Patriarch Subodhi's Mysterious Identity: Was Subodhi really just the Tathgata Buddha all along?4/4/2024 Contents:
- ForewordPlease note that I am not implying any of these theories on this blog to be true, nor do I personally believe them to be. In saying that, I must mention that all these theories do have bases in facts stated in the Journey to the West novel. Whether you want to take these theories to heart is entirely your decision. This article aims only to explore possibilities and open discussion, not being suggestive towards readers. IntroductionThe Monkey King has been under the guidance of a few different masters during his lifetime; among them his Daoist master Patriarch Subodhi (puti zushi, 菩提祖师) and Buddhist patriarch Tathagata (rulai fozu, 如来佛祖) are shown to be some of the most powerful characters in the story. But what if that’s because they are the same character all along, playing as an influential figure to Monkey from start to end of his journey to enlightenment? This thought occurred to me one day, and although it is more than clear that the two masters are written to be separate figures of two totally different religious affiliations, small details from the novel have popped out and converged to this theory. The big green light which allows this theory to be completely valid is that we’ve never seen Subodhi and Tathagata in the same room together.
This article will expound on proposed theory, surveying reasons why the mysterious Subodhi, who does not make any further appearances after the second chapter of the novel, could have been the Tathagata Buddha guiding Sun Wukong the whole time. 1. Sun Wukong's ComprehensionThe first piece of evidence building up the fact that Subodhi is indeed Tathagata comes from the knowledge of the disciple Sun Wukong himself. It appears in one personal thought from chapter 34 of the novel, we learn Monkey is aware that Tathagata and Subodhi are in point of fact the same person. He [Monkey] thought to himself, “If old Monkey had displayed his ability and changed into a little fiend to invite this aged monster, there would be absolutely no reason for him to speak standing up. I must kowtow when I see her! A hero all my life, I have only kowtowed to three persons: I bowed to Buddha of the Western Heaven, Guanyin of the South Sea, and four times to Master when he saved me at the Mountain of Two Frontiers. […]" Here he mentions to have only kowtowed to three people in his lifetime as of chapter 34: Tathagata, Guanyin and Tripitaka. What stirs uncertainty here are two conspicuous facts: 1) Monkey not mentioning Subodhi in this context, who was his first master and the first person he kowtowed to in great reverence when accepted as a student. Though some may debate that Subodhi had once forbidden Monkey from ever speaking of being his student, it should be noted that the quote here is purely a thought of Monkey's, he wasn’t mentioning any names aloud, so surely he is allowed to acknowledge his former master in his mind utterly to himself; 2) Monkey claiming to have kowtowed to the Buddha of the Western Heaven, i.e. Tathagata, which from the novel’s events is untrue. Prior to chapter 34, Monkey has had only one encounter with Tathagata, that being his bet with the Buddhist patriarch and imprisonment under Five-Elements Mountain (wuxing shan, 五行山) in chapter 7. Monkey doesn’t meet Tathagata again until chapter 52, in which he requests the Buddha for reinforcements against a demon king with a powerful magical treasure, and thus bows to him (twice, actually) for the first time at that moment. […] Tathagata commanded him to enter, and only then did the diamond guardians allow him to pass. After Pilgrim touched his head to the ground, Tathagata asked, “Wukong, I heard previously that after the Honored One Guanyin had freed you, you made submission to Buddhism and agreed to accompany the Tang Monk to seek scriptures here. Why have you come all by yourself? What is the matter?” Again touching his head to the ground, Pilgrim said, “Let me report this to our Buddha. Since your disciple embraced the faith, he has followed the master from the Tang court in his journey west. We reached the Golden Helmet Cave of the Golden Helmet Mountain, where we ran into an evil demon, who had the name of Bovine Great King. […]” The only other Buddha-like person (see para 4.1) in the western paradise that Monkey has kowtowed to before chapter 34 is Subodhi. 2. Subodhi Unable to Uphold his ThreatAt the time of expelling Monkey from his school, Subodhi prohibited Monkey from ever mentioning his name or the fact that he studied under him, making that part clear and issuing a threat to Monkey if he were to ever mention him in any matter. The threat involved Subodhi swearing to use his power to destroy Monkey and banish him to eternal imprisonment in Hell, constrained from reincarnation. Seeing that there was no other alternative, Wukong had to bow to the Patriarch [Subodhi] and take leave of the congregation. “Once you leave,” the Patriarch said, “you’re bound to end up evildoing. I don’t care what kind of villainy and violence you engage in, but I forbid you ever to mention that you are my disciple. For if you but utter half the word, I’ll know about it; you can be assured, wretched monkey, that you’ll be skinned alive. I will break all your bones and banish your soul to the Place of Ninefold Darkness, from which you will not be released even after ten thousand afflictions!”
