New Journeys to the West
Sha Tin College , Wong , Ivan - 13
Was it Morally Correct and just for a Buddhist Monk to Physically Punish the Monkey King ? How does this Translate in a Children ’ s Story ?
E ver since the publication of The Journey To The West , it has become widely popular among audience of all ages . Journey To The West , a traditional ancient story in the Chinese culture , passed down through generations is about a monk , named Xuanzang , venturing to India along with three guardians , The Monkey King , Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing . Xuanzang was not just any ordinary monk , people and demons believed the monk ’ s flesh was healthy and spiritual . Hence , many would attempt to hunt him down as if he was a delicacy . On the other hand , the three guardians protected the monk , fending off these enemies and creatures . Majority of the story is about how the three battle against enemies and their carefully concocted plans to rescue Xuanzang . One interesting feature of the story was when Guangyin , the goddess of compassion , mercy and kindness placed the golden headband onto the Monkey King ’ s head . It was not any ordinary headband , it was actually more of a torture device ; tightened and unable to be removed whenever a specific hymn is chanted , causing aches and pains to the Monkey King . This hymn only worked when chanted by Xuanzang himself , he used it as a tool to gain the monkey ’ s attention , enforcing obedience . Now , this begs the question , when the monk chanted the hymn meaning to inflict harm on the Monkey King , coming from a religious monk , was it against the views of Buddhism ? Different versions of the story reflect different variations of the monk using the hymns to impose pain on the Monkey King , was it borderline torture ? How do these actions and scenes affect the viewers , especially the younger audience ?
The main values of Buddhism revolve around not harming any living creatures , in treating others well you will be treated well too . A collection of sayings in Buddhism Dhammapada 129 states , “ All living things fear being beaten with clubs . All living things fear being put to death . Putting oneself in the place of the other , Let no one kill nor cause another to kill .” This also explains their reasoning for being vegetarians , to not kill the living for sustenance . Another important value for Buddhists is to help those who are suffering , such as beggars . Ultimately , if one does not hold those values , there will be dire consequences . For any sort of harmful action , for instance stepping on a plant , asking people for money etc . An equal amount of unfortunate events will come back in your way . What goes around comes around , speak of which , Buddhists refer to this as Karma . Karma is a system in Buddhism where it is implied , if , you do good you get good . In other words , if you carry out more good deeds than bad during your lifetime , you will be granted a promising rebirth in the next life . Conversely , if harm is caused and missions are broken , there would be consequences and a rather degrading reincarnation . This is a clear incentive as to why they are indirectly taught to be a model Buddhist .
In the story , the monk is portrayed as a calm and collected buddhist , loyal and religious . Standing by the morals and standards of his religion . On the other hand , every time the Monkey King misbehaves or runs away , the monk would chant a hymn forcing the return of the Monkey King begging for the pain and torture to cease . Xuanzang has unquestionably done some actions that have shown to be entirely opposite to the values and missions of Buddhism . Chanting and inflicting pain upon the Monkey King being one of them . Clearly , Xuanzang does not seem to be playing by the rules of his beloved religion . As a matter of fact , torturing the Monkey King seems more of an easy way out of his problems rather than reasoning or consulting them .
The monk ’ s actions shown in the story are in no way justified , he was more so simply abusing his power . While chanting the hymn , the Monkey King is put under immense pain and discomfort , hence he is forced to listen to the monk with no free will . Evidently , Xuanzang exploits his powers as he has no real authority to slave drive the Monkey King ; leaving him no choice but to follow his demands . Not only are his behaviours unjust as a human but mostly definitely as a Buddhist monk . In addition , it is clear that the monk ’ s action are not humane . As stated , monks strongly believed in not hurting living creatures in any way . Not to mention , not very grateful either since the Monkey King is basically his bodyguard .