Monkey: A Folk Novel of China

Tripitaka and his two followers begin their quest, staying briefly with some priests who warn Tripitaka of the dangers of his journey. Shortly after leaving the priests, Tripitaka and his followers fall into a hole and are captured by a demon king. The demon king and his friends kill and eat Tripitaka’s followers, leaving Tripitaka alive and “in the depths of despair” (120). An old man appears and rescues Tripitaka. As he leaves, he lets Tripitaka know that he is the spirit of the Planet Venus, come “to earth on purpose to rescue you” (121). Tripitaka sets out again, this time on his own.

After half a day, Tripitaka again gets into trouble, being surrounded by many aggressive wild beasts. A hunter rescues him and brings Tripitaka to his house to meet his family and share a meal. Tripitaka assists the family the following day by praying for the soul of their dead patriarch. Thanks to Tripitaka’s work, “the soul of the hunter’s father appeared in dreams to every member of the household” (124). He has his bad karma wiped out and enters back into the cycle of rebirth. Tripitaka leaves the next day, with the hunter accompanying him halfway up the Mountain of the Two Frontiers, but he cannot go any further.