1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,319 A Deep Dive into Journey to the West: 2 00:00:02,319 --> 00:00:04,001 The Five Journeys-in-One Are You. 3 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:07,860 Most people treat Journey to the West as a myth, just as 4 00:00:07,860 --> 00:00:11,580 most people treat life as a game of self-improvement. 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,019 Bookstores, short videos, and paid knowledge platforms are all 6 00:00:16,019 --> 00:00:19,161 teaching you the same thing – to become a better version of yourself: more self-disciplined, more 7 00:00:19,839 --> 00:00:20,460 8 00:00:20,460 --> 00:00:21,260 efficient, 9 00:00:21,260 --> 00:00:22,300 more effective in execution, 10 00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:23,600 more in leadership, and 11 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:24,861 better at emotional management. 12 00:00:25,420 --> 00:00:26,199 Your self is 13 00:00:26,199 --> 00:00:27,539 like a machine; you 14 00:00:27,539 --> 00:00:28,980 fix what's wrong, 15 00:00:28,980 --> 00:00:29,899 constantly upgrade, 16 00:00:29,899 --> 00:00:31,140 constantly patch, 17 00:00:31,140 --> 00:00:32,159 until one day 18 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,300 you finally become that "ideal self." 19 00:00:34,979 --> 00:00:36,100 Sounds reasonable, right? 20 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:36,740 21 00:00:36,859 --> 00:00:39,210 But have you ever considered a more fundamental question? Who exactly is this 22 00:00:39,210 --> 00:00:42,320 "self" desperately trying to "become better"? Is the 23 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:43,740 24 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:45,820 machine you're trying to upgrade 25 00:00:45,820 --> 00:00:47,539 inherently reliable? 26 00:00:47,679 --> 00:00:51,700 If the machine's operating system has fundamental vulnerabilities, no matter how many 27 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:53,799 patches you install, 28 00:00:53,799 --> 00:00:55,020 how many plugins you add, 29 00:00:55,020 --> 00:00:56,100 it will still crash. Over 30 00:00:56,539 --> 00:00:57,700 four hundred years ago, 31 00:00:57,700 --> 00:00:59,701 someone figured this out. 32 00:01:00,399 --> 00:01:01,740 He wrote a book. On the 33 00:01:01,740 --> 00:01:05,439 surface, it's a lighthearted story of four travelers fighting monsters and leveling up. 34 00:01:05,439 --> 00:01:07,319 Children read it with great interest, 35 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:08,581 thinking it's a myth. 36 00:01:09,180 --> 00:01:11,838 But peel back the demonic shell, and 37 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,209 inside lies an extremely sophisticated diagram of the mind. 38 00:01:15,980 --> 00:01:18,060 It's not about teaching you to upgrade yourself; 39 00:01:18,060 --> 00:01:21,541 it's about teaching you to see the machine that creates the "self." 40 00:01:22,180 --> 00:01:23,641 The book is called *Journey to the West*, and the 41 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,540 person who figured it out 42 00:01:26,540 --> 00:01:27,281 is Wu Cheng'en. 43 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:27,879 Hello 44 00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:28,379 everyone, 45 00:01:28,379 --> 00:01:29,041 I'm Wang Lijie. 46 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:30,239 Last time, 47 00:01:30,239 --> 00:01:33,000 we started this series with *Flowers in the Mirror*, 48 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,439 discussing "Do your best and leave the rest 49 00:01:34,439 --> 00:01:36,481 to fate"—the relationship between seeds and seasons. 50 00:01:37,060 --> 00:01:38,060 Today, in the second installment, 51 00:01:38,060 --> 00:01:41,359 we'll dissect a book that every Chinese person feels they've read 52 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:43,840 but may never truly understand: *Journey to the West*. Let's 53 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:44,281 54 00:01:44,540 --> 00:01:46,100 start by breaking down the title. 55 00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:48,140 "Journey to the West" can be 56 00:01:48,140 --> 00:01:50,620 broken down into two parts: "West" represents direction, and " 57 00:01:50,799 --> 00:01:51,661 Journey" represents a journey. 58 00:01:52,359 --> 00:01:53,920 In Buddhist tradition, the 59 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,420 West is the direction of the Pure Land, the direction of 60 00:01:56,420 --> 00:01:57,441 enlightenment. 