Having gotten everything he wanted by the end of last week's chapter, Sun Wukong starts to get a little too chummy with the officials in heaven. They're trying to do a job, and he's acting like a total bro! Thankfully, the legendary Xu Sun has a plan--put him in charge of the Immortal Peach Garden, but don't let him have any--what could possibly go wrong? Well, if heaven hasn't learned its lesson yet, we're all about to... give a monkey a job, and simian shenanigans are bound to ensue, especially if it involves forbidden fruit. Join Richard and James as we continue to update the Monkey King's LinkedIn profile, meet the Queen Mum above, and find out what happens when you harass her assistants!
Welcome to our first episode! Join us each week as we take listeners through one of China's most beloved novels. Over 500 years old, this tale of four pilgrims' journey to India to acquire invaluable Buddhist scriptures has delighted billions of Asian children yet is relatively unknown here in the west. Well, this podcast aims to change that! Join childhood friends Richard Tseng and James Young as we embark on an adventure to read and review every single chapter of the Anthony C Yu translation of Wu Chen'en's epic book. Along the way, we'll bust myths (did the Sun Wukong really burst out of stone?) examine its impact (Which world-famous animes did this legend inspire?) and learn more about Asian culture and its myths overall (which Indian monkey god inspired our monkey king?) So quit monkeying around, support our podcast, and let's hit the silk road!
Now that ol' Sun Wukong has a teacher, he's well on his way to getting his masters in immortality. But who is this mysterious Patriarch that gave him his name? And what tests will his simian student have to pass to gain these secret instructions? Meanwhile, how are his simian subjects holding up without their king to rule over Flower Fruit Mountain? Cup a paw to your ears and listen up--the adventure continues in Journey to the West: The Podcast!
This week Richard and James follow the Monkey King's rise to earthly power--and beyond! Having overcome the Monstrous King of Havoc, ol' Sun Wukong begins causing some havoc of his own. Realizing that the growing might of his primate forces are bound to attract attention from predators, Wukong knows he needs weapons faster than his opposable thumb-challenged compatriots can learn to make them. What's a monkey monarch to do? Will the newly-immortalized Monkey King ask nicely, or will the book's hero become a villain--just as the Patriarch predicted? The answer to this, how Sun Wukong gets his magic rod and more! Keep an eye on your valuables and an ear on this podcast, because this week's going to be a Simian shakedown!
After the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, literally sent Deus Ex Machina packing last week by thrashing the two minor gods sent to take his soul, we're introduced to heaven's favorite civil servant, the wily Gold Star of Venus. Who is this divine bureaucrat and will his plan to tame Wukong with a job working for the kingdom above work? What exactly is a BanHorse and what does he do? This week, Richard and James explore the heavenly kingdoms of ancient China, discover the nature of its ruler the Jade Emperor's power, and watch as the world's most powerful monkey throws a tantrum worthy of any self-entitled millennial, even getting his bosses to give him a job title of his own making! (Thankfully, the words "ninja", "rockstar" or "guru" aren't in it.) Tune in this week to find out how Monkey gets himself a promotion!
After getting caught red-handed for stealing the Queen Mother's peaches, harassment and drinking on the job (but mainly for stealing those peaches), heaven's forces give the Monkey King a choice: surrender, or war? Naturally, newly-fired peach guardian the Monkey King chooses open rebellion instead of accepting punishment. Is there nobody in the universe strong enough to bring ol' Monkey to justice? While the Jade Emperor sends for a monster-subduing specialist, heaven's 'John Wick', the god Erlang, the Boddhisattva of Mercy, Guanyin got her own staff-swinging disciple, Moksa! Can he succeed where his brother, Nata, failed? This week, Richard and James meet The Little Sage and witness more transformations than a Michael Bay blockbuster—don't miss it!
With his forces finally defeated and the rebellious Sun Wukong himself brought to heel, one question remains: How do you punish an immortal when he's made himself impossible to kill? Everyone from the executioner to the fire department will try to end this monkey's life. Even history's most famous Taoist, Lao Tzu tries out his Brazier for an old-fashioned Monkey King smoke out! But if public executions aren't your thing—have no fear! This week's episode promises more action, more simian hijinks, and a bitch slap felt 'round the universe because the embodiment of Nirvana himself is in the house. That's right, Buddha's here now, and he's sure to entertain us!
What's Buddha going to do now that the monkey madness is over? Finish his magnum opus on how to get enlightened, that's what. And how does an ancient ascended all-knowing awakened one launch a book series before social media and Amazon? By getting Guanyin (see episode 6) to find a worthy monk from the East capable of making the perilous journey to India to get them, that's how. Now the trip to China's capital, Chang'an, is no walk in the park even for immortals. So a