A commonality among all religions is the struggle to expand and adapt to new geographic areas and evolving societies. In order to successfully globalize, a religion needs to tailor to the interests and the concerns of the individuals involved; if a religion fails to change, it will then die out and be forgotten. It was this principle that caused Buddhism to broaden from a national religion of India to an international religion spanning throughout the continent of Asia. After some time of slowly leaking from the northern regions of India into the large civilization of China, the contrast between Buddhism and Confucianism began to spark the attention of the Chinese. It was this interest that inspired curious individuals to embark on pilgrimages to India to learn more extensively the background and the nature of the Buddhist religion. These particular pilgrimages, one which is discussed in Monkey, were along the Silk Road which stretched from northern China through the majority of India. (Wriggens, IIIX) The story of Xuanzang told within Monkey is one of the most important pieces of writing to the Chinese people because it represents a historical and informative reference for the foundations of Buddhism within China.
The emergence of the folktale of Monkey was a pivotal asset to the Buddhist culture in China because it allowed for a transition between what was already accepted and what was unfamiliar. The story was based on the pilgrimage of Xuanzang, a Chinese monk who traveled the along the Silk Road, exploring every facet of Buddhism he could encounter with extreme detail. It was thought that throughout his journey “every place he turned he seemed to present a story connected with an event in the Buddha’s life, the life of a ...
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...een lost, and Buddhism would not have successfully transitioned to China. This reiterates the critical role that Monkey plays within the Chinese culture, helping in not only explaining the new religion, but also by fastening historical records of important art and infrastructural forms of Buddhism.
Works Cited
Monkey, Wu Ch’eng-en, Translated by Arthur Waley, Grove Press, 1943.
A History of Chinese Literature, Lai Ming, Capricorn Books Edition, 1964.
The Age of Confucian Rule: The Song Transformation of China, Dieter Kuhn, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009.
Ping Shao, “Huineng, Subhuti, and Monkey’s religion in Xiyou ji”, Journal of Asian Studies, 4(2006): 713-740.
Buddhism in Chinese History, Arthur F. Wright, Stanford University Press, 1959.
Buddhism: The Light of Asia, Kenneth K. S. Ch’en, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1968.
Since the introduction of Buddhism into China, it was not well received by the population as its foreign beliefs clashed with pre-existent principals of Confucianism and Taoism. On top of that, it was alienated by the Confucianism-based government in the late Han Dynasty. All in all, Buddhism was not a common nor a popular religion throughout China at first. Nevertheless, this all changed after the rise of the Tang Dynasty. There is no doubt that Buddhism and the Tang administration under Wu’s reign formed a critical symbiotic relationship with one another. Buddhism played a pivotal role in justifying Empress Wu’s rule. She enthroned herself as the monarch of China, an extraordinarily difficult achievement for a woman in a male-dominant society, by associating herself with Buddhism: proclaiming herself as the Maitreya and that she will bring an utopian era for the Chinese. (Smarr, 17 Feb. 2012) At the same time, Buddhism benefitted handsomely from government support, as monasteries are exempted from tax and that they are financially supported by the state, as seen in A Pilgrim’s Visit to the Five Terraces Mountains, which ultimately resulted in the substantial growth in attraction of Buddhist converts and Buddhism itself. Wu’s extensive support of the religion with ostentatious gifts and donations contributed to the rapid proliferation of Buddhism. Evidently, the mutually benefitting relationship between Buddhism and the state are crucial to each other’s survival during Wu’s sovereignty, but to what extent did her financial support (donations to monasteries) of Buddhism bettered the government overall?
...even disinherited his son for believing in Tartuffe instead of his own kin. On the other hand, the Monkey King showed candor in his dealings as he wanted to seek the Buddhist scriptures.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
...ues and morals of both religions to demonstrate how Buddhism is a parasite and is out to interfere intentionally with Confucianism, the dynasty, and the society. Not only does Han Yu utilize institutional religion to his advantage, he also applies the idea of religion and state with Buddhism and the Tang Dynasty. He uses this theme in the sense that Buddhism and the dynasty can not go hand in hand, for the religion brings nothing but destruction for the bureaucracy and the emperors. By indicating that the religion lead the emperors astray, Han Yu manipulates the people to presume that Buddhism conveys detrimental values and should be eradicated. Even though Han Yu’s portrayal appears to be accurate, he does not consider any factual evidences and simply takes into account the changes that occurred because of Buddhism as being the cause of the demise.