61 00:01:58,159 --> 00:02:01,879 But here's a key point: the destination of the journey is in the West, but 62 00:02:01,879 --> 00:02:04,200 where is the starting point? 63 00:02:04,420 --> 00:02:05,939 In the Tang Dynasty in the East, right where 64 00:02:05,939 --> 00:02:07,521 you are right now. 65 00:02:08,060 --> 00:02:09,199 From east to west, 66 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:10,099 from delusion to enlightenment, the 67 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,120 beginning and end of this path lie within 68 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:13,241 yourself. 69 00:02:13,819 --> 00:02:16,759 Therefore, *Journey to the West* is not a geographical journey; 70 00:02:16,759 --> 00:02:18,301 it's an inward journey. 71 00:02:18,879 --> 00:02:21,360 You might think the four travelers are traversing mountains and valleys, 72 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,161 but they are actually overcoming layers of obstacles in their own consciousness. The 73 00:02:24,659 --> 00:02:26,379 destination isn't Mount Ling. 74 00:02:26,379 --> 00:02:28,941 It's the pure land that already exists within your own heart. 75 00:02:29,259 --> 00:02:30,680 This isn't an overinterpretation on my part. The 76 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,180 title of the first chapter of the original work clearly states, 77 00:02:33,180 --> 00:02:35,759 "The spiritual root nurtures and gives birth to the source; the mind and nature are cultivated and the 78 00:02:35,759 --> 00:02:37,140 Great Dao is born." The 79 00:02:37,860 --> 00:02:39,560 first word is "spirit," and the 80 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:41,260 second key word is "mind and nature." 81 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,760 Wu Cheng'en tells you from the very first page: this book is about the mind. Okay, 82 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:46,740 83 00:02:46,740 --> 00:02:48,180 since it's about the mind, 84 00:02:48,180 --> 00:02:50,200 let's see what this mind looks like. Sun 85 00:02:50,659 --> 00:02:51,620 Wukong 86 00:02:51,620 --> 00:02:55,501 has a special name in Buddhist and Taoist traditions - the Mind Monkey. 87 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:57,939 What is the nature of a monkey? 88 00:02:58,099 --> 00:02:59,180 Restless, 89 00:02:59,180 --> 00:03:00,199 jumping around, 90 00:03:00,199 --> 00:03:00,841 never stopping. Have you ever 91 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:02,840 tried meditation? 92 00:03:02,939 --> 00:03:04,419 Even if you only sit for five minutes, 93 00:03:04,419 --> 00:03:05,639 you'll find that 94 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:07,381 your brain is like a monkey. As soon as 95 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:09,300 you try to calm down, 96 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:12,360 it starts jumping around: What should I eat for dinner tonight? 97 00:03:12,479 --> 00:03:14,500 Why hasn't that project been replied to yet? 98 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,620 I shouldn't have said that yesterday... One thought after another, it 99 00:03:18,620 --> 00:03:19,621 simply can't stop. 100 00:03:20,159 --> 00:03:21,219 This monkey 101 00:03:21,219 --> 00:03:22,001 is your mind. 102 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,759 And Wu Cheng'en uses the entire "Havoc in Heaven" chapter to 103 00:03:25,759 --> 00:03:28,590 accurately depict the most dangerous state of this monkey: 104 00:03:29,219 --> 00:03:31,461 when it thinks it is omnipotent. 105 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,200 Think carefully about Sun Wukong's resume: 106 00:03:34,580 --> 00:03:36,460 he sprang from a stone, with 107 00:03:36,460 --> 00:03:37,620 extremely high talent. After 108 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:40,580 learning his skills, what was the first thing he did? He 109 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:43,580 went to the underworld and crossed out his name from the Book of Life and Death. 110 00:03:44,219 --> 00:03:45,341 He didn't accept death. 111 00:03:45,860 --> 00:03:46,599 Then what? He 112 00:03:46,860 --> 00:03:50,381 stole the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea – he wanted the best weapon. 