Sun Wukong

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Sun Wukong - (Traditional Chinese: 孫悟空; Simplified Chinese: 孙悟空; Hanyu Pinyin: Sūn Wùkōng; Wade-Giles: Sun Wu-k'ung), known in the West as the Monkey King, is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel, Journey to the West. In the novel, he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on the journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India. Sun Wukong is known in Japanese as Son Gokū and is also the inspiration for numerous anime and manga characters, most notably Son Gokū from the Dragon Ball series.

Contents 1 Names and titles 2 Outset of fame 3 Havoc in the Heavenly Kingdom 4 As a disciple to Xuanzang 5 Celebrations and Festivals 6 Sun Wukong in Politics 7 Miscellaneous 8 Sun Wukong in modern media 8.1 Retellings for Children/Young Adults 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Names and titles

Listed in the order that they were acquired

• Shí Hóu (石猴): "The Mountain-Rock Monkey" or the "Stone monkey". This refers to his physical birth after millennia of spiritual incubation period of his soul inside a rock in Bloom Mountains/Flower-Fruit Kountain.
• Měi Hóuwáng (美猴王): Meaning "Handsome Monkey-King", or Houwang for short. The surname Měi means "beautiful, handsome, pretty", as well as "satisfactory"; it also means "self-satisfied" and "to be pleased with oneself", connecting it to his ego. Hóu ("monkey") also means "clever boy, smart chap", as well as describing someone as "naughty and impish".
• Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空): The name given to him by his first master, Subhuti. The surname Sūn, "grandchild" (sūnzǐ for "grandson", sūnnǚ for "granddaughter"), was given as an in-joke about Houwang. Another form of "monkey-king" is húsūnwáng, húsūn meaning a literal or figurative "monkey" (or "macaque"); a "king of monkeys" is a term for a teacher of small children, and a "monkey entering a cloth bag" (húsūn rù bùdài) means someone submitting to discipline reluctantly (both of which could easily apply to Wukong). "Grandchild"-sūn and "monkey"-sūn are pronounced the same, and would look the same except for the latter having the radical "dog" (quǎn) in it to denote the character's animal form. The given name Wùkōng means "awakened to emptiness". This is translated into Japanese as Son Gokū.
• Bìmǎwēn (弼馬溫): The title of the keeper of the Heavenly Horses, a punning of bìmǎwēn (辟馬瘟; lit. "avoiding the horses' plague"). A monkey was often put in a stable as people believed its presence could prevent the horses from catching illness. Sun Wukong was given this position by the Jade Emperor after his first intrusion into Heaven. After discovering it was one of the lowest jobs in Heaven, he became angry and quit.
• Qítiān Dàshèng (齊天大聖): Meaning "Equal of Heaven, Great Sage". Sun Wukong demanded this title from the Jade Emperor and was eventually granted it. This is translated into Japanese as seiten-taisei ("great sage", dàshèng and taisei, is a Chinese and Japanese honorific).
• Xíngzhě (行者): Meaning "ascetic", it refers to a wandering monk, a priest's servant, or a person engaged in performing religious austerities. Xuanzang calls Wukong Sūn-xíngzhě when he accepts him as his companion. This is translated into Japanese as gyōja (making him Son-gyōja).
• Dòu-zhànshèng-fó (鬥戰聖佛): "Fight-victorious-buddha". Wukong was given this name once he ascended to buddhahood at the end of the Journey to the West.

In addition to the names used in the novel, the Monkey King has other names in different languages:

• Kâu-chê-thian (猴齊天) in Taiwanese (Taiwan): "Monkey, Equal of Heaven".
• Maa⁵ lau¹ zing¹ (馬騮精) in Cantonese (Hong Kong and Guangdong): "Monkey Demon" (called by his enemies)

[edit] Outset of fame

Wukong began as a monkey born of a stone made of primal chaos. He jumped through the waterfall on their island, the Huāguǒ-shān ("flower-fruit mountain"), and discovered the Shuǐlián-dòng ("water-curtain cave" or "waterfall cave"). The other monkeys proclaimed him Měi Hóuwáng (the "handsome monkey-king") for his feat. After celebrating, he soon realized that he was still a normal monkey; he wanted immortality. Determined to find immortal beings and learn their ways, he traveled on a raft to new lands, finally finding the Patriarch Subhuti and becoming his disciple.

