The image of the Tang monk in the 100-fold book "Journey to the West" evolved from the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang, because Xuanzang went to India alone to learn scriptures is a miracle in itself. However, in this process, the image of Tang Seng has changed from the original resolute and resolute monk to a weak and generous, endurance of humiliation, and wisdom and foolishness. What's going on here?
The evolution from a real historical figure to an image of a holy fool
Although the description of Tang Sanzang in "The Poetry of the Great Tang Sanzang" is simple and crude, it shapes the image of the holy fool of the Sanzang Master for the first time. The purpose of Venerable Sanzang is not to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven by himself, but to help sentient beings in the eastern land get rid of suffering and enter the Western Elysium.
Moreover, Venerable Sanzang was able to resist all kinds of temptations in the real world, and always fulfilled his great wish to learn scriptures with a firm and compassionate heart. In "The Poetry of the Three Tibetan Scriptures of the Tang Dynasty", Master Sanzang faced various tests on his way to the west to learn the scriptures, and gradually showed his true character of sainthood and foolishness.
And the Tang monk in "Journey to the West Miscellaneous Drama" has realized the transformation of the holy monk into the image of the holy fool. The Tang monk in Yang Jingxian's "Journey to the West Miscellaneous Drama" in the Ming Dynasty was a monk who was reincarnated by the Venerable Pilujia of the Western Heavens, and was sent to the West Heaven by Guanyin Bodhisattva to learn scriptures.
Tang Seng was born to suffer from the difficulty of throwing the river, and then was adopted by Danxia Zen Master in Jinshan Temple, 7-year-old Nengwen, 15-year-old without the scriptures, 18-year-old revenge of his parents, and then ordered to learn scriptures from the West, along the way to subdue Sun Xingzhi, Sha monk, Zhu Bajie, defeat all kinds of demons and monsters, not to be tempted by the desire for power, and finally obtain the true scriptures, spread the East soil.
Compared with the poems, the image of Tang Seng in miscellaneous dramas is more full, and the characteristics of his image of saint and fool have also been strengthened. Tang Seng Zeng 9th went to the West Heaven to learn scriptures for monks, but was eaten by Monk Sha every time, but Tang Seng still died without regrets and vowed to go to the West Heaven to retrieve the true scriptures.
The characteristics of the image of Tang Seng Shengyu in "Journey to the West".
The Tang monk in the 100-fold book "Journey to the West" was originally a golden cicada who did not listen to the Dharma before the Buddha and was punished to the world, and was reincarnated as the son of Chen Guangrui, and his mother was forced to throw him into the river after he was born, so he was named "Jiang Liu'er".
Tang Seng practiced in Jinshan Temple for 18 years, and became a high monk with "good roots, high virtues, thousands of scriptures, all-encompassing, Buddha name immortal sound, no ordinary will not know", presided over the water and land conference for Tang Taizong, and overtook the unjust soul of the dead. Because of this karma, he became the only person sent by the Buddha to the West Heaven to learn scriptures, and became a holy foolish Tang monk who purified all sentient beings.
The reason why "Journey to the West" attaches importance to Tang Seng's origin and coats his origin with a sacred halo is inseparable from the Buddhist concept of six reincarnation. Buddhism believes that the goal of practicing Zhengguo is to get rid of greed and hatred and to attain precept and wisdom, which is a difficult process.
In "The Poetry of the Three Tibetan Scriptures of the Tang Dynasty", Tang Seng was a monk for the third generation, and Tang Seng in "Journey to the West Miscellaneous" was even a monk for the ninth generation, all of which show that Tang Seng has already transcended the six realms of reincarnation after many generations of practice, and has cultivated the positive fruit of Arhat.
Tang Seng was reincarnated into the world from the Pure Land of Heaven, experienced a lot of hardships, and led three apprentices to the west to learn scriptures, which objectively played a role in promoting Buddhism, and subjectively realized the tempering of the protagonist's mind and the improvement of morality.
Tang Seng came from the Pure Land of Heaven, and eventually returned to the Pure Land of Heaven, taking his travels in the world as an opportunity to realize the truth, improve himself, and save the people. Tang Seng was born with the divinity of the Buddhas of the Western Heavens, and Tang Seng was the holy fool who came to the world in order to travel west to seek the Dharma and purify all sentient beings.
Tang Seng's spirit of holy foolishness is embodied in the fearless spirit of going away alone and forgetting death in order to realize the ideal in his heart, believing that all living beings are equal, and all people in the world have Buddha-nature compassion, as well as the moral sentiment of staying away from the temptation of the world and abiding by the precepts.
Tang Seng always believes that all people in the world have Buddha nature, with the awe of the mountains and rivers, the piety of the Buddhas of the Western Heavens, and even a trace of pity and persuasion for those demons and monsters who want to eat "Tang Seng meat", Tang Seng has always held compassion and kindness all the way to the west, wanting to save all living beings from the sea of suffering.
Therefore, although in "Journey to the West" we often see Tang Seng's seemingly weak and incompetent appearance, the weakness of the appearance and the difficulty of the environment just show the greatness of Tang Seng's "holy foolish" spirit and the strength of his inner strength.
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