Chapter 14: Mind Monkey returns to the Right; The Six Robbers vanish from sight.
In which Sun Wukong is freed but at the cost of being moralised by Tripitaka.
Yours is the dharmakāya of True Mind / The dharmakāya / Has no shape or form: The dharmakaya is the absolute basis of reality, from which all phenomena emanate. It is important to understand that the dharmakaya is not like heaven, or somewhere we go when we die or "get enlightened." It is the basis of all existence, including you. It is also the spiritual body or "truth body" of all buddhas. It is also important to understand that the dharmakaya is always present and pervades everywhere. It cannot manifest as itself, yet all beings and phenomena manifest from it. It is in many ways synonymous with Buddha Nature and with sunyata, or emptiness. (Source)
“I thank Elder Brother for taking the trouble of escorting my master”: Even though Sun Wukon is way older than Boqin, he uses the expression “elder brother” 哥(哥) because it’s a very common expression used in China to refer to someone more knowledgeable than you or someone you respect but who isn’t an elderly person, and maybe since Sun Wukon isn’t human, he thinks humans just look older than himself.
“…and one stroke caused its brain to burst out like ten thousand red petals of peach blossoms”: Poetic.
“One of the amahs was told to fetch the needle and thread”: An amah is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, and perform other domestic tasks.
“Tripitaka was so terrified that his soul left him and his spirit fled”: Second time fainting.
“…he hurriedly picked up a few pinches of earth with his fingers and scattered them like incense, bowing reverently toward the East”: I am not 100% sure but I think he does that to make Earth witness what just happened. He bows towards the east because Guanyin said that’s where she lives (and the direction that Sun Wukong followed).
Reckless monkey! I hope they don’t fight anymore and he follows the orders of Tripitaka.
See you on the 28th!