Journey to the West

[quote=“Steve Shipway”]In the TV series, Tripitaka is a boy priest.

In the book, Tripitaka is a male priest and exceptionaly young but not a child. He was a foundling I think.

In reality, Tripitaka was 21 when going to get the scriptures and it took him 3 years. He was a prodigy (accepted into noviciate at 5 years old instead of 6) and not a foundling in a basket.

Tri-Pitaka is the Indian translation of San-Zo. Both mean ‘3 baskets’ referring to his complete knowledge of 3 areas of Buddhism. Apparently, this sort of level of knowledge was so rare that only 10 monks in 10,000 could reach it. He was only given the name Tripitaka on his arrival in India - when he left China (sneaking out without a passport against the emperor’s wishes) he was just Sanzo.[/quote]

That’s so damn cool to know. Thank you.

greatsage.net/

Cult TV from the seventies and eighties. Japanese dramatisation of a Chinese Buddhist legend based on actual events in the 6th century and (very) badly dubbed into English.

Todays quote:

Pigsy:For you, I’d burn my bottom twice nightly.

It sounds very familiar, I think I may have read a Monkey graphic novel?

My little girl now has a stuffed monkey toy. She puts it into a plastic ball and then brings it out suddenly to re-enact Monkey bursting out of the stone egg…

Monkey: Please excuse me, but you are extraordinarily dim.

My little girl now has a Magic Wishing Staff and headband, just like the real monkey. Of course they are made fomr a cardboard tube, black paint, and gold sticky paper, but it doesnt stop her from doing the Monkey Dance, singing ‘monkey magic! Cathy magic!’ and spinning the ‘staff’ about. Photo to be posted once I get it available.

Ohhh I wish I had time/money to run a Journey To The West LARP.

Today’s quote (very LARP-related):
Tathagata Buddha, the Father Buddha, says: With our thoughts, we make the World.

I’ve just picked up the book Monkey, Arthur Waley’s 1942 translation of Wu Ch’eng-en’s Journey to the West.

It’s fun reading, and it’s amazing how closely the TV series followed parts of it. I keep imagining the book characters saying their lines in that corny asian accent they used on TV.

I like all the stuff about how Heaven is a beurocratic court, and the mash-up of eastern religions is pretty eye-opening. Buddha turning up in the court of the Jade Emporer, the fighting buddhavittas and so on. Either Wu Ch’eng-en was indulging in a big piss-take or Chinese myth is seriously mixed up. It’s so “The Buddha could totally kick your god’s arse, dude!”

I have a copy of it, too.

Apparently, it was indeed a big piss take, as you put it. He was making biting political satire for the time, and it got him into a bit of hot water.