Reading Diary B: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

The Lord of the Heavens- The Lord had heard of your actions and meant to punish you. I am the Evening Star of the Western Skies, and I spoke for you. Therefore he has commissioned me to take you to the skies so that you may be given a charge there.” Sun Wu Kung attended to his duties with great zeal.

The Great Saints- They thanked him and began to flatter him: “With your power and wisdom, great king, why should you have to serve the Lord of the Heavens? To call you the Great Saint who is Heaven’s Equal would be quite in order.”

Notscha, Son of Li Dsing- I love the quotes and language the author uses. The moral of this story is great. The old Evening Star is a good fellow!” and he had his army draw up in line to give him a festive reception. He himself donned his robes of ceremony and politely went out to meet him.

Loatzse- Then he said to himself: “This whole affair is beginning to make me feel creepy. I had better go home first of all and sleep a bit.” And he stumbled out of the garden with uncertain steps.

A statue of Laozi located in China. 

Guan Yin- “I can recommend a hero to you who will surely get the better of the ape. It is your grandson Yang Oerlang. He has conquered all the beast and bird spirits and overthrown the elves in the grass and the brush. He knows what has to be done to get the better of such devils.”

Yang Oerlang- When Yang Oerlang reached the edge of the valley and had lost his trail, he said to himself: “This ape has surely turned himself into a fish or a crab! I will change my form as well in order to catch him.” So he turned into a fish-hawk and floated above the surface of the water.

Buddha- Said Laotzse: “It is not surprising. This ape has eaten the peaches, has drunk the nectar, and also swallowed the pills of life. Nothing can harm him. The best thing would be for me to take him along and thrust him into my stove in order to melt the elixir of life out of him again. Then he will fall into dust and ashes.”

The Destiny of Sun Wu Kung- Buddha answered with a smile: “Let us make a wager. If you can so much as leave my hand with one of your somersaults, then I will beg the Lord of the Heavens to make way for you. But if you are not able to leave my hand, then you must yield yourself to my fetters.” I think this quotes shows to the playful and sweet nature of Buddha.

Journey to the West- “You, Sun, for creating a disturbance in the palace of Heaven, were imprisoned beneath the Mountain of the Five Elements, until the fullness of Heaven’s calamities had descended upon you, and you had repented and had joined the holy religion of Buddha. From that time you have endeavoured to suppress evil and cherish virtue. And on your journey to the West you have subjugated evil spirits, ghosts, and demons. For your services you are appointed God of Victorious Strife.”

Reading Diary A: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

Handsome King of the Apes- This is the heavenly cave behind the water-curtain on the Blessed Island of Flowers and Fruits.” Great quote. Love the word “water-curtain” for waterfall.

The Great Sea- Then he climbed on the raft, quite alone, and poled his way through the Great Sea.

Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name- “In it is a cave where dwells a saint who is called ‘The Discerner.’ The number of his disciples who have attained blessedness is countless. He still has some thirty to forty disciples gathered about him. You need only follow this path which leads to the South, and you cannot miss his dwelling.” I love how the monkey got his name.

The Master- “I was listening attentively to you when the meaning of your words was disclosed to my heart, and without thinking I began to dance for joy. I was not giving way to my wild nature.” Then Sun Wu Kung replied: “I am waiting here reverentially!” love the words the author uses.

Learning the Art- The ape leaped into the air to a distance of five or six feet from the ground. Clouds formed beneath his feet, and he was able to walk on them for several hundred yards. Then he was forced to drop down to earth again. Love this quote.

Sun Wu Kung Departs- Your savage nature is sure to bring down evil upon you some time. You must tell no one that you are my pupil. If you so much as breathe a word about it, I will fetch your soul and lock it up in the nethermost hell, so that you cannot escape for a thousand eternities.”

The Devil King- “You must go back again whence you came,” said the Master. And when Sun Wu Kung sadly bade him farewell, he threatened him: “Your savage nature is sure to bring down evil upon you some time. You must tell no one that you are my pupil. If you so much as breathe a word about it, I will fetch your soul and lock it up in the nethermost hell, so that you cannot escape for a thousand eternities.”

The Devil King- Said they: “It is well that you have come back again, great king! Not long ago a devil came here who wanted to take possession of our cave by force. We fought with him, but he dragged away many of your children and will probably soon return.”

The Dragon King- Four baboons stepped forward and said: “In the capital city of the Aulai empire, there are warriors without number. And there coppersmiths and steelsmiths are also to be found. How would it be if we were to buy steel and iron and have those smiths weld weapons for us?”

The Dragon-Queen- Then he continued: “Now I have a weapon, it is true, but as yet I have no armor. Rather than hunt up two or three other households, I think you will be willing to provide me with a suit of mail.”

The Nether World- Sun Wu Kung answered: “If you do not know me, then why did you send for me and have me dragged to this place? I am the heaven-born saint Sun Wu Kung of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. And now, who are you? Tell me your names quickly or I will strike you!”

Chinese Zodiac Monkey. Illistrations from the Untextbook. 

Reading Diary B: The Voyages of Sinbad

The Fifth Voyage- I like that Sinbad loves to travel and doesn’t want to live a quite life. Sinbad and the merchant went to an uninhabited island and found a baby bird.

The Bird the Sailors found. Illistration by G. Dore.