Later on in the novel however, Monkey appears to make reference to studying under Subodhi on four occasions. The first, I will admit, is incongruent with the present context in this paragraph, but I will raise it as a supporting point in para. 5. I will enumerate here just the three prohibited mentions Monkey made of his Daoist master during his pilgrimage for the sutras. Monkey's second instance of mentioning Subodhi was during chapter 17 when introducing his prestige and feats in a lengthy poem to the demon king of Black Wind Mountain (heifeng shan, 黑风山), detailing his life story from his spiritual apprenticeship in his youth up until his imprisonment and conversion to the Buddhist law. Here he makes reference to his master Subodhi as the old immortal of Mount Lingtai (lit. spirit platform), a transliteral contracted form of the Mountain of Heart and Mind (lingtai fangcun shan, 灵台方寸山), which we learn earlier in the novel as both Subodhi’s home and school. […]
The third was brought up in the presence of Great King Single-Horned Bovine (dujiao si dawang, 独角兕大王) in chapter 52, in another anecdotal recital of his skills and glorious past, mentioning that he learnt it all from a sage at the "place of the Heart" (see para. 4.3), referring to Subodhi and his Mountain of Heart and Mind. Smiling broadly, Pilgrim said, “You brazen fiend! If you want to know my skills, come up here and listen to my recital. The fourth and final occurrence was from chapter 67 at the Tuoluo Village (tuoluo zhuang, 驼罗庄), when asked by a villager about what magical powers he may possess in order for him to help them rid a monster. Monkey replies in another poetic verse, mentioning his abilities to subdue monsters, overturning the universe, and the fact that he studied under the “Patriarch of Heart and Mind”, that is, Patriarch Subodhi of the Mountain of Heart and Mind. “Where are you from?” asked the old man. “What are your name and surname? What sort of abilities do you have?” With a smile, Pilgrim said
Monkey mentioning Subodhi three times in the given cases during the journey to no consequence implies that Subodhi must have his reasons to pardon Monkey’s noncompliance of exposing him. Putting that into this theory where Subodhi is secretly the Tathagata Buddha, one could say that since Monkey was now a disciple of the Buddha and held the indispensable role as the main bodyguard of the scripture collector, it would be impracticable of Tathagata to punish one of his most vital followers on such a trivial matter. 3. Buddhist Inspired NamesAnother set of evidence to suggest the connection between Subodhi and his secret Buddhist identity lies within words with hidden context of names associated with Subodhi. These names will all hint a Buddhist origin or a connection to the Buddha, uncovering Subodhi’s Buddha-nature. 3.1. WukongMonkey’s religious name Wukong (悟空) was granted to him in the first chapter of the novel by his newly accepted master Subodhi. The character wu (悟), of which the name is built on, belongs to the Buddhist school as we learn from Monkey’s Buddhist master Tripitaka later on in the novel. “My surname is Sun,” said the Monkey King. “Let me give you a religious name,” said Tripitaka, “so that it will be convenient to address you.” “This noble thought of the master is deeply appreciated,” said the Monkey King, “but I already have a religious name. I’m called Sun Wukong.” “It exactly fits the emphasis of our denomination,” said Tripitaka, delighted. Furthermore, while travelling east in search of a scripture pilgrim, Bodhisattva Guanyin encounters Pigsy and Sandy, both of whom would later become Monkey’s junior brothers in the fellowship. She formulates a Buddhist name for each of them too: Wuneng (悟能) and Wujing (悟净), respectively, which we can see share the mutual character wu [src. 13].
From these points, it makes clear of two things. The first being that the shared character wu in the religious names of the three disciples originates from the denomination of Buddhism. The second detail is that Patriarch Subodhi must have some sort of Buddhist background to come up with such a name for a disciple of his in a Daoist school. It can also be inferred that the alignment of Pigsy and Sandy’s names to Monkey’s isn’t just some uncanny coincidence, but rather specifically selected by Tathagata to match the religious name for Monkey that he, as Subodhi, originally came up with. 3.2. LingshanThe mountains of which Subodhi and Tathagata reside on appear to be harmonious in their names. The full name of Subodhi’s mountain home is called “Lingtai Fangcun Shan (灵台方寸山)”, or translated literally as “Spirit Platform and Square Inch (see para. 4.3) Mountain”. Taking the first and last character of Subodhi’s mountain, they form “Lingshan (灵山)”, or “Spirit Mountain”, the abode of the Tathagata Buddha [src. 15].
