Work Journey to the West by Ngo Thua An and the television adaptation have become legendary in the hearts of many Asian audiences. But no matter how many times we rewatch it, there are still many details in this classic film that many people cannot explain.
As we know, Sun Wukong has the ability to use the dou cloud scale, one tumble can travel thousands of miles, and the travel time is less than a minute. This is a speed that today's high-speed trains, airplanes, and rockets cannot match. Meanwhile, Tang Tang, Sun Wukong's master, had to walk and travel long distances for 14 years to reach Tay Thien.
Some viewers will wonder: With just one use of the Dau Van scale, the four teachers and students of Duong Tang were able to immediately reach Tay Thien, so why did Duong Tang have to walk so hard for 14 years?
The truth is that Ton Ngo Khong does not want to, but cannot do so!
In the great masterpiece Journey to the West There are details that when in Dai Duong, Tang Monk once said that this trip to request sutras must definitely use his feet, step by step to go to Tay Thien, to prove his devotion to Buddha Tathagata. Having to go through 81 tribulations, Tang Monk and his disciples can “cultivate to attain righteous fruition”.
According to the original work, Tang Monk was originally a disciple of Buddhism. Due to his mistake, he was brought down to earth and had to go through 10 tribulations before he could return to Linh Son. In his journey to reach Buddhahood, Tang Monk had to overcome many difficult challenges, give up fame and fortune and worldly desires.
To be enlightened, Tang Monks need to persevere in practice, face and overcome the tough challenges of life. Only by patiently enduring and overcoming all difficulties could he achieve recognition and liberation.
Emperor Thai Tong was very happy after hearing this, then immediately gave him a passport (like today's passport), essentially to monitor Tang Tang, to see if he really traveled long distances or not. . Therefore, the use of Sun Wukong's dou cloud to carry Duong Tang was partly due to this.
Besides, the author also incorporates a deeper meaning through this detail. In the story, Pigsy once said the following when refusing to carry Tang Monk across the river: “If you carry an ordinary person and fly in the clouds, even three meters cannot leave the ground. Carrying an ordinary person is as heavy as a mountain.”
The magic of flying in the clouds belongs to the gods, and Sun Wukong's clouds, no matter how magical they are, are not for ordinary people. This is the law of the three realms: if you carry an ordinary person, the ordinary person will be as heavy as a mountain and this is impossible.
Why is that? Because people are often too “heavy”, there are too many things – too many desires. The reason why Sun Wukong and Pigsy became fairies and could fly was because they were not allowed to get involved with these things. Therefore, even if they wanted to, they could not carry Tang Tang across the river, much less carry Tang Tang to Tay Thien.
Source: 163
