White Soft-shelled Turtle
Alternative Names (異名):
White Soft-shelled Turtle
White Soft-shelled Turtle a character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West. This ancient white turtle is an entity from Heaven that had performed ill deeds on accident and is now forced to roam around the eastern River of Heaven. After Sun Wukong and the others retrieve two children from the hands of a sinister demon, they are thanked greatly by the Chen family and continue on their way through the River of Heaven. This is at the point in which the ancient white turtle is seen for the first time. After the large turtle leads Sanzang and his disciples across the river, he pleads for Sanzang to ask the lord Tathagata Buddha when he is to be converted and how long he is to live. Unfortunately however after meeting with the Tathagata, Sanzang never remembered to ask about the turtle. After Sanzang and the others were returning to China atop this white turtle once again – at the point in which they were dropped half way to China to complete their 81st ordeal – the large white turtle asks Sanzang as like many years before about his future. The ashamed Sanzang does not say anything, leading for the white turtle to submerge himself in rage which would have normally drowned the Tang priest. After Sanzang and the others reached shore and dried off their ancient scriptures, this ancient white turtle would never truly be shown again in it's dismay.
References
Journey to the West Chapter 99 - Wu Chung-en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Mythology
Journey to the West | Chinese mythology | Chinese history stubs
Showing posts with label Journey to the West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journey to the West. Show all posts
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bai Gu Jing (白骨精)
Bai Gu Jing (白骨精)
Alternative Names (異名):
白骨精, 백골정, Bai Gu Jing
Bai Gu Jing (traditional Chinese: 白骨精, means a "white bone demon") is a yaoguai from Journey to the West (西遊記).
Plot
It first uses one of its many transformations to manifest itself as an innocent pretty girl who says she left her father and mother to search for food and that she is willing to share them with Sanzang(三藏) aka Xuanzang. Sun Wukong(孫悟空) uses his magical eyes could see through her disguise and hits her with the golden banded cudgel and smashes her body but she leaves the body before it is hit. This leads to a fallout with Sanzang and Wukong as Sanzang sees that Wukong's method is too harsh and that it defeats their purpose of finding salvation in all living beings.
As Sanzang eventually forgives Wukong for his action, Bai Gu Jing manifest itself into its next transformation which is the mother of the girl that Wukong first killed. Once again, Wukong saw through the demon's trick, but it insisted that Wukong beat it one more time with the cudgel to incite Sanzang to further scold him more. With anger, Wukong falls for the demon's trickery once again, Sanzang scolds Wukong but repents for his doing. Sanzang doesn't realize that the demon's intention is to drive Wukong away knowing he is his only protector. Sanzang would once again forgive Wukong but he gives him an ultimatim that he is not to kill anymore.
In the final transformation, Bai Gu Jing manifest itself into the father to seek pity from Sanzang who believes Wukong had killed both his wife and daughter. In the final act, Wukong once again ignores Sanzang's order and kills the last manifestation of the demon, this act led to Sanzang using the Tight-Fillet spell to punish Wukong. While Wukong refuses to repent for his actions, Sanzang would eventually expel him from the journey leaving him to return to Flower Fruit Mountain. Once Wukong was gone, Sanzang and his other disciples soon realize the demon's trap, as it intends to eat his flesh which is believe to bring longevity. The finale of the story leads to Sanzang's forgivings and the return of Wukong to save the day.
This part of the story brings into debate the argument between Sanzang and Wukong, Wukong acts without thinking and repent as he sees only evil and good, he is the only one that could see through the demon and believes that the only solution is by vanquishing it. On the other hand Sanzang thinks with compassion and believes even if Wukong was right, there are alternatives in dealing with the demon without killing it. The demon also uses the notion of karma to mock Sanzang and his disciples by using karma, its reincarnation from the daughter to the mother and eventually to the father leads Sanzang to fill more pity every time Wukong kills. The eventual outcome of the story allows both Sanzang and Wukong to learn a valuable lesson, as Sanzang must tolerate the means of Wukong in order to be protected while Wukong must learn to understand compassion.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_Gu_Jing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese Fiction | Chinese mythology | Demons | Journey to the West (西遊記)
Alternative Names (異名):
白骨精, 백골정, Bai Gu Jing
Bai Gu Jing (traditional Chinese: 白骨精, means a "white bone demon") is a yaoguai from Journey to the West (西遊記).
Plot
It first uses one of its many transformations to manifest itself as an innocent pretty girl who says she left her father and mother to search for food and that she is willing to share them with Sanzang(三藏) aka Xuanzang. Sun Wukong(孫悟空) uses his magical eyes could see through her disguise and hits her with the golden banded cudgel and smashes her body but she leaves the body before it is hit. This leads to a fallout with Sanzang and Wukong as Sanzang sees that Wukong's method is too harsh and that it defeats their purpose of finding salvation in all living beings.
As Sanzang eventually forgives Wukong for his action, Bai Gu Jing manifest itself into its next transformation which is the mother of the girl that Wukong first killed. Once again, Wukong saw through the demon's trick, but it insisted that Wukong beat it one more time with the cudgel to incite Sanzang to further scold him more. With anger, Wukong falls for the demon's trickery once again, Sanzang scolds Wukong but repents for his doing. Sanzang doesn't realize that the demon's intention is to drive Wukong away knowing he is his only protector. Sanzang would once again forgive Wukong but he gives him an ultimatim that he is not to kill anymore.
In the final transformation, Bai Gu Jing manifest itself into the father to seek pity from Sanzang who believes Wukong had killed both his wife and daughter. In the final act, Wukong once again ignores Sanzang's order and kills the last manifestation of the demon, this act led to Sanzang using the Tight-Fillet spell to punish Wukong. While Wukong refuses to repent for his actions, Sanzang would eventually expel him from the journey leaving him to return to Flower Fruit Mountain. Once Wukong was gone, Sanzang and his other disciples soon realize the demon's trap, as it intends to eat his flesh which is believe to bring longevity. The finale of the story leads to Sanzang's forgivings and the return of Wukong to save the day.
This part of the story brings into debate the argument between Sanzang and Wukong, Wukong acts without thinking and repent as he sees only evil and good, he is the only one that could see through the demon and believes that the only solution is by vanquishing it. On the other hand Sanzang thinks with compassion and believes even if Wukong was right, there are alternatives in dealing with the demon without killing it. The demon also uses the notion of karma to mock Sanzang and his disciples by using karma, its reincarnation from the daughter to the mother and eventually to the father leads Sanzang to fill more pity every time Wukong kills. The eventual outcome of the story allows both Sanzang and Wukong to learn a valuable lesson, as Sanzang must tolerate the means of Wukong in order to be protected while Wukong must learn to understand compassion.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_Gu_Jing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese Fiction | Chinese mythology | Demons | Journey to the West (西遊記)
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