Week 6 Reading Diary: The Monkey King

Handsome King of Apes: A stone ape was born. He joined the other apes. He was able to jump through a waterfall without being hurt. He was then made the king of the apes.

The Great Sea: King of Apes realized one day they would all die. He sets out to find immortality. He didn’t find anything for 9 years in Asia so he floated across the Western Sea. Once across he spotted a high mountain.

Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name: He meets a wood chopper who tells him a saint lives in a cave on the mountain. The saint’s disciple invites him in. The saint gives the King of Apes the name Sun Wu Kung. He learned many things from the saint in the 7 years he was there but not how to lose his wild side.

The Master: The master (saint) is going to tech him the truth. Sun refuses to learn anything that won’t give him eternal life. This angers the master. It was a plan of the masters to teach Sun in the middle of the night. Sun goes to the master in the middle of the night.

Learning the Art: Sun learned the way to eternal life but this took him another 3 years. 3 dangers now awaited Sun. The master taught him how to transform himself 72 times. He also learned to fly.

Sun Wu Kung Departs: Sun shows some of the other pupils his tricks. This makes the master upset so he send Sun away and tells him to never tell anyone he was his pupil.

The Devil King: Sun went back to his ape island. He learned that the Devil King attacked his island. Sun goes after the Devil. He defeats the devil and gets the children back to the island.

The Dragon King: Sun steals weapons from a city. Sun goes to the Dragon King to get a weapon made for him. The Dragon King could not find a weapon that suited Sun.

The Dragon Queen: The queen tells about the rod used to determine the depth of the sea. Sun likes it. Sun threatens the Dragon King with the rod and tells him to get him a suit of armor. The Dragon Kings Brothers give him armor. Sun returns home.

The Nether World: Sun destroys to netherworld city and then crosses the apes off the Book of Life so that they wouldn’t die.

The Lord of Heavens: The lord of heaven is going to punish Sun for his actions but the Evening Star said he should be brought to heaven and taught. The Lord of Heaven agreed and had the Evening Star get Sun. Sun is appointed stable master and does a great job. 

The Great Saint: Sun find out stablemaster isn’t a great title and leaves heaven. He was in heaven for 10 days but on earth that was 10 years. Two devil kings came to Sun with present he was grateful. They talked him into thinking he was heavens equal so he started calling himself  “The Great Saint Who Is Heaven’s Equal.”

Notscha, Son of Li Dsing: Lord of Heavens was upset with Sun so he sent warriors to imprison him. Sun was too tough and defeated them all. The Evening star told the lord of heaven to give Sun his title of “The Great Saint Who Is Heaven’s Equal.” The lord of heaven agreed.

The Queen-Mother of the West: The lord of Heaven had a palace made for Sun. He was also put in charge of watching over the peaches in the garden. Sun started eating the peaches. Then Mother of the west sent her Fairies to harvest the peaches and they started seeing the peaches were gone. 

Laotzse: Sun causes mischief in heaven and decides to go back home but his monkeys have him go back and get the wine of eternal life. 

Guan Yin:Lord of heaven was again mad at Sun and sent warriors to battle but Sun defeated them again. Yang Oerlang is then sent to battle with Sun and it turns into a good fight.

Yang Oerlang: This section tells more about the fight.

Buddha: Sun was captured and they tried to kill him but he could not be killed. Sun escapes and starts destroying stuff. Buddha is then called up to tame Sun. 

The Destiny of Sun Wu Kung: Buddha was able to defeat Sun and then locked him in a mountain for many years until he was needed to help a monk. 

Journey to the west: This tells more about the story in depth and also tells about the journey the monk makes.

Journey to the West (conclusion): This tells about stories where Sun saves the master monk and helps him complete his mission. In the end Sun becomes a Buddha.