Subhuti rejected him at first, but Houwang's determination, and eventually his intelligence, impressed him. It was from him that Houwang received the Buddhist name Sun Wukong (Wukong meaning "aware of emptiness"). Under the Patriarch's teaching and training, he acquired the powers of immortality, shape-changing, and cloud-traveling, including a technique called the Jīndǒuyún ("cloud-somersault"), where one can fly one hundred and eight thousand li -- or about 54,000km -- in a single flip (In modern times, the saying of "108,000 li" is used to describe something that is ridiculously exaggerated or far-fetched).

Sun Wukong was taught the 72 "earthly methods of transformations" by his master, Subhuti (he had been offered a choice between the 72 earthly transformations and 36 heavenly ones). These transformations apparently cover every possible form of existence, i.e. people, objects, etc. He was given 3 special hairs by Guanyin (who received them from the Buddha himself), which could be used in dire emergencies. All the other hairs on his body could be transformed into other objects, such as inanimate objects and clones of himself.

Wukong became too proud after learning his new abilities, and began boasting to the other disciples. Subhuti was not happy with this, and they parted ways. Subhuti was certain that Wukong would get himself into trouble, so he made Wukong promise never to tell anyone who had been his teacher.

Wukong eventually obtained an "as-you-will golden-banded staff" known as the Rú Yì Bàng (如意棒, rúyì-jīngū-bàng^?) , which he could shrink to the size of a needle and keep inside his ear. The staff could also be expanded to be as high as Heaven. It was originally a stick for measuring sea water depth by Dà-Yǔ in his flood control and treating efforts, thus its ability to vary its shape and length. After Da-Yu left, it remained in the sea and became the "Pillar holding down the sea", an unmovable treasure of the under-sea palace of the Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng ("Eastern-sea dragon-king"), Aoguang. No one was able to pick it up. Wukong was able to swindle it from Aoguang (who underestimated Wukong and bet him he couldn't pick it up). It weighed 13,500 jin (6,750 kilograms), and could multiply, transform, and act intelligently. Wukong also forced the Aoguang to give him other magical gifts, including his golden chain mail, phoenix-feather cap, and cloud-walking boots.

[edit] Havoc in the Heavenly Kingdom

Hoping that a promotion and a title would make him more manageable, the Jade Emperor invited 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 Wukong ate empress Xi Wangmu's "Peaches of Immortality" and Laozi's "Pills of Indestructibility". He later felt guilty about this, but only slightly so, and continued to be a nuisance to everybody in the Jade Emperor's palace. 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, Wukong was finally captured. When several more execution attempts failed, Wukong was stuffed into Laozi's eight-way trigram 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 Wukong jumped out, stronger than ever and possessing the newfound ability to recognize evil in any form through his huǒyǎn-jīnjīng, or "fiery-gaze golden-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 Wukong that he could not jump out of his palm. Wukong, knowing that he could cover 108,000 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 five "pillars" he saw earlier were actually the five fingers of the hand out of which he attempted to jump. Wukong had lost the bet. Immediately, he tried to escape, but Buddha turned over his palm and pinned Wukong under a mountain. There he remained imprisoned for five centuries until he offered to serve Xuanzang, 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 Wukong into wearing. With a special chant, Xuanzang was able to tighten the band and cause Wukong unbearable pain, which he would do whenever Wukong disobeyed or displeased him. Under Xuanzang's supervision, Wukong was allowed to journey to the West.

[edit] As a disciple to Xuanzang

Throughout the epic Journey to the West, Sun Wukong faithfully helps Xuanzang on his journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras in (India). They are joined by "Pigsy" (Zhu Bajie) and "Sandy" (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 Wukong and tamed by Guanyin. Xuanzang's safety is constantly threatened by supernatural beings, and Wukong often acts as a bodyguard. The group encounters a series of eighty-one tribulations before accomplishing their mission and returning safely to China. Wukong is granted Buddhahood, for his service and strength.

[edit] Celebrations and Festivals

The Sun WuKong festival is celebrated on the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month on the Chinese calendar. Festivals feature recreations of his ordeals such as walking on a bed of coals and climbing a ladder of knives.

In Hong Kong the festival is celebrated at the Buddhist Temple in Sau Mau Ping, which has a shrine to Sun Wukong.