113 00:03:50,879 --> 00:03:51,659 Then what? He 114 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,400 proclaimed himself the Great Sage 115 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,040 Equal to Heaven, wanting to be on equal footing with the gods and Buddhas in heaven – he wanted the highest status. Finally, he wreaked havoc in the 116 00:03:57,580 --> 00:03:58,319 117 00:03:58,460 --> 00:03:59,599 Heavenly Palace, 118 00:03:59,599 --> 00:04:03,561 smashing the entire order system – he didn't accept any external constraints. If 119 00:04:04,039 --> 00:04:08,169 you translate this arc using the Yogacara philosophy we discussed in previous episodes, 120 00:04:08,169 --> 00:04:10,900 everything this monkey did was the operation of the 121 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:12,200 Manas consciousness. 122 00:04:12,759 --> 00:04:14,000 What 123 00:04:14,139 --> 00:04:16,540 is the Manas consciousness? It's the machine that creates a sense of "self." 124 00:04:16,540 --> 00:04:19,899 Its core function is to turn everything into "I" and "mine." 125 00:04:20,660 --> 00:04:23,460 Sun Wukong crossed out the Book of Life and Death – "I" cannot die. He stole the Ruyi Jingu Bang – "I" want 126 00:04:24,019 --> 00:04:26,260 to be the strongest. 127 00:04:26,879 --> 00:04:29,200 He proclaimed himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven – "I" am the greatest. He wreaked havoc in the Heavenly 128 00:04:29,740 --> 00:04:32,240 Palace – "I" don't submit to anyone. Is 129 00:04:32,740 --> 00:04:36,379 n't this a complete picture of an extremely inflated Manas consciousness? 130 00:04:36,439 --> 00:04:40,360 Now I want to ask you a question: What is the essential difference between this monkey who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace 131 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,860 and the things that success and self-improvement courses teach you to pursue today? 132 00:04:44,860 --> 00:04:46,600 133 00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:47,290 Think about it. 134 00:04:47,819 --> 00:04:50,160 Those courses tell you: be confident, 135 00:04:50,319 --> 00:04:52,000 dare to challenge authority, 136 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,420 believe you deserve everything, 137 00:04:54,420 --> 00:04:56,300 break limiting beliefs, and 138 00:04:56,300 --> 00:04:58,050 become "the infinitely possible self." 139 00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:01,300 This logic sounds inspiring, 140 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:04,800 but if you translate it into the language of Yogacara—what is it doing? It's 141 00:05:04,879 --> 00:05:06,280 energizing the Manas consciousness. 142 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,500 It's telling that monkey: you are right, 143 00:05:09,500 --> 00:05:10,120 you deserve it, 144 00:05:10,439 --> 00:05:12,960 you can be bigger, stronger, and more unstoppable. 145 00:05:13,699 --> 00:05:16,279 But *Journey to the West* tells you what the end result of this path is: 146 00:05:16,899 --> 00:05:18,540 Buddha 147 00:05:18,540 --> 00:05:20,310 slaps him down under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. 148 00:05:20,959 --> 00:05:21,519 Note, 149 00:05:21,519 --> 00:05:23,200 I'm not saying confidence is problematic; 150 00:05:23,759 --> 00:05:24,900 confidence is a good thing. The 151 00:05:25,439 --> 00:05:28,240 problem is—have you stopped to look at who's 152 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,660 actually standing beneath that "confidence"? Is it 153 00:05:31,819 --> 00:05:33,300 your genuine awareness, 154 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:37,459 or a story fabricated by the Manas consciousness called "I'm amazing"? 155 00:05:37,540 --> 00:05:40,390 You might think this is Buddha "suppressing" Sun Wukong, 156 00:05:41,079 --> 00:05:42,399 but from another perspective, 157 00:05:42,399 --> 00:05:45,600 this slap is actually the most compassionate action in the entire book. 158 00:05:46,139 --> 00:05:46,980 Why? 159 00:05:47,019 --> 00:05:49,360 Because if you don't stop this monkey, 160 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,180 it will forever spin in a cycle of "I want to be bigger, I want to be stronger, 161 00:05:52,300 --> 00:05:54,399 I refuse to accept this," 162 00:05:54,399 --> 00:05:57,759 never looking back—what exactly is the "I" driving it? The 163 00:05:57,759 --> 00:05:58,560 164 00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:01,040 Five Elements Mountain is a mirror. No matter how 165 00:06:01,199 --> 00:06:04,240 fast you run, how fiercely you cause trouble, or how great your abilities, 166 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:05,779 you will eventually be 167 00:06:05,779 --> 00:06:07,180 forced to stop and 168 00:06:07,180 --> 00:06:08,180 face yourself. 