Biography Of Monk Xuanzang s Journey Essay - 1508 Words

Journey to the West has been a major influence in Chinese culture. Many scholarly interpretations have either criticized or praised the legendary work by Wu Cheng’en, a renowned novelist and poet of Ming Dynasty. The two main contrasting themes of Journey to the West were interpreted as satirical and allegorical. Especially through the events in chapter twenty-nine, where the debate is at its climax: the interpretation of empty scrolls and the behaviour of the two monks as indicator between satire and allegory, meaningless and meaningful. This paper will argue that despite the seemingly satirical layouts of the story, the allegorical message does in fact reflect genuine Daoism and Buddhist values. Although this paper will use examples from various chapters of the book, the main focus will be on the most controversial event of Monk Xuanzang’s journey: the final scripture. Before our analysis, it is important to first refresh ourselves with a brief introduction of Daoist, Confucius and Buddhist core values. Chinese Philosophy: The Three Pillars of Truth The three pillars of Chinese religions are Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Their concepts interrelate, beliefs coinhere and they have influenced Chinese traditions tremendously through over a thousand year. Honorable, genuine relationships have made empires and the hierarchy system successful. Built from Confucius principles of six relations and their corresponding duties. One of the most controversial and often