Monkey King Sun Wu Kong——Journey to the West

If you ask an average Western reader, they might say it is because the book has flying monkeys, demons who can turn into beautiful women, and magical bottles that can hold the entire sky. It sounds a bit like an Eastern version of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, full of magic and adventure. But if you only read it as a fantasy story, then you are probably only seeing the surface of the book. It is like looking only at the clothes a person is wearing, without noticing the beating heart beneath them.

Among Tang Monk's three disciples, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie always stand out, while Sha Wujing seems to be the one most easily overlooked. When you think back on the whole journey to the West, Sun Wukong's image is all about incredible powers and daring to rebel. Zhu Bajie's image is all about loving food, being a bit lazy, and having a funny, charming personality. But what about Sha Wujing? For most people, the impression might just be: carrying the luggage, leading the horse, and repeating a few lines like, "Big Brother! Master's been captured by a demon!"

But today, let's talk about Tang Monk's third disciple—Sha Wujing.

Today’s question is this: why do some people say that Juu Baa Jyeh was actually the disciple Tang Sanzang liked the most?

Now I know a lot of you might disagree right away. After all, throughout the entire journey to the West, Sun Wukong was clearly the main fighter. Every single time Tang Sanzang was captured by demons, it was Sun Wukong who risked his life, who battled fiercely, who ran around calling in favors from gods and immortals. That’s how Tang Sanzang made it safely all the way to India. So logically speaking, shouldn’t Sun Wukong be the favorite disciple?

In Journey to the West, there are countless powerful gods and immortals，

The two honored ones obeyed.

Tang San Zhang, Sun Wu Kong, Juu Baa Jyeh, and Sha Seng returned to the main road.

As they traveled, they slowly realized that this place was truly different.

They had entered the land of the Buddha.

It was nothing like the places they had passed before.

Here, the people practiced kindness in every home.

Every household willingly offered food to monks.

No one avoided them and no one looked down on them.

A royal wedding hides a dangerous secret.

The king of the Kingdom of Tianzhu usually loved mountains rivers and flowers.

On that very day.

The blacksmith had been rushing his work for several days.

The cabinet was locked and they could not open it right away.