169 00:06:08,319 --> 00:06:09,560 Five hundred years of imprisonment was 170 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:10,740 not punishment, but the 171 00:06:10,740 --> 00:06:13,580 first opportunity for this monkey to calm down. 172 00:06:14,199 --> 00:06:16,120 In our previous framework, 173 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,000 what the Five Elements Mountain did was "stop," 174 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,319 forcibly reducing the precision and weight of consciousness, 175 00:06:21,319 --> 00:06:25,030 pausing the narrative machine that was always weaving stories. 176 00:06:25,660 --> 00:06:27,160 After five hundred years of cessation, Tang 177 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:27,721 Sanzang arrived. 178 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:29,000 Note that Tang 179 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,120 Sanzang did not come to "rescue" Sun Wukong; Tang 180 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,960 Sanzang came to give him a new direction - the journey to the West. 181 00:06:35,579 --> 00:06:36,860 From this moment on, 182 00:06:36,860 --> 00:06:39,959 Sun Wukong's energy no longer served "self-inflation," 183 00:06:39,959 --> 00:06:41,600 but rather "the path to enlightenment." The same abilities, the 184 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:43,439 185 00:06:43,439 --> 00:06:46,038 same seventy-two transformations and somersault cloud, but the 186 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:47,400 direction was completely different. 187 00:06:48,079 --> 00:06:49,480 But having a direction alone is not enough. 188 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:53,840 Wu Cheng'en arranged an extremely ingenious setting - the golden 189 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:56,040 headband. What is the golden headband? It is a 190 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:56,620 precept, an 191 00:06:57,139 --> 00:06:58,530 external constraint mechanism. Are 192 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:00,720 n't you very capable? 193 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:02,759 Aren't you defiant of everyone? 194 00:07:02,980 --> 00:07:03,439 Okay, 195 00:07:03,439 --> 00:07:05,300 now you have a circle on your head. When 196 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:08,180 your master chants the incantation, you writhe in pain on the ground. 197 00:07:08,639 --> 00:07:12,899 This setting, from a literary perspective, is the dramatic source of the master-disciple conflict. 198 00:07:12,899 --> 00:07:14,459 However, in the logic of spiritual practice, 199 00:07:14,459 --> 00:07:16,080 it is absolutely necessary. 200 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:16,860 Why? 201 00:07:16,959 --> 00:07:19,180 Because an untrained mind cannot be controlled by the 202 00:07:19,180 --> 00:07:20,819 word "enlightenment" alone. If 203 00:07:20,819 --> 00:07:21,500 204 00:07:22,079 --> 00:07:25,660 you tell a short-tempered person, "You need to see your anger and 205 00:07:25,660 --> 00:07:27,199 not let it hold you hostage," 206 00:07:27,199 --> 00:07:28,439 they understand the principle, 207 00:07:28,439 --> 00:07:30,079 but the next time they are provoked, they will still 208 00:07:30,079 --> 00:07:30,640 explode. The 209 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:32,680 inertia of the seed is too strong. 210 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,600 What is needed at this time? 211 00:07:34,699 --> 00:07:37,639 Precepts are needed—an external, hard constraint. 212 00:07:37,639 --> 00:07:40,019 When your ability to "see" is not yet sufficient, 213 00:07:40,019 --> 00:07:41,740 use rules to restrain your behavior. As 214 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,199 we mentioned in our previous episode on Yogacara, the point of 215 00:07:45,199 --> 00:07:47,980 action of keeping precepts is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. 216 00:07:48,540 --> 00:07:52,279 Each precept restrains the behavioral output of the sixth consciousness and 217 00:07:52,279 --> 00:07:55,780 indirectly weakens the inertia of the seventh consciousness, Manas. 