The Monkey and The Monk

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"The Journey to the West" is a 16th century Chinese novel from Ming dynasty. It is considered one of the important classic novels of Chinese literature.  It is a 4 volume series. Too long for me and so I read the abridged version ("The Monkey & The Monk"). Even the abridged version is 500+ pages long and I ended up reading 300 pages.

From Wikipedia
The novel Journey to the West was based on historical events. Xuanzang (602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late-Sui Dynasty and early-Tang Dynasty Chang'an. Motivated by the poor quality of Chinese translations of Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, in defiance of Emperor Taizong of Tang's ban on travel. Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he traveled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Shan mountains to Turpan. He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, into Gandhara, reaching India in 630. Xuanzang traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, studying at the ancient university at Nalanda, and debating the rivals of Buddhism.
 
My interest started after I read Wikipedia (and finally bought the  book to read)

Born of Earth and Heaven, immortal divinity fused
An old monkey hailing from the Flower-Fruit mountain
I made my home in the Water-Curtain Cave
Seeking friend and teacher, I learned Great Mystery
Perfected in many arts of ageless life
I learned to change n ways boundless and vast
Too narrow the space I found on mortal earth:
 I set my mind to live in the Green Jade Sky
In Divine Mists Hall none should reside,
For king may follow king in the reign of man.
If might is the honor, let them yield to me
Only he is the hero who dares ot fight and win!

The story is about a monkey who lives in the "Flower-Fruit" mountain. Does meditation and gains power such as to transport himself to long distances (108 thousand miles in a leap).  He gains immortal boon but he is not satisfied and wants to live in the Celestial Palace and become the Jade Emperor. He does penance to gain the powers and as he does, the Jade Emperor becomes nervous and employs different ploys to break his penance and (even kill him). The story is about a travel to India in search of Buddhist scriptures .. the story is written in a fascinating way ...

At this point, it reminds of Hindu mythology of Indra (King of Devas in Heaven).  He is always nervous about loosing his "chair" and employs legitimate and unethical ploys to make sure no one is coming close in replacing him. Indra sends beautiful damsels to break the penance of sages who are in deep meditation.  The two stories have some parallel concepts - Greed of Monkey to attain the immortality, a life of luxury in the Jade palace and the Jade King, always worried about getting replaced (We see the same thing in corporate world also).

Why do we pray Indra, the king of Devas? Is it because he has the power (lightning)? He is always worried about loosing his power; he deceived Karna to help Arjuna. Lord Krishna correctly said to the people of Vrindhavan to pray for Govardhan (the mountain) instead of Indra to bring the rain. It is the same for Incas; Viracocha was the mountain God.  So, let us enjoy the beauty of Himalayas, the Alps, The Andeas, The Rockies, The Yosemite ...  there is no point to look up for heaven when it is all here.

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