TheJourneytotheWest.pptVIP

The Journey to the West A story about pilgrimage Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang, 596-664) and his adventurous pilgrimage to India. Characters: Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing Sources of this novel: Story cycles already popular before the writing of the novel Indian work Ramayana? Xuanzang: the foremost pilgrim in Chinese History Xuanzang or Tang Sanzang Historically, the most respected Chinese pilgrim and one of the greatest Buddhist masters Traveled to India for 16 years (629-645), brought back 657 items of Buddhist scriptures, as well translated and compiled translations of 74 works in 1335 volumes Founder of a new Chinese Buddhist school in the Tang dynasty—the Faxiang or Weishi (Conscious-only) School Probably responsible for the composition of the Heart Sutra (Xinjing), the shortest Buddhist sutra, but the most-recited one. His pilgrimage, which was to resolve the controversy regarding “Buddha nature,” inspired storytellers to write stories about his adventurous journey General Synopsis of the Novel Chapters 1-7: the birth of Sun Wukong, his acquisition of immortality and magic power, his invasion and disturbance of Heaven, and his final subjugation by the Buddha under Mt. Five Phases Chapter 8: the Buddha declars his intention to impart the Buddhist canon to the Chinese, and the journey of Guanyin to the East Chapters 9-12: fictional account of Xuanzang: his birth and his vengeance on his father’s murder; Minister Wezheng excuted a dragon, Emperor Tang Taizong’s journey to the underworld. Chapters 13-97: the journey with 81 ordeals preordained for Xuanzang Chapter 98-100: successful completion of the journey Narrative Structure of the Novel Prose interlaced with verse Writer influenced by vigorous poetic tradition Writer inherited prosimetric characters of “transformation text” (bianwen) Purposes of the short, interlaced poetry Personal commentary: e.g., critique of decadent Confucian and Buddhist morality Moral judgment Exemplum: sustain moral argume