‘Impossible! Impossible!’ said the Patriarch. ‘Can this sort of practice lead to immortality?’ asked Wukong. When the Jade Emperor encouraged him to take up other, more fruitful pursuits, Wukong scorned him: In hopes of finding a way to prove himself an equal, the Monkey King became obsessed with the idea of immortality and devoted himself to the pursuit of everlasting life. He quickly realized that because he was a monkey, the other gods would never see him as a peer. Once he got there, however, Sun Wukong discovered he was assigned to the lowest task in all of Heaven: guarding the Jade Emperor’s horses. After saying goodbye to his friends, the Monkey King set off for the Jade Palace. He issued an invitation to Wukong, who eagerly accepted. Upon hearing about the irascible demon of Mount Huaguo, the Jade Emperor felt the best way to subdue Wukong was to let him live in Heaven with the other gods so that he would feel a sense of importance. Troubled that the balance of life was being upset by a mere monkey, Yan Wang appealed to the Jade Emperor for assistance. Before leaving Hell, Wukong managed to erase his and every other forest monkey’s name from the Book of Life and Death.
He tricked Yan Wang into allowing him to return to earth without undergoing reincarnation. When the time came for Yan Wang (閻王) and the Kings of Hell to collect Wukong’s soul, Wukong was ready. His exploits earned him a number of powerful weapons, including his signature gold chainmail shirt, phoenix cap, cloud-walking boots, and magical eight ton staff. With the support of the forest monkeys, Sun Wukong quickly established himself as a powerful forest demon that would go on to battle the Dragon King and other sea demons. His mission was successful, and he quickly returned and declared himself king. Sun Wukong immediately leapt through the waterfall and traveled up the stream to find its source. One day the group was relaxing near a waterfall when they decided to play a game: whoever was brave enough to jump through the falls and find the stream’s source would be named the King of Monkeys. Thinking that the light could not possibly emanate from such a source, the Jade Emperor dismissed the incident from his mind.Īs he began exploring the forest, Sun Wukong discovered other monkeys and decided to live with them. When the Jade Emperor looked for the source of the strange light, all he could see was a baby monkey. When Wukong opened his eyes, golden beams of light shot forth from his pupils, piercing the clouds and startling the Jade Emperor (玉皇). Despite having just been born, the young monkey was already able to walk and speak. One day, a stiff breeze blew upon the rock and caused a fully formed monkey to burst forth from its stone face. In ancient times, a magical rock rested on top of Mount Huagou. After being released from the mountain he was trapped under for 500 years, Wukong serves as the monk's bodyguard throughout his journey. The book follows the story of a humble Buddhist monk named Tang Sanzang who travels from his home in Southern China to India in order to bring back holy texts and enlighten his countrymen. The legend of Sun Wukong first appeared in the Song Dynasty-era adventure novel Journey to the West. Prior to joining the Jade Emperor’s court, he lorded over a group of wandering monkeys who took care of him and regarded him as their leader. Sun Wukong does not have any blood relatives, as he was born from a magical rock.
#King under the mountain band full
After devoting himself to the Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang, Wukong is generally shown in full warrior gear with special items such as a golden chainmail shirt, a phoenix feathered cap, cloud-walking boots, and an eight ton staff that can shrink to the size of a needle. Prior to his enlightenment, Wukong is usually depicted as a naked macaque. Attributesīeing a monkey, Sun Wukong has a very distinct appearance that sets him apart from the other gods.
His name literally translates as the “monkey awakened by the emptiness.” Wukong’s name is meant to represent his spiritual journey from an ignorant, short-tempered monkey to a benevolent, enlightened being. Though the character sūn (孫) usually refers to grandsons, in this context it refers to monkeys. Sūn Wùkōng’s name is comprised of the characters for “grandson” (孫), “awakened” (悟) and “space”(空).
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