Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part A

Main Characters:

  • The Stone Ape/ Sun Wu Kung
  • The Discerner/The Master

Secondary Characters:

  • Other apes
  • The wood-chopper
  • The master's disciples

Important things to remember: 

  • Handsome King of the Apes
    • Mountain of Flower and Fruits, great rock, magically burst and a stone ape was hatched
    • The stone ape was able to hop through the waterfall and found an iron bridge, and was crowned king of the apes, and he remained untroubled for 300 years
  • The Great Sea
    • The king of apes was saddened one day when he thought of death, so he went out in search of those who are except from deaths power - Buddha, the blessed spirits and the gods
    • He found his way across the sea to Asia, where he stayed hoping to learn more, and acting as a human
    • But he found all the people only cared about money and honor, not life, so he went out again to the sea after 9 years in Asia
  • Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name
    • The ape came upon a wood-chopper when he reached land, who was singing a divine song
    • The ape thought he was divine because of the song, but the wood-chopper instead pointed him to the cave of The Discerner
    • The Discerner sensed the ape was seeking truth, took him in for 7 years to learn under him, and gave him the name of Sun Wu Kung
  • The Master
    • The Master questioned what Sun Wu Kung wanted to learn about, but pretended to be angry when all he wanted to learn about was eternal life
    • The Master hit Sun Wu Kung over the head 3 times, which told the ape to come by that night after third watch
  • Learning the Art
    • The Master was impressed with Sun Wu Kung and decided to teach him more
    • For 3 years Sun Wu Kung mastered meditation and guarding his spirit
    • After this, the Master whispered magic into Sun Wu Kung and he was able to transform himself
    • A few days later he whispered more magic and he was able to walk on the clouds
  • Sun Wu Kung Departs
    • Sun Wu Kung in attempt to impress the disciples turned himself into a pine tree
    • The Master saw this and sent Sun Wu Kung back to where he came from, as he was still acting in his savage nature

The Stone Ape acting as a human, via The Monkey King


Story: The Monkey King, via http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-monkey-king-sun-wu.html

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