JOURNEY TO THE WEST

In spite of all the time I've been forced to waste on Facebook, I've managed to properly enjoy the awesome adventures of Monkey King or Sun Wukong throughout more than 2,200 pages. It has made me think a lot and even laugh. I read in the Siruela Spanish edition ('Viaje al Oeste - Las Aventuras del Rey Mono', surely the best one can find in this language. After the other two huge Chinese classics I referred to previously (Jin Ping Mei and Dream On the Red Chamber) I think I've had a big enough serving of Chinese flavours. Nevertheless, there are still a couple of books I would like to read when I come back from my present literary trip to Japan (I'll discuss it at the right time).

The novel is a fictionalised account of the legendary pilgrimage to India of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang. The monk travelled to the "Western Regions" during the Tang dynasty, to obtain sacred texts (sūtras). The Bodhisattva Guan Yin, on instruction from the Buddha, gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples — namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse. These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as an atonement for past sins.
Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of some Chinese religious beliefs today. Enduringly popular, the tale is at once an adventure story, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India represents individuals journeying toward enlightenment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West

If you feel like having a look at the first part of the novel (in Spanish), follow this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6389628/Viaje-Al-Oeste-1-Las-Aventuras-Del-Rey-Mono

For the complete edition in  English click on this one: http://www.chine-informations.com/fichiers/jourwest.pdf

Turn off your computer or your TV set and take your time. You won't regret it.