[edit] Sun Wukong in Politics

During Mao Zedong's reign in China, he consistently used Sūn Wǔkōng 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.” ^[1]

[edit] 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.

• Some scholars believe that the character Sun Wukong was partly based on Hanuman, the "monkey god" of Hinduism described in a book by the historical Sanzang. Wukong became so well-known in China that he was once worshiped by some as a real god.
• There are some scholars believe this character may be origined from the first disciple of Xuan Zang,Shi Bantuo (zh:石槃陀)[1]
• Sun Wukong is so prominent in Journey to the West that the famous translation by Arthur Waley is entitled Monkey, leading to other versions of Journey to the West also being called Monkey, such as the Japanese television show, Monkey.
• The phrase "You burst out from a stone" is one of the most common excuses used by Chinese parents when answering the "where do babies come from" question.
• Sun Wukong is said to be the influence behind the creation of various Monkey Kung Fu styles.

[edit] Sun Wukong in modern media

In animation and comics

• Son Gokū, the central character in the Japanese manga Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z and anime Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT, is largely based on Sun Wukong. "Son Gokū" is the Japanese pronunciation of the original character's name and is used in the Japanese translations of the original story. Some of the more direct influences include Goku's nyoi-bō with a size-changing ability reminiscent of Wukong's rúyì-bàng, Goku's monkey tail, the "Flying Nimbus" (kinto'un) which is representative of Wukong's "cloud-somersaulting" ability (jīndǒuyún). In Episode 37 of Dragonball Z, the hospital in which the defenders of Earth recover is Wukong Hospital (the U is obstructed by a highway to make it more subtle).
• The main character Goku from the anime "Monkey Typhoon" was based on Sun Wukong
• The first true adaptation of the character is in the 1961 Chinese animation Havoc in Heaven.
• Uproar in Heaven or The Monkey King, a Chinese animated film released in 1965, was based on the story of Sun Wukong.
• Monkey Monkey, a character in the webcomic Impy and Aevyis based Sun Wukong. Some of the similarities come from Monkey's appearance, his claims that he is king of Fruit and Power Pellot Mountain (a parody on Sun Wukong's homeland), outfit, and the wand he casts magic from is based on Wukong's staff.
• In the manga Demons of Shanghai by Hiromu Arakawa. Sun Wukong is causing havoc in a tourist attraction called the "Pearl of the East" in the near future of Shanghai, while looking for his rúyì-staff (which is being used to hold up a ceiling).
• The character Son Gokū in the manga Gensomaden Saiyuki, is largely based on Sun Wukong.
• A remake of this legendary story into a sci-fi action thriller and Star Wars-like comic was done by Hong Kong famous publisher Jade Dynasty Publishing under the name "King Of Heaven". Drawn by versatile comic artist of Jade Dynasty, Khoo Fuk Long.
• The Monkey King played a role in the animated and manga series Naruto, as the summon Enkoo: Enma.
• Cogo, a character from the 80´s anime Starzinger, is partly based on Sun Wukong.
• Mushra, a character from the anime Shinzo bears many similarities to Sun Wukong.
• A figure named the Monkey King has made an appearance on two episodes of the Jackie Chan Adventures as Jackie Chan's foe. Though he was called Monkey King, he inisted he's not Sun Wukong himself.
• The anime Read or Die includes a character named "Genjo Sanzo.” Though this character is named after the pacifist priest of Journey to the West, as a violent person in brightly colored Chinese armor wielding a shape-changing staff and riding on his own personal cloud, the inspiration for the character is clearly Sun Wukong.
• A version of the Monkey King's struggle with the King of Heaven is one thread in Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel American Born Chinese, which won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for young-adult literature and was short-listed for the 2006 National Book Award.
• A variation on the story of Sun Wukong and the Buddha is told in the final issue of the Vertigo comics series Lucifer, written by Mike Carey

