For those who do not know who Sun Wu Kong is, he is a key-figure featured in the chinese classical novel "Journey to the West" (Xi You Ji 西游记.
Sun Wu Kong is more notably known as the "Monkey God". In the novel, he was born after a rock burst open and he lived at Hua Guo Mountain. Later he went to learn 72 magic from a heavenly being and after returning to Hua Guo Mountain, he called himself "Qi Tian Da Sheng 齐天大圣" (The Great Sage that ride and rule the heaven).
This enraged the heaven and Jade emperor sent a heavenly army to capture him, but due to the powerful magic Sun Wu Kong had, they were all defeated by Sun Wu Kong.
To appease Sun Wu Kong, Jade emperor decided to make Sun Wu Kong an official in the heaven court. He was sent to be in charge of rearing the horse. Because his position was low, Sun Wu Kong was angry and create havoc in the heaven. Finally, Jade emperor had to call upon the Buddha (Shakyamuni) to deal with Sun Wu Kong.
Buddha had Sun trapped in a mountain for 500 years until Tang San Zang (Xuan Zang) came to release him later. Tang San Zang (a buddhist high priest) , on his way to the west (India) to obtain buddhist sutra, need someone to protect him from the demons on his way. The monkey god, after being released from the mountain became a disciple of Tang San Zang and protect him on his way to the west.
Sun Wu Kong has been a popular figure for childrens featured in cartoons and comics. I believe the west also learn about him through comics.
Sun Wu Kong's powers are mostly magical and he was the main inspiration behind the creation of the DBZ character Goku.
"In the worlds before Monkey, Primal Chaos reigned.
Heaven sought order.
But the phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown.
The four worlds formed again and yet again,
As endless aeons wheeled and passed.
Time and the pure essences of heaven, the moisture
of the Earth, the powers of the sun and the moon
all worked upon a certain rock, old as creation.
And it became magically fertile.
That first egg was named 'Thought'.
Tathagata Buddha, the Father Buddha, said,
'With our thoughts, we make the world.'
Elemental forces caused the egg to hatch.
From it came a stone monkey.
The nature of Monkey was....irrepressible!"
The monkey king is the equal of heaven, anyone ever used to watch monkey when it was on telly in the early eighties. Tripitaka the Buddhist priest was played by a girl.
Never seen "Monkey" before - heard about it recently. My first introduction was "Journey To the West" the VHS series. Best series ever imo. Even got the Vietnamese DVD set.
It sounds excellent I will find it and watch it The original was a great show It used to be on just before Fantastic Journey ((also a great fantasy (although more sci fi show)) in the UK I was in my mid teens when it was on. It was fantastic
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herd behavior is a comical thing - Thanks Silver Spider
ha does anyone remember the horrible series played by Russell Wong? I only heard bout it but never seen it...supposedly some Caucasian guy's a character in it. And the role of Kuan Yin--the Bodhisattva--became some sort of "fairy." Way to change his/her role in Buddhism.
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Russell Wong is a Chinese American actor who has pretty much failed miserably at virtually every role he's been in for some reason. Every show he starred in was cancelled and he is best remembered as the evil husband in the Joy Luck Club as well as the villain in Romeo Must Die. Back on topic but Sun Wu Kong would kick Superman's ass with ease hahahaha. As for Journey to the West, anyone here read the book?
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Last edited by SuperMarv on May 26th, 2005 at 07:06 PM
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May 26th, 2005 05:20 AM
I'm a caucasian guy
