November 27, 2009
Sun Wu Kung and Hanuman
Lesson Notes for the Teleseminar on Hercules, Western Alchemy and Hanuman and Sun Wu Kong. The point is, literature encapsulates cultivation teachings including true stages of gong-fu. This si the literature that lasts rather than the Harry Potter kind.
=========================== A great video to buy ==========================
Hanuman represents the mind. In this part of the story, chi (prana/air) and consciousness are linked so when the mind is struck dowen all the chi is removed from the world … later Hanuman is given all these gifts by the gods meaning the mind has all powers. Note he’s given mallets as weapons. Sun Wu Kung goes down to the bottom of the ocean (perineum or hai-di) to pick up a needle to use as his weapon. Guess what that is …
This is a great video to watch with children.
============================Watch on Youtube ===========================
Journey to the West videos – this is the old 1986 Chinese version of the story, and I agree this is still the best because of the acting. The voice of Sun Wu Kung is great. Who cares that the special effects are 1986? They were very creative and did excellent casting. In later years, the Chinese may not be able to make television/movies as good as now when they cost less.
Sun Wu Kung is born from a stone — consciousness is born of heaven and earth. He goes down to King Yama of the Hells and wipes out his name from the book of the dead – mind is immortal.
Sun Wu Kung seeks a Teacher and Cultivation Teachings. His teacher is named Subhuti, a take-off on the Shakyamuni Buddha’s student foremost in wisdom. His teacher hits him 3 times and he goes for lessons at the third watch of the night, a take-off on the story of the Altar Sutra of Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen.
Sun Wu Kong is taught all sorts of transformations; the mind has endless functions and can do all sorts of things.
Being appointed “protector of the horses”; horses = chi just like Hanuman’s story there is a relationship.
After making trouble in heaven, the mind is imprisioned via attachment to the body of 5 elements. Sun Wu Kung originally thinks he can get out of the Buddha’s palm but the miraculous powers of the Buddha nature are beyond the sixth consciousness.
Later Xuan Zong is taught a mantra to keep the monkey mind in chekc. The pig represents our 5 sense consciounesses. The horse the monk rides represents using breathing methods. The monk represents the sixth consciousness. The stories are stages of cultivation.
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