3.3. BodhiAnother inference to Subodhi’s true identity as Tathagata can be found directly in the character’s name. The name Subodhi, or xuputi (须菩提) in Chinese, is constructed from the phrase bodhi (菩提) [1] [src. 16], a reference to the renowned Bodhi tree, of which the Buddha was supposed to have attained enlightenment while meditating underneath.
4. Indications by the AuthorThroughout the Journey to the West text, there have been a few details which appear to be the author’s writing hinting that Subodhi and Tathagata are the same character. To fully grasp the depth of these allusions, it would be essential for us to adhere to the original Chinese text, as English translations often struggle to convey the full meaning and are inconsistent in translation depending on context. Although we will be referencing the source language, rest assured that I will be breaking down the Chinese script with clarity for your understanding. 4.1. "Zhenru"The foremost clue by the author that I would like to illuminate pertains to a certain term employed in the characterisations of both Subodhi and Tathagata. This term is "zhenru (真如)" or Tathata [2], which Anthony C. Yu (2012) has translated as: Thusness (vol. 1, ch. 15, p. 330), Suchness (vol. 2, ch. 29, p. 43), The Real (vol. 2 ch. 37, p. 174 & vol. 4. ch. 98, p. 341), True Suchness (vol. 4, ch. 77, p. 17) & Real Body (vol. 4, ch. 100, p. 383). We learn throughout the novel that the term in question also serves as a direct allusion to the Tathagata Buddha. This connection is elucidated when we break down the constituent characters of the phrase: zhen (真) meaning "real" or "true", and ru (如) as "Tathagata", a derivative from his Chinese appellation rulai (如来). This breakdown leads us to a new interpretation of the term as "True Tathagata". This resonance is evident in the titles of chapters 77 and 98 of the novel, where zhenru is used as a metaphoric reference to the Tathagata Buddha. A horde of demons afront native Nature; Only when ape and horse are tamed will shells be cast; Earlier in the novel, the term is initially applied in an introductory poem of Patriarch Subodhi in chapter 1, when both the reader and Monkey see the patriarch for the very first time. […] In this instance, Yu has resorted to a much more direct translation of zhenru for Subodhi’s nature, simply narrating it as “Buddha”, echoing its reference to Tathagata as mentioned above. With all being said, the parallel in descriptions between Subodhi and Tathagata could be just a coincidence. It is also conceivable that the author is indicating that Subodhi and his nature are really just the same persona as the Tathagata Buddha. 4.2. Concealed IdentityPrior to Subodhi’s introduction, when Monkey had just arrived at the Mountain of Heart and Mind, we are given an insight into the beauty and magnificence of said mountain in a testimonial poem, of which the last line suggests the inhabitation of a noble sage. [...] In this poetic framework, a more accurate translation would be: [...] The original Chinese text indicates that the eminent man in question has deliberately kept his name a secret, a detail Yu simply translates as "in reclusion." The Chinese reads 隐姓名, which translates literally to "conceal surname and given name." Incorporating this information into our analysis suggests that Subodhi, who is the eminent man here, is really Tathagata, concealing his true identity and adopting a Daoist guise. 4.3. "Xin"As mentioned previously (see para. 3.2), Subodhi dwells in a cave on the “Spirit Platform and Square Inch Mountain”; the cave itself is named the “Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars” [src. 22-23]. Both of these names here contain a hidden figurative meaning, which I will break down here. Firstly, the name of Subodhi’s mountain comprises of two phrases, lingtai (lit. spirit platform) and fangcun (lit. square inch), both possessing the same meaning of mind or heart. Lingtai or spirit platform is a metaphorical term for one’s heart or soul, essentially a platform of which their spirit resides. Fangcun or square inch is also an archaic expression for heart or mind, used especially when one’s mind is troubled or agitated [3]. Anthony C. Yu, translator of the 2012 English revised edition, gives us a less philosophical and more direct interpretation of this mountain name, translating it as the “Mountain of Mind and Heart”. Secondly, Subodhi’s cave contains a hidden meaning in its name, inscribed almost like a riddle. The name of the cave reads the “Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars”, and when interpreted, it reveals the Chinese character xin (心), which also means both heart and mind. To decipher this, we must take a look at what the name of the cave pictures. The Chinese ideogram xin is composed of a long crescent-like stroke with three dot-like strokes above and around, illustrating three stars surrounding a slanting crescent moon [src. 24].
