A Buddhist Wizard of Oz

[deutsey]

Suppose I were to give you the following clues and asked you to name the story they describe:

-A young and somewhat naïve individual follows a path on a strange journey to a colorful place where special information they need can be found.

-At separate points along the way, the young person encounters and befriends three peculiar characters (one of them a talking animal) who each agrees to join the person on their journey to the colorful place.

-When the four characters arrive at their ultimate destination, the young person discovers that the information they thought they were seeking wasn’t really what they were expecting to find.

You’d be correct if you said these clues resemble the basic plot of The Wizard of Oz, but that’s not the story I have in mind. The one I’m thinking of is Journey to the West, a classic folk novel from China.

Written in the 1590s, Journey to the West follows the legendary quest (based loosely on an actual journey) of Tripitaka, a young Buddhist monk from China who makes a long and difficult trip to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures from India. Along the way, he meets the magical Monkey King (who is as recognizable in Chinese culture as Mickey Mouse is in ours); the loutish Pigsy; and the strong and ever-patient Sandy.

More at link:
http://www.midshorelife.com/content/buddhist-wizard-oz

[Kutjara]

1. And don't forget the classic Japanese TV series, "Monkey,"...

...which was (loosely) based on the book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(TV_series)

[Dogmudgeon]

2. They named a character "Tripitaka"?

That's like naming a character in a Jewish legend "Torah" or "Pentateuch".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripi%E1%B9%ADaka">The Tripitaka is the foundational set of scriptures for Theravadan Buddhists -- it's the "Three Baskets" or collections of wisdom of the early Buddhists.

--d!