Journey to the West -Just a popular Chinese folk novel
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Journey to the West is one of the Four Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty, and even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives, it is traditionally ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng en
The novel is a fictionalized and mythologized account of the Buddhist monk Xuánzà ng's pilgrimage to India during the Tang Dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called Sutras
To put in today context, it no different reading a comic book. Put it simple, Journey to the West is a very popular Chinese folk novel written by Wu Ch'eng-en -
the Buddhist monk Xuánzà ng's pilgrimage to India is real right?
juz that the "supernatural events" are added to spice up the story yeah?
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Xuanzang's journey is historical...
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Venerable Xuanzang was one of the amazing translator that had greatly contributed to the development of Buddhism in China and indirectly affected East Asia as well.
The Emperor back then kept pestering Venerable Xuanzang about his experience in the west (west here is India, not Caucasian countries). As Venerable Xuanzang's sole interest was to translate the sutras he had brought back, he wrote a book title (if my memory doesn't fail me) "Da Tang Xi Yu Ji". That is the real account written by himself. No monkey, pigsy and sandy. No demons no nothing. Only his accounts that he almost died of dehydration as he ran out of water. Robbed by bandits. Well received by the kings of the smaller nation outside the Chinese border. How he exceled in the Nalanda University (consider to be the first buddhist univeristy in the world back then). He was one of the top scholars at Nalanda University.
So the real Venerable Xuanzang was way much stronger person than written in Journey to the West.
In fact, I got to know from a friend, from what he had read, there were many monks travelled to the west wanting to obtain sutras to benefit their homeland. But due to the harsh conditions and many unforeseen circumstances, many had died halfway. Venerable Xuanzang was one of those handful who survived. He deserved our proper and due respect. Keep him away from forklore belief. He was a talented and determined scholar monk. -
Yes indeed.Originally posted by sgquitter:the Buddhist monk Xuánzà ng's pilgrimage to India is real right?
juz that the "supernatural events" are added to spice up the story yeah? 