Chapter 14 of the novel begins with a poetic verse, of which the first sentence supports this theory of Subodhi being Tathagata. The line reads: Mind is the Buddha and the Buddha is Mind; Given the breakdown of Subodhi’s mountain and cave names above, we are aware of their strong connection to the concept of mind and heart. In other words, one could interpret that Subodhi is the personification of mind and heart. Furthermore, in the quote from the novel above, it is an indication by the author that Subodhi, symbolised by the concept of “mind”, is really the Buddha. 5. A Friend's TheoryA few further points suggested to me by a friend, who wishes to be unnamed, notes that both Subodhi and Tathagata’s abodes are located in the Western Aparagodaniya Continent (xi niuhe zhou, 西牛贺州). They also infer with the fact that Tripitaka was originally Master Golden Cicada (jinchanzi, 金蝉子), the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha. Since he had been reincarnated as a mortal, and was to undertake the arduous task of journeying for the sutras, he would require the protection of someone with powerful abilities; and because of this possibility for the future, Tathagata had masked himself as the Daoist Patriarch Subodhi to teach Monkey the skills for this assignment. Moreover, although Subodhi had threatened Monkey into never mentioning his existence, Monkey did not fully comply (as mentioned in para. 2). In fact, Monkey's first mention of Subodhi after his expulsion was right after returning to Flower-Fruit Mountain in the same chapter, when his monkey subjects asked where he had gone off to the past years to acquire his new skills. The theory here posits Tathagata veiling himself as Subodhi to train this potent disciple to protect Tripitaka. Akin to planting a seed, he couldn't bring himself to administer punishment regardless of Monkey's actions or words. ConclusionThe theory that Patriarch Subodhi's true identity was the Tathagata Buddha all along is an interesting topic to think about. Both characters share many parallels, such as being sages of their respective religion, residing in the Western Aparagodaniya Continent, and both being personifications of the concept of mind and heart (xin), as well as true suchness (zhenru). It appears in chapter 34 that Monkey himself has always known this, identifying the Patriarch Subodhi he once kowtowed to in his mind as the "Buddha of the Western Heaven". Subodhi's pedagogical love for Monkey to teach him the right skills he needed to protect the Tang monk on the journey which would guide him to his true enlightenment, and reprieve when Monkey disobeyed his instructions four times of forbidding him to ever mention he was his master, could have us infer Subodhi and Tathagata being the same master guiding Monkey during his life journey from start to finish. Their strikingly similar use of names such as "Lingshan" as in "Lingtai Fangcun Shan", "Bodhi" as in "Subodhi", and the prefix "wu" of Monkey's religious name given by Subodhi belong to the Buddhist denomination, again shows the parallels in their personalities as hinted by the author. - Notes[1] bodhi (बोधि, 菩提)
Literal meaning (Sanskrit): awakening, perfect knowledge. Bodhi in Buddhism is simply the final point of achieving enlightenment, reaching Nirvana. [2] Tathata (तथाता, 真如) Literal meaning (Sanskrit): thusness, suchness (i.e. such is its nature). Also known as: Bhutatathata (lit: suchness of existents), 一如. Bhutatathata, or simply Tathata (of which the Buddha Tathagata's name is built on), is a Buddhist concept referring to the absolute, impersonal, unchangeable character of all reality. It can also be described as Buddha nature, self nature, pure mind, Dharma body, Dharma nature, real nature, etc.. [3] The earliest use of square inch as one's heart in this context was documented in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms (completed 429 AD, sanguozhi, 三国志), a Chinese canonical text detailing the events of the Three Kingdoms history from 184-220 AD. It was recorded that a political advisor named Xu Shu (徐庶) was informed that an enemy warlord Cao Cao (曹操) had his mother held hostage, compelling Xu to defect. Xu expressed to his lord that his "mind (a.k.a. square inch) was in turmoil (方寸乱矣)". [4] dragon's vein (龙脉) Also translated as: dragon's pulse (Yu, 2012). Dragon's vein is a concept of good fengshui in traditional Chinese geomancy. It can refer to either the terrain resembling a dragon, or the channels of energy (qi, 气) that flows through the terrain.
2 Comments
Steven
4/4/2024 09:48:19
This is truly an amazing and intricately written article. A fun read filled with so much knowledge and expertise on Journey to the West. I was hesitant to believe the title of the article when I first saw it, but upon reading the full article, I am humbled to say that I am thoroughly convinced. Good job! Keep up the amazing articles!
Irwen W (author)
5/4/2024 23:44:21
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I'm glad you found it both enjoyable and informative. I'll do my best to deliver more. Leave a Reply. |
