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Names and titles (Listed in the order that were acquired) In addition to the names used in the novel, the Monkey King has other names in various parts of China: Meaning "Equal of Heaven, the monkey". Meaning "Monkey Deity". Powers and abilities Legends tell that Wukong was born out of a stone, and later through learning from his master he was able to master an array of amazing abilities and powers. He knows 72 "earthly methods of transformations", twice that of Zhu Bajie who has 36 "heavenly methods of transformations" (Subodhi had offered him a choice between the 72 earthly transformations and 36 heavenly ones, and Wukong wanted to get the most out of his training), the pig that also accompanies and protects Sanzang, known in the text as Wukong's "shidi", or "junior fellow disciple". These transformations apparently cover every possible form of existence, since many times he transforms into specific people. At times he is shown to transform his hair into objects or even people to serve as decoys, or make copies of himself, for example. Wukong began as a monkey born of a stone made of primal chaos, and was extraordinarily brave and strong among the group of monkeys with which he lived. Having jumped through the waterfall on their home, The Mountain of Flowers and Fruits or Hua Guo Shan, and discovered the Water-Curtain Cave, he was recognized as the "Monkey King" for his feat. After celebrating, he soon realized that he was still a normal monkey and was saddened by the thought of mortality. Determined to find immortal beings and learn their ways, he traveled for a long time, finally finding the Patriarch Subodhi and becoming his disciple. The Patriarch rejected him at first, but Monkey's determination, and eventually his intelligence, impressed him. It was from him that the monkey received the name Sun Wukong (Wukong meaning "aware of emptiness"). Under the Patriarch's teaching and training, he acquires the powers of immortality, shape-changing, and cloud-travelling, including a technique called the "Somersault Cloud", where one can fly one hundred and eight thousand Li in a single flip (In modern times, the saying of 108000 Li is used to describe something that is ridiculously exaggerated or far-fetched). The Patriarch, who by the time parted ways was certain Wukong would get himself into trouble, and therefore made him promise never to tell anyone who had been his teacher. Song Wukong eventually obtains a handy "as-you-will golden banded cudgel or staff" known as Ru Yi Jin Gu Bang which he can turn into a needle and keep inside his ear but can brandish and resize at will to become 20 feet long or the "width of a rice bowl". The cudgel was originally a measuring stick for measuring sea water depth by Da Yu in his flood control and treating efforts as legend has it, thus its ability to vary its shape and length. After Da Yu left, it was left in the sea and became the "Pillar holding down the sea", an unmovable treasure of the under-sea palace of the East Sea (as no one there was able to pick it up). Sun Wukong was able to swindle it from the under-sea palace of the East Sea dragon king (who under-estimated Wukong and bet him he couldn't pick it up). It weighs 13850 kilograms, and can multiply, transform, and act intelligently. The Monkey King also forced the Dragon King to give him other magical gifts, including his golden chainmail, phoenix feather cap, and cloud walking boots. Making trouble in Heaven Hoping that a promotion and a title would make him more manageable, the Jade Emperor invited Sun Wukong to the Heavenly Kingdom. However, this proved to be in vain. After the Jade Emperor excluded him from a royal banquet, in an act of rebellion Sun Wukong ate the Empress's Peaches of Immortality and Lord Laozi's Pills of Indestructibility. He later felt guilty about this, but only slightly so, and continued to be a headache for everybody in Heaven. Finally, the heavenly authorities had no choice but to attempt to subdue him. He fought and defeated the Army of Heaven's 100,000 soldiers, then went on to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, thanks to the heavenly forces' effort and teamwork, including the contributions of many famous deities, Sun Wukong was finally captured. When several more mundane execution attempts failed, Wukong was stuffed into Lord Laozi's eight-way trigem cauldron to be distilled into an elixir by the cauldron's sacred flames, which were thought to be hot enough to consume him. After cooking for 49 days, however, the cauldron exploded and Sun Wukong jumped out, stronger than ever and possessing the newfound ability to recognize evil in any form through his "Huo Yan Jin Jing", or "Golden Fiery Eyes". With all their other options exhausted, the Jade Emperor and the authorities of Heaven finally appealed to the Buddha himself, who arrived in an instant from his temple in the West. The Buddha bet Sun Wukong that he could not jump out of his palm. Wukong, knowing that he could cover 108000 Li per leap, smugly agreed. He took a great leap and landed in what seems to be a desolate section of Heaven. Nothing was visible except five pillars, and Wukong surmised that he had reached the ends of Heaven. To prove he'd been there, he wrote "The Great Sage Equal of Heaven was here" on the middle pillar , and marked the space between the first and second with his urine. Afterwards, he leapt back and landed in Buddha's palm. Smiling, Buddha asked him to turn around. Wukong looked back and saw that the "pillar" on which he had written was actually Buddha's finger. Wukong had lost the bet. Immediately, he tried to escape, but Buddha turned over his palm and pinned the Monkey King under a mountain. There he remained imprisoned for five centuries until he offered to serve Sanzang, the Tang Priest, who was destined to make the journey to the West to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for Tang. The bodhisattva Guanyin helped the priest by giving him a magical headband which he tricked the Monkey King into wearing. With a special chant, Sanzang was able to tighten the band and cause the Monkey King unbearable pain, which he would do whenever Wukong disobeyed or displeased him. Under Sanzang's supervision, the Monkey King was allowed to journey to the West. As a disciple to Sanzang Throughout the epic Journey to the West, Sun Wukong faithfully helps Sanzang the Tang High Priest on his journey to retrieve Buddhist Sutras in (India). They are joined by Pig (Zhu Bajie) and River Demon (Sha Hesang/Sha Wujing), both of whom are ordered to accompany the priest to atone for their crimes. The priest's horse is actually a dragon prince who has been defeated by Sun Wukong and tamed by Guanyin. Sanzang's safety is constantly threatened by supernatural beings, and Sun Wukong often acts as a bodyguard. The group encounters a series of eighty one tribulations before accomplishing their mission and returning safely to China. Sun Wukong is granted Buddhahood, for his service and strength. Celebrations and Festivals
Sun Wukong in Politics During Mao Zedong's reign in China, he consistently used Sōng Wǔ Kōng as a role model. Mao Zedong often talked about the good example of the Monkey King, citing “his fearlessness in thinking, doing work, striving for the objective and extricating China from poverty”". Miscellaneous In spite of its popularity (or perhaps because of it) legends regarding Sun Wukong have changed with the ebb and flow that is Chinese culture. The tale with Buddha and the "Pillars" is a prime example, and did not appear until Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty. Various legends concerning Sun Wukong date back to before written Chinese history. They tend to change and adapt to the most popular Chinese religion of a given era. Sun Wukong in modern media. Retellings for Children/Young Adults Martial Arts Sun Wukong was the influence of the creation of various Monkey Kung Fu styles. See also | |||||||||||
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