20 Excerpt from Journey to the West's Reading Notes

Answer 1

The following are some notes from Journey to the West:

** 1. About the background and opening of the story **
1. In the Sea of Aolai Nation of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, there was a Flowerfruit Mountain. This mountain gave birth to a Stone Monkey. The stone monkey was crowned king by the monkeys in the Water Curtain Cave. Later, he went to Xiniuhezhou through Nanzhan Xunzhou, went up Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, entered the Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave, paid a visit to the Ancestral Master Bodhi, and was accepted as a disciple named Sun Wukong. This opening setting showed a fantastical and grand mythological world structure. The Flowerfruit Mountain was like a paradise, but it was also the cradle of heroes.
2. Ever since Pangu created the world, the immortal stones of the Flowerfruit Mountain had absorbed the true qi of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and gradually gained spiritual energy. Finally, they cracked open and gave birth to Sun Wukong. This plot was full of mystery, linking the birth of Sun Wukong to the creation of heaven and earth, hinting at his extraordinary mission and ability.

** 2. Sun Wukong's skills and personality **
1. Wukong learned the Way of Longevity, the Seventy-Two Changes, and the Somersault Cloud from his master, but he was expelled from the cave because he showed off his skills. This showed that although Sun Wukong was talented and studious, he was young and frivolous and did not know how to restrain himself.
2. Wukong's ability was strong, like the moon was clear and cold, and there was no dust in the eight poles. Deep trees hide birds, the source of the water flows into the Fen River. Flying fireflies scattered shadows, flying through the wild goose word row cloud. After the third watch, he should have devoted himself to learning the Dao in the environment described by the Taoist Truth, which allowed him to have extraordinary abilities. He could go to heaven and earth and subdue demons.

** 3. Sun Wukong's experiences and struggles **
1. Sun Wukong asked the Dragon King for the 13,500-pound Golden Cudgel and crossed off the names of the monkeys in the Book of Life and Death in the Nether World. This showed that he dared to challenge authority and was unwilling to be bound by the Samsara of Life and Death and the management of the Dragon King's treasures. He had a strong spirit of resistance.
2. After becoming an official of the "Horse Wen", he learned that this official was a low-grade official and returned to Huaguo Mountain in anger. It reflected his dissatisfaction and resistance to unfair treatment. He pursued equality and respect and could not be underestimated.
3. When he was managing the peach garden, he ate all the big peaches in the garden, drank all the immortal wine in the Jade Pool, and ate all the golden pills in the gourd of the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord before escaping back to the Flower and Fruit Mountain. This series of actions was a bold challenge to the hierarchy and rules of the Heavenly Court.

** 4. Heavenly Court's response to Sun Wukong and Sun Wukong's further resistance **
1. The Jade Emperor sent Taibai Jinxing to appease Wukong. Later, he sent Heavenly King Li and his son, Prince Nezha, to capture Wukong. Jinxing came again to appease and build the Great Sage's Mansion. It reflected the Heavenly Court's contradictory attitude towards Sun Wukong. On one hand, they wanted to recruit and use Sun Wukong, but on the other hand, they wanted to suppress him.
2. Sun Wukong defeated the wooden fork sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva and fought against Erlang Shen. Taishang Laojun threw a Vajra suit and hit Sun Wukong. The gods escorted him back to the upper realm. The Jade Emperor ordered Sun Wukong to be executed, but he failed. After he escaped from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he made a mess in the Heavenly Palace, showing his indomitable spirit of resistance. Even in the face of the heavy suppression of the Heavenly Court, he did not yield.

** 5. Other members of Tang Sanzang and his disciples **
1. Zhu Bajie was greedy for sleep, food, women, and death. He told them to find a cool place to sleep when they were exploring the road. He was unwilling to share the delicious food with others. He was easily bewitched by women and always wanted to retreat when he encountered danger. For example, when he fought demons on the mountain or entered the demon cave, he always wanted to retreat. He often used the excuse of protecting his master as an excuse to wait outside.
2. Monk Sand was honest and hardworking. His kung fu was average, and he was able to cooperate with others. He was a stable existence in the team.
3. Tang Sanzang was a persistent and kind person, but sometimes he was a little silly and could not distinguish between humans and demons. He was very kind, and he didn't even want to hurt the ants that crawled onto his hands. He carefully let them go.

** 6. Origin and Development of Learning Buddhist Scriptures **
1. Five hundred years later, Tathagata Buddha wanted to find a believer to go to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures. Guanyin led a wooden fork, carrying a cassock, a staff, and three hoops of gold, tight, and forbidden. Along the way, she subdued Sha Wujing, Zhu Wuneng, and the little white dragon, persuading Sun Wukong to protect the person who was going to fetch the scriptures. This was the beginning of the story of the Buddhist scriptures. Many characters walked toward a common mission under the arrangement of Guanyin.
2. Tang Sanzang and his disciples went to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures. They experienced eighty-one difficulties and killed demons. Finally, they obtained the true scriptures and cultivated into the right fruit. During this process, the four of them worked together and persevered to overcome difficulties. For example, Sun Wukong had risked many times to fight demons to protect his master.

** 7. Comparisons and Comprehensions of Characters **
1. The one I admire the most is Sun Wukong. In order to protect his master, he risked many times to fight with demons. In the end, he helped Tang Sanzang get the true scripture with his wisdom and attack power. He was not as lazy, gluttonous, and obsessed with women as Zhu Bajie, nor was he as simple and honest as Monk Sand. He was brave and powerful, fearless of difficulties and bravely advancing.
2. Although Tang Sanzang needed the protection of his disciples, his kindness was also admirable. His kindness was reflected in his compassion for all living beings. This kind of compassion was not small, and even an ant could not bear to hurt him.

Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!