218 00:07:55,839 --> 00:07:57,540 Every time an impulse is rejected, the 219 00:07:57,540 --> 00:07:59,480 weight of Manas loosens a little. The golden headband 220 00:08:00,139 --> 00:08:02,360 is a fictionalized version of this principle. 221 00:08:02,839 --> 00:08:06,279 Every time Sun Wukong is enraged and loses control and wants to kill, 222 00:08:06,279 --> 00:08:07,319 Tang Sanzang chants the mantra to 223 00:08:07,319 --> 00:08:10,360 forcibly interrupt his behavioral chain—not to torture him, but to restrain the consequences of his actions before 224 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,000 he can see himself clearly. If 225 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,340 226 00:08:14,879 --> 00:08:16,060 you notice, the frequency of chanting the golden headband 227 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:17,339 throughout the entire Journey to the West 228 00:08:17,339 --> 00:08:19,500 decreases. At the 229 00:08:20,139 --> 00:08:22,379 beginning, it was chanted every few days. 230 00:08:22,379 --> 00:08:23,820 Later, fewer and fewer of them appeared. 231 00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:25,019 Why? 232 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:26,240 Because Sun Wukong changed. It was 233 00:08:26,839 --> 00:08:28,658 n't that his abilities changed, but that his 234 00:08:28,660 --> 00:08:31,100 relationship with his own heart changed. 235 00:08:31,220 --> 00:08:34,678 At first, he relied on external constraints to avoid losing control. 236 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,240 Later, he could perceive the arising of impulses and 237 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:39,600 choose not to follow them. The golden 238 00:08:40,259 --> 00:08:42,220 headband gradually transformed from an external shackle 239 00:08:42,220 --> 00:08:43,860 into internal awareness. 240 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:48,139 This is the true process of spiritual practice – discipline is the starting point; 241 00:08:48,139 --> 00:08:49,279 from discipline comes concentration; 242 00:08:49,279 --> 00:08:50,341 from concentration comes wisdom. 243 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,458 First, use rules to control behavior, 244 00:08:52,460 --> 00:08:55,839 then cultivate the ability to abide under the protection of rules, and 245 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,341 finally, from abiding in concentration, true wisdom arises. The 246 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:00,139 entire journey to the West 247 00:09:00,139 --> 00:09:02,560 is a complete demonstration of the three studies of discipline, concentration, and wisdom. 248 00:09:02,940 --> 00:09:04,201 Now let's look at other characters. 249 00:09:04,779 --> 00:09:05,698 Zhu Bajie, whose Dharma name is 250 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:07,080 "Wuneng," 251 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,170 actually understands precisely what he "cannot" do. 252 00:09:10,179 --> 00:09:11,460 What does Bajie represent? 253 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:12,660 Greed and laziness. 254 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,679 He is gluttonous, lustful, and lazy. 255 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,379 Whenever he encounters difficulties, he says, "Let's break up, brother, 256 00:09:20,379 --> 00:09:21,180 let's go back to Gao Village." 257 00:09:21,919 --> 00:09:23,000 Don't laugh at him; 258 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:27,519 think about yourself – every time you set a weight loss plan, you give up on the third day; every time you 259 00:09:27,519 --> 00:09:31,519 say you'll get up early, you turn off the alarm and go back to sleep; 260 00:09:31,519 --> 00:09:35,320 every time you impulsively buy a gym membership, you go twice and then it's forgotten. Are 261 00:09:35,940 --> 00:09:37,440 n't you just like Zhu Bajie? 262 00:09:37,620 --> 00:09:38,360 Sha Wujing, whose Buddhist 263 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:39,480 name is "Wujing," is 264 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:40,458 taciturn, 265 00:09:40,460 --> 00:09:41,600 hardworking, and 266 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:42,640 always carrying the burden. 267 00:09:43,259 --> 00:09:45,399 He represents a more hidden kind of persistence—a 268 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:47,821 persistence in stability and security. 269 00:09:48,379 --> 00:09:49,500 He doesn't cause trouble, 270 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:50,221 but he doesn't grow either. 