Schoenhals, Michael. China's Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969: Not a Dinner Party. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1996. Print.
Buddhist popularity towards the Chinese grew following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E. It’s influence has continued to expand for several centuries. Between 220 C.E. and 220 C.E. and 570 C.E., China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. During this time, many of the Chinese, specifically scholars, sought for peace in Buddhism and approved of Buddhism. On the other hand, the strict confucianists and the government fought to end Buddhism and make people go against it.
Liu, Jiahe, and Dongfang Shao. “Early Buddhism and Taoism in China (A.D. 65-420).” Buddhist-Christian Studies 12 (1992): 35–41. JSTOR. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Over the course of history, individuals have questioned the universe in which we live in and searched for a purpose of our existence. The belief in a higher presence, other than our own, has existed since man can remember. From this belief, religion was established and can survive and flourish. Buddhism and Taoism are two great religious and philosophical traditions in Chinese history. For hundreds of years, these two have shaped Chinese lifestyle and thought. Readings from the Tao Te Ching, Buddhists scriptures, and Herman Hesse’s Siddharta explain the various aspects of Buddhism and Taoism, but in the end there is only one common belief, and that is the existence of a Supreme Being.
Although Siddhartha Gotama spread the religion of Buddhism in India, his teaching had a great impact on other countries. Buddhist first made their way to China via the silk route; this was a network of caravan tracts that linked China to the rest of central Asia to the Mediterranean region. Buddhist monks also made their way into China with Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist art in their possession. This is the first time that Buddhism made a substantial impact on the Chinese. Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china. In fact, Buddhism would become a central aspect to culture of the Chinese. Buddhism had a great impact on the Chinese, philosophers, and Chinese emperors. Additionally, Buddhism had a great influence on Chinese art, and Buddhism was the greatest foreign influence on the artwork of the Chinese. Chinese artist would mix their traditions, with other popular Buddhist art forms from places, such as India. The arrival of Buddhism in China greatly influenced the art of China for many dynasties.
Creel, Herrlee. Chinese Thought from Confucius to Mao Tse-tung. New York: University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Nonetheless, Monkey’s intellectual journey shows him how to become humble about this knowledge and effectively use it. On page 75, Buddha presents Monkey a chance to have the Jade Emperor’s position under one task: to jump off the palm of Buddha’s right hand. Although Monkey thinks that the task is absurd and easily doable he fails and even suffers from embarrassment. As Monkey jumped off Buddha’s palm and what he thought was the ground, he only managed to jump to the base of Buddha’s middle finger. Monkey failed to realize that jumping off Buddha’s hand would result in leaving the face of Earth. However, he stated, “This is the end of the World”, when looking at the hands of Buddha. With his knowledge yet not being used effectively, he failed to understand his words that resulted in his embarrassment and shock demonstrated on page 76. He effectively uses his knowledge in the beginning in Chapter XXIV when he comes up with a clever plan to overthrow the Tiger Strength Immortal, Deer Strength Immortal, and Ram Strength Immortal. The three immortals initiate a series of games of replicating various skills that they each possess. In order for Tripikita and his disciples to regain their passports and move on their journey to gather the Scriptures, Tripikita must successfully win every game. Given an open opportunity to use his knowledge and
Hong, Andrew. "Confucianism and Filial Piety." Andrew Hong, Reformed Second Generation Chinese Ministry. N.p., 5 May 2008. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Based on Deconstruction theory, Lan Cao’s novel Monkey Bridge depicts the mother-daughter relationship before and after living in exile in terms of language, familial roles and deception.
Nivison, David S. The Ways of Confucianism: Investigations in Chinese Philosophy. Ed. Bryan W. Van Norden. Chicago and La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1996.
The four hundred years between the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.- C.E. 220) and the establishment of the Tang dynasty (618-906) mark a division in the history of China. During this period, foreign invasion, transcontinental trade, and missionary ambition opened the region to an unprecedented wealth of foreign cultural influences. These influences were both secular and sacred. Nomads, merchants, emissaries and missionaries flooded into China, bringing new customs, providing exotic wares, and generating new religious beliefs. Foremost among these beliefs was Buddhism, born in India, but which now took root in China. These new influences entered China by a vast network of overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road