Later the bird’s parents came and destroy the sailors boat and left them stranded. "You fell into the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and it is a mercy that he did not strangle you as he has everyone else upon whose shoulders he has managed to perch himself. This island is well known as the scene of his evil deeds, and no merchant or sailor who lands upon it cares to stray far away from his comrades."

The Sixth Voyage- Sinbad has had so many troubles along his travels and he still wants to go out. I love this quote:  It must be a marvel to you how, after having five times met with shipwreck and unheard of perils, I could again tempt fortune and risk fresh trouble. Sinbad always causes the trouble for himself it feels like. "Commander of the Faithful," I replied, again bowing humbly before him, "I can assure your Majesty that he has in no way exaggerated his wealth and grandeur. Nothing can equal the magnificence of his palace.

Seventh and Last Voyage- Finally Sinbad isn’t going to go to sea again. "It is well," he answered; "the monsoon will soon bring the ivory ships hither, and then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay your passage." I like that this story ended on a good note and Sinbad was with his family.

Reading Diary A: The Voyages of Sinbad

The First Voyage- I really enjoyed this story. I wanted a continuous story for this section because I think it will be easier to write the story at the end of the week. I am already looking forward to rewriting this story.

The Second Voyage- How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was gone. I like this quote. I love the imagery the author used in this story. I love the meaning behind the diamonds in this story.

 

Picture by Charles Maurice Detmond. Photo taken from the Untextbook.

The Third Voyage- "I would rather have come to anchor anywhere than here," quoth our captain. "This island and all adjoining it are inhabited by hairy savages, who are certain to attack us, and whatever these dwarfs may do we dare not resist since they swarm like locusts, and if one of them is killed, the rest will fall upon us and speedily make an end of us." great passage. I love the message about being lost in this story.

The Fourth Voyage- I enjoy the message between wealth and knowing yourself. My unlucky companions, having lost their reason, felt neither anxiety nor fear, and ate greedily all that was offered them. So they were soon fat and there was an end of them, but I grew leaner day by day, for I ate but little, and even that little did me no good by reason of my fear of what lay before me, good quote. I love the message of getting lost to find yourself.

Essay: Bidpai

In the stories I read this week there are many tricksters and fools. In one story The Camel Driver and theAdder, the camel driver helps the Adder get out of a ring of fire. The only reason he agrees to help the Adder is because he promised not to sting him once he got out. But, once the Adder got out of the fire with the Camel Drivers help. The Adder asked who he should sting first the Camel Driver or his camel. The Adder was the trickster and the Camel Driver was the fool.

The story of The Crane and the Crab also has themes of trickster and fool. The Crane is too old to fish for herself and the fish learn those fishermen are coming soon to eat the fish. So, the fish create a plan with the Crane to be transported to a near by pool. But, when the Crane takes them in her beak she eats them instead. Then when its time to take the Crab to the pool, he sees all the fish bones and knows what the Crane has done and breaks her neck and she falls to her death. The Crane was the trickster and also the fool. She tricked the fish into thinking she was taking them to a save spot. She also was a fool to think the Crab wouldn’t notice and punish her.

Another story unit with a trickster and a fool is The Hare, The Fox, and The Wolf. In this story the wolf comes across the hare and decides he wants to eat her. The Hare afraid for her life tells the Wolf that there is a fat fox near by that will be a much better meal. The wolf likes this and they plan to trick the fox into thinking he is meeting someone special but they are really going to eat him. The fox chances on and says he wants to get his home ready for the special guest but really he covers a hole by his front door then invited them in and they fall in the hole and he escapes.

The Wolf and The Hare. This photo
was taken from the Untextbook. 

Here's the link to the original stories. 

Storytelling Week 4: Bidpai

Authors note: The story below was inspired from the Indian Tales of Bidpai. You can find more information and read the story here. 

Photo of a crab taken by Bill Bumgarne. 

Once there was a fish and a crab. The fish lived at the bottom of the ocean and the crab swam near the top. The fish needed the crabs help to catch top-feeding fish. The Fish said to the crab, “crab I will let you share all my fish if you help me catch some right now and then from here on out we will share everything.” The crab responded and said “no Fish, I don’t need your food. I can catch my own. I don’t need your help.” The fish was sad and decided to just get his own food. The fish was swimming around looking for food when he saw the crab swimming near the bottom. The fish said, “Crab what’s wrong? Why are you swimming near the bottom?” The crab told the fish “My claws are stuck together and I can’t catch any food. Can I share with you?” The Fish said “No you can’t because you wouldn’t help me earlier so I cant help you now. The crab was mad and said “Fish, I will help you after if you just help me now. I need food or I am going to die”. The fish didn’t care. The crab didn’t help him earlier so he wasn’t going to help him now. The crab started to sink farther and farther down. The fish started to feel bad for the crab, so he swam to the bottom put the crab on his back and started to look for food for the both of them. The crab started to regain his strength and so did the fish. The fish helped the crab get his claws working again. The crab was quickly swimming around and had his strength back. Fish said, “now that you have your strength can you please help me find some food. I am old and need your help”. The crab said, “Silly fish I am not going to help you. I wasn’t before and I am not now. Go away and don’t speak to me”. The fish was so upset. He had now been fooled by the crab twice and was so mad at him. He swam furiously at the crab and ripped one of his claws off. The fish couldn’t believe what he had just done. The crab said, “How could you do that? Now I cant find food!” The fish said, “You didn’t help me twice now so you now know what its like to be deceived”.