271 00:09:50,820 --> 00:09:52,900 He's the kind of person who's content as long as he doesn't make mistakes. 272 00:09:53,419 --> 00:09:54,960 Many people live their whole lives 273 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:58,000 essentially playing the role of Sha Wujing—not making big mistakes, 274 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,770 but never truly facing what's deep within their hearts. As for the 275 00:10:01,399 --> 00:10:02,440 White Dragon Horse, 276 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,460 it was originally the son of the Dragon King. 277 00:10:04,460 --> 00:10:05,419 Because of a mistake, it 278 00:10:05,419 --> 00:10:06,919 was transformed into a horse, 279 00:10:06,919 --> 00:10:08,500 carrying Tang Sanzang throughout the journey. 280 00:10:09,179 --> 00:10:11,440 In traditional culture, horses are called "yima" (意马), 281 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:12,221 corresponding to " 282 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:13,759 xinyuan" (心猿). "Xinyuan" (心猿) and "yima" (意马) 283 00:10:13,759 --> 00:10:18,240 describe a person's mind as restless as a monkey and as galloping as a wild horse. The 284 00:10:18,940 --> 00:10:20,919 White Dragon Horse's transformation from dragon to horse 285 00:10:20,919 --> 00:10:23,919 signifies the restraint of its wild thoughts, 286 00:10:23,919 --> 00:10:26,560 transforming them into a stable force capable of supporting spiritual practice. 287 00:10:27,220 --> 00:10:32,320 Now, look back at this team composition: Xinyuan, Yima, greed, laziness, 288 00:10:32,379 --> 00:10:34,730 and Tang Sanzang, the one who needs protection. 289 00:10:35,279 --> 00:10:36,840 These aren't five characters; they 290 00:10:36,980 --> 00:10:39,211 are clearly five aspects of a person's inner self. And the 291 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,639 monsters fought on the journey to the West weren't just external demons. 292 00:10:42,639 --> 00:10:43,961 It's the demons within your own heart that bring you the 293 00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:46,019 eighty-one tribulations, 294 00:10:46,019 --> 00:10:48,740 each corresponding to a test of a particular pattern of attachment. 295 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,539 Some demons are born of greed—like the Golden Horn and Silver Horn luring you with treasures. Some are born of 296 00:10:53,539 --> 00:10:54,820 anger—like Red 297 00:10:55,019 --> 00:10:58,019 Boy's Samadhi Fire that leaves you speechless. 298 00:10:58,019 --> 00:11:00,620 Some are born of delusion—like the Little Thunder Temple, whose 299 00:11:00,620 --> 00:11:02,460 name differs by only one "little." 300 00:11:02,460 --> 00:11:03,679 You think you've reached the end, but you've 301 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:05,221 unknowingly worshipped a false Buddha. The 302 00:11:05,899 --> 00:11:07,200 three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion 303 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,879 appear again and again on the journey to the West, wearing different masks, 304 00:11:10,879 --> 00:11:12,900 testing whether you can recognize them. 305 00:11:13,419 --> 00:11:16,321 This reminds me of a popular contemporary term—"healing." 306 00:11:16,940 --> 00:11:18,360 Many people now say, " 307 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,379 I want to heal my inner child," "I want to heal 308 00:11:20,379 --> 00:11:22,879 my family of origin trauma," " 309 00:11:22,879 --> 00:11:24,520 I want to heal my emotional patterns." 310 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:26,720 Healing is certainly a good thing, 311 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,659 but there's a variant of "healing" that's 312 00:11:28,659 --> 00:11:29,941 essentially avoidance. 313 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:32,620 It attributes all problems to external factors: "My 314 00:11:33,259 --> 00:11:35,340 family of origin hurt me," " 315 00:11:35,340 --> 00:11:36,779 Society disciplined me," " 316 00:11:36,779 --> 00:11:38,370 That relationship poisoned me," and 317 00:11:38,860 --> 00:11:42,380 then expects automatic repair through "being seen" and "being accepted." 318 00:11:42,940 --> 00:11:45,280 The answer from *Journey to the West* is much more hardcore: the 319 00:11:45,919 --> 00:11:47,059 demons within you 320 00:11:47,059 --> 00:11:48,480 aren't waiting to be "healed." 