Reading Notes: Week 07 "The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung" Part A

 

The Monkey Songokû. circa 1824-1825. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

    This week, I'm focusing on the mythical Chinese figure, Sun Wu Kung. His name is also sometimes spelled Sun Wukung, Sun Wukong, or all fancy with the accents like Sūn Wùkōng. Sun means monkey and was given to him as a sort of inside joke from his first master Patriarch Bodhi as he did not previously have a name. Wu Kung means "awakened to emptiness." Although, it can also be taken as being aware of vacuity, i.e. aware of one's lack of thought, intelligence, or emptiness. Either way, his name basically means "Monkey Awakened to his Emptiness."

    From here on out, I'll just refer to him as Sun.

    To learn more about Sun's names, you can go here to a Wikipedia article about it!

    My Favorite Part(s)

    My favorite parts in Part A's readings were the ones where Sun and Bodhi interacted. So basically every story from "Sun Wu Kung Gets his Name" to "Sun Wu Kung Departs."

    Even though folktales aren't told in a modern way (lots of description), I could really feel their relationship jump off the page, or screen as it were. They had the kind of friendship where they need not say what they're thinking. Instead, they know what the other is thinking based on action and subtext. Of course, there are more heartfelt moments where they're more direct about what's going on in their head.

    I can say it honestly felt like the time of their relationship was where Sun was at his best. He was learning and mastering skills while developing his steady friendship with Bodhi. For me, it was genuinely sad when Bodhi sent Sun away for joking around and turning into a pine tree to amuse his fellow students. Not only did it seem sudden and unexpectedly harsh, but the fact Bodhi told Sun not to tell anyone he was his student under pain of being stuck in hell's basement for eternity.

    To my eyes, it was far too harsh and far too sudden for it to be simply a punishment for joking around and turning into a pine tree, especially taking into consideration their fond relationship. I would like to think there was another reason Bodhi sent Sun away and threatened to take him to hell if even gave an indication of being his pupil.

    With all the entanglements Sun is going to get up to in Heaven, I have a feeling there was maybe a god or powerful spirit, maybe even a vision, that told Bodhi Sun had to leave in order to fulfill his destiny and therefore make sure certain events took place. I also think Bodhi threatening Sun to not mention their relationship was an act to protect Sun from demons and/or other gods.

The Most Amazing Part

    For me, this was Sun's journey to the underworld (or in this mythos the nether world). I haven't really come across any folklore where the protagonist took their trip to the place in a dream. It's usually some epic quest where they have to outsmart or out-muscle their way in. Not Sun though. Sun was kidnapped and shackled in his dream and taken. The question, then, is why? Why was Sun taken to the Nether World?

    At first, I thought it was just the regular shenanigans that happen in mythology, but then, later on, Sun finds the Book of Life declares that he'll die at 324. Then I thought it may have been Sun's time to die anyway.

    But I went through and added up all the years the stories give us. Sun would 318 at the youngest and 319 at the oldest. There is a part where it says Sun wandered around for roughly nine years, so there could be a year added or subtracted. However, this wouldn't be enough to sway Sun into the 324 age.

    So why was he fetched for the Nether World?

    I think it's linked as to why Bodhi sent Sun away so quickly. While Sun is in the Nether World, he erases his name and the name of all the monkeys from the Book of Life rendering all of them immortal. I think there's someone behind the scenes pulling strings to make sure Sun does certain things in order to move destiny/fate along in the right direction.

    I don't think any of this is canon, but I personally like it, and it makes me excited to read the rest of the unit!

Bibliography*

Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book ed. by R. Wilhelm, trans. by Frederick H. Martens

Sun Wu Kung Departs from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book ed. by R. Wilhelm, trans. by Frederick H. Martens

The Nether World from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book ed. by R. Wilhelm, trans. by Frederick H. Martens

*Instead of linking every story I mentioned in passing, I've listed the stories I mentioned either directly in quotation marks or ones I've spoken at length about.