Session Focus:In Session 5, we will explore the deeper meaning behind the given name Sun Wukongand the profound lessons embedded in this pivotal moment of the Monkey King's journey.
Key Questions for Reflection:
The Monkey King straightened his clothes and followed the boy deep into the depths of the cave.
Q: How do you understand the Monkey King’s act of straightening his clothes before entering the cave?
As soon as the Handsome Monkey King saw him he bowed low and knocked his head on the ground before him many times, saying, "Master, master, your disciple pays his deepest respects."
Q: What does the Monkey King's reaction upon meeting the Patriarch reveal about his mindset and character?
Concealing his delight at hearing this, the Patriarch remarked, "In other words, you were born of Heaven and Earth.”
Q: Why do you think the Patriarch concealed his delight at the Monkey King's background?
The Patriarch remarked ”What is your surname?” "I'm not surly," the Monkey King replied. "If people call me names it doesn't bother me, and if they hit me I don't get angry. I'm just polite to them and that's that. I've never been surly."*
Q: **What is the wit in the exchange between the Patriarch and the Monkey King? How does the play on the words "surname" (*姓) and "surly" (性) reflect deeper cultural or philosophical significance?What is the meaning of “surly"?Wha was the temperament of the Monkey King before meeting the Patriarch?
The Patriarch said: “So we can give you the Dharma−name Sun Wukong, which means 'Monkey Awakened to Emptiness’."
Q: How do you interpret the meaning of "Monkey Awakened to Emptiness" in the name Sun Wukong?
鸿蒙初辟原无姓，打破顽空须悟空。When the Great Vagueness was separated there were no surnames;To smash foolish emptiness he had to be awakened to emptiness.
Q: What are your reflections on this verse? How does it connect to the Monkey King’s journey and transformation?
I was deeply moved while reading about the Monkey King’s encounter with his first master, the Patriarch Subhuti, who gave him the Dharma name, Sun Wukong.
After over a decade of uninterrupted travel from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to the human world, the Monkey King’s journey unfolded like a series of connected dots. The first dot was the gibbon’s mention of the three immortals (which now makes me wonder: who had told the gibbon about them?), and the second was his encounter with the woodcutter, who showed him the way to the Patriarch. The Monkey King’s journey, while incredible, feels surprisingly sensible because of these interconnected moments of guidance.
The Handsome Monkey King, in his time with fellow…
I am Chuan, living in Prague of Czech Republic.
The Three Character Classic says: “At the beginning of life, people are inherently good, and although their natures are similar, their habits make them grow apart.” This was the earliest view proposed by Mencius, who believed that people are born kind. Xunzi, however, believed that people are inherently evil. The desire to eat when hungry, the desire to be warm when cold, the desire to rest when tired, and the preference for profit over harm are what people are born with.
I have now learned that human nature can be good or evil. The key is what kind of food you eat, what you say, what you do, what path you…