321 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,560 It takes you to fight your way out, one blow at a time. 322 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,360 But the prerequisite for defeating monsters is 323 00:11:53,500 --> 00:11:54,821 recognizing them. 324 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,299 325 00:11:57,299 --> 00:11:59,960 You have to see through the disguise of the White Bone Demon, who is a mere skeleton; you have to see through the illusion of the 326 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,539 Yellow-Eyebrowed King, who looks like a true Buddha. The 327 00:12:02,539 --> 00:12:03,941 328 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,779 skill to defeat monsters isn't about strength, but about having 329 00:12:06,779 --> 00:12:11,120 discerning eyes – the 330 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:13,951 ability to see through all narrative facades and understand the true nature of the data stream. 331 00:12:14,659 --> 00:12:17,419 And how did Sun 332 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:21,800 Wukong acquire his discerning eyes? He was forged in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace for forty-nine days. 333 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:23,659 Interestingly, in the 334 00:12:23,659 --> 00:12:27,799 original story, these eyes were actually "old, sickly eyes" caused by smoke, 335 00:12:27,799 --> 00:12:29,000 not a superpower. 336 00:12:29,639 --> 00:12:31,879 But in centuries of cultural transmission, 337 00:12:31,879 --> 00:12:34,480 discerning eyes have become synonymous with seeing through disguises. 338 00:12:35,059 --> 00:12:37,360 This folk symbolism is 339 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:38,900 more profound than the original text. 340 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,899 It suggests that true seeing ability 341 00:12:41,899 --> 00:12:42,779 isn't talent 342 00:12:42,779 --> 00:12:43,940 or inspiration, 343 00:12:43,940 --> 00:12:46,680 but something repeatedly forged in the fire. 344 00:12:46,740 --> 00:12:51,340 You have to experience pain, confusion, failure, misjudging, being deceived by monsters, being 345 00:12:51,779 --> 00:12:53,919 misunderstood by your master, and being subjected to the Tightening-Headband Mantra. 346 00:12:54,419 --> 00:12:56,140 These are all the fires from the Eight Trigrams Furnace. The 347 00:12:56,759 --> 00:12:58,440 fire isn't there to harm you, but 348 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:00,660 to burn away the veil covering your eyes. 349 00:13:01,379 --> 00:13:03,120 At the final moment of their journey, the 350 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,221 four travelers finally arrived at Lingyun Ferry at the foot of Mount Ling. 351 00:13:06,759 --> 00:13:09,159 A bottomless boat was moored at the ferry, awaiting the arrival of the 352 00:13:09,159 --> 00:13:10,581 Buddha. Tang Sanzang hesitated to board, but Sun Wukong 353 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:12,698 354 00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:14,420 pushed him aboard. As 355 00:13:15,159 --> 00:13:16,360 the boat glided across the water, 356 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,740 Tang Sanzang looked down—and saw his own corpse floating in the water. Wukong 357 00:13:19,740 --> 00:13:20,780 358 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,080 laughed and said, "Master, don't be afraid, that 359 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:23,640 's you." 360 00:13:24,159 --> 00:13:27,180 This scene is the most profound metaphor in the entire *Journey to the West*. The 361 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:28,240 old Tang Sanzang is dead. The Tang Sanzang 362 00:13:28,879 --> 00:13:31,179 driven by fear, terrified by demons, and 363 00:13:31,639 --> 00:13:33,639 constantly chanting the Tightening-Headband Mantra, is 364 00:13:33,639 --> 00:13:33,860 dead. 365 00:13:34,379 --> 00:13:36,049 He didn't awaken upon reaching Mount Ling; 366 00:13:36,580 --> 00:13:38,940 he 367 00:13:38,940 --> 00:13:40,660 left his old self in the water the moment he set foot on Mount Ling. 368 00:13:41,379 --> 00:13:42,779 Who is the new Tang Sanzang? He is the one who has 369 00:13:42,919 --> 00:13:46,200 walked this path, seen all the demons within himself, 370 00:13:46,580 --> 00:13:49,140 and confronted them one by one. 371 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:51,850 He didn't become a "better version of himself"; 372 00:13:52,460 --> 00:13:55,509 he saw the illusory nature of the concept of "self" itself. 