In video games

• His staff, the "Monkey King Bar" is a rare weapon in the online RPG, Phantasy Star Online.
• In the video game and multi-series Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the Pokemon creatures Chimchar, Monferno, and mainly Infernape are based on Sun Wukong.
• The Xbox game Kung Fu Chaos, features a playable character called Monkey, who is referred to as a god, and uses a staff as his main weapon.
• Sun Wukong is one of Chinese deities that can be summoned for assistance in the city building game Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom.
• The Playstation Platform-style Monkey Magic features Sun Wukong as a main character.
• The Playstation 2 role-playing game Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne features Sun Wukong as a playable character.
• Sun Wukong's weapon is shown as the Monkey King Bar or MKB in a Warcraft 3 custom map called Defense of the Ancients. It is one of the most powerful weapons in the game.
• In Halo 2, the BR55 Rifle has the "Monkey King" written on the side in Chinese.
• In the video game series Marvel vs Capcom, a female monkey by the name of Sonson was based on Sun Wukong. Her moves are based on many aspect of Wukong such as his expandable staff, self multiplication, use of peaches as weapons as well as changing into a giant ape.
• In the video game Soul Calibur, Kilik's costumes resembles that of Sun Wukong. Kilik's legendary weapon, the Jingu Staff, is also the weapon that Sun Wukong wielded.
• In the video game Saiyuki: Journey West it's all about Wukong and his friends Journey West. RPG style game. This game is for PSX Console
• In the video game Gokuu Densetsu: Magic Beast Warriors it's another wukong game about fighting. Mortal Kombat Style game. This game is for PSX Console
• In the video game Monkey Hero It's wukon and his 3d adventure to save his friends.

In television and film

• Sun Wukong appears as the Monkey King in the 1983 movie, Big Bird in China. He helps Big Bird and Little Xiao Foo on their way to find Feng Huang, the phoenix.
• The Monkey King's reincarnation is the main character in A Chinese Odyssey (1994) by Stephen Chow which is a film in two parts.
• In Gosei Sentai Dairanger and the 2nd season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, RyuuSeiOu/Dragon Thunderzord in the robot form looks like Sun Wukong.
• The Monkey King and other elements of The Journey To The West are to be the basis of an upcoming movie project collaboration between Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
• The Sci-Fi Channel re-told the story in a somewhat modern setting basing it on the rescue of the original manuscript in a 2001 mini-series titled The Monkey King

In books and other modern references

• The Microsoft Office XP Multilingual Pack provides a version of the Monkey King as one of its Office Assistants.
• In Maple Story there is a hat that is the same as the crown Sun Wukong wears.^{[citation needed]}
• Sun Wukong was the inspiration for the trickster Monkey character in Laurence Yep's Dragon of the Lost Sea novels.
• Sun Wukong has been an important reference point for three major American novels in the past few decades: Griever: An American Monkey King in China by Gerald Vizenor, Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book by Maxine Hong Kingston, and Monkey King by Patricia Chao. None of the novels are retellings of the Monkey/Journey story, but instead use the characters from the Chinese tradition to comment on both American and Chinese culture.
• Sun Wukong makes an appearance in Mark Salzman's The Laughing Sutra, a modern retelling of Journey to the West.
• The Ape by Milo Manara retells the story of the Monkey King with humor, sexy artwork and political overtones. It ran for several months in issues of Heavy Metal, in the early 80's.
• Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Gardens in the Dunes contains a central monkey character based in large part on Sun Wukong, and also contains several references to the original Chinese tales.

[edit] Retellings for Children/Young Adults

1. Monkey and the River Dragon from Stories of the Silk Road retold by Cherry Gilchrist. Published in 2005 by Barefoot Books
2. The Making of Monkey King, Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven, Tang Monk Disciples Monkey King retold by Debby Chen (these three books are also available with English/Vietnamese and English/Hmong on each page). Published in 2001 by Pan Asian Publications
3. The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven retold by Ji-Li Jiang. Published in 2004 by Shen's Books
4. Adventures of Monkey King retold by R. L. Gao. Published in 1989 by Victory Press
5. Monkey: A Journey to the West retold by David Kheridan. Published in 1992 by Shambala Press.
6. White Monkey King retold by Sally Hovey Wriggins. Published in 1977 by Pantheon Press

[edit] See also

• Malaysian Chinese Gods
• Hanuman
• Journey to the West

[edit] References

1. ^ http://chinaposters.org/front/front

[edit] External links

• Story of Sun Wukong with manhua
• Character Profile: Sun Wu Kong An in-depth character profile of Sun Wu Kong.
• Sun Wukong's entry at Godchecker is a tongue-in-cheek take on the Great Sage.
• 'Journey to the West' Complete untranslated novel.
• Sun Wukong at Encyclopedia Mythica