Chapel) in Vatican City.
Since you said “instead of being scared …”, are you suggesting ghosts harm people? And why do they need your help? What kinds of problems do ghosts have? Hungry?
Truly, I said to you: I am more afraid of human beings than ghosts!