373 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,400 The corpse floating in the river is the evidence. The 374 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,419 "self" you cling to is 375 00:14:00,419 --> 00:14:01,500 merely a shell. 376 00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:06,059 The "self" you think you need to protect, elevate, and heal is 377 00:14:06,059 --> 00:14:07,140 inherently empty. In 378 00:14:07,759 --> 00:14:09,458 the language of Yogacara, 379 00:14:09,460 --> 00:14:11,720 this is the moment of transformation from consciousness to wisdom. 380 00:14:12,460 --> 00:14:15,860 The Manas consciousness no longer clings to the Alaya consciousness as "self." 381 00:14:15,860 --> 00:14:18,841 The seventh consciousness transforms from "self-attachment" to "equality wisdom." 382 00:14:19,419 --> 00:14:20,919 It's not that "self" disappears, but that 383 00:14:20,919 --> 00:14:23,140 the boundary between "self" and "non-self" dissolves. 384 00:14:23,740 --> 00:14:24,330 So you see, 385 00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:26,919 from the first page to the last page of *Journey to the West*, it 386 00:14:26,919 --> 00:14:29,399 tells the same story—your heart 387 00:14:29,399 --> 00:14:30,539 is your battlefield 388 00:14:30,539 --> 00:14:31,441 and your training ground. 389 00:14:32,019 --> 00:14:34,320 That monkey is your thought, that horse 390 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,360 is your intention, 391 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,458 that pig is your greed, 392 00:14:38,460 --> 00:14:41,019 that silent monk is your laziness, 393 00:14:41,220 --> 00:14:43,720 and that seemingly weakest, slowest-moving, 394 00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:45,980 but never-giving-up Tang Sanzang 395 00:14:45,980 --> 00:14:49,259 is the faint but undying aspiration deep within you—your 396 00:14:49,879 --> 00:14:51,800 desire to see the truth. The 397 00:14:52,679 --> 00:14:54,240 journey to the West is not in India, 398 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:55,440 not in the West. In the 399 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,740 distance between this moment and your next thought, 400 00:14:59,379 --> 00:15:02,399 every time you recognize the story you are creating... 401 00:15:02,399 --> 00:15:06,500 Every time you choose to pause in the instant an impulse arises, 402 00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:09,980 every time you see through a seemingly real obsession, 403 00:15:10,519 --> 00:15:11,500 you overcome a hurdle. 404 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,440 Those self-help gurus tell you, "Believe in yourself, 405 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,581 you can do anything"—that's like the Monkey King causing havoc in Heaven. *Journey to 406 00:15:18,220 --> 00:15:23,039 the West* tells you the exact opposite: you may indeed possess extraordinary abilities, 407 00:15:23,039 --> 00:15:26,500 but if you don't know who the "you" wielding those abilities is, the 408 00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:27,938 greater your abilities, the greater the trouble 409 00:15:27,940 --> 00:15:29,140 you'll cause. 410 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,420 First, recognize the monkey within you, 411 00:15:31,519 --> 00:15:32,059 then 412 00:15:32,059 --> 00:15:33,360 give it a direction, a set of 413 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:34,440 rules, and a 414 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,640 long road with no shortcuts. 415 00:15:37,259 --> 00:15:41,019 This is true growth—not becoming a better version of yourself, 416 00:15:41,019 --> 00:15:42,860 but seeing through the illusion of "yourself." That's all for this 417 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:44,600 episode. Do 418 00:15:45,139 --> 00:15:47,340 you think the monkey within you 419 00:15:47,340 --> 00:15:49,139 is currently causing havoc in Heaven, 420 00:15:49,139 --> 00:15:51,039 or is already on the journey to the West? 421 00:15:51,299 --> 00:15:51,980 Or, 422 00:15:51,980 --> 00:15:55,679 which of the eighty-one tribulations do you feel you are experiencing? Feel 423 00:15:55,799 --> 00:15:57,659 free to tell me in the comments section. 424 00:15:57,659 --> 00:15:59,160 I'm very curious about everyone's thoughts. 425 00:15:59,580 --> 00:16:00,519 I'm Wang Lijie, 426 00:16:00,519 --> 00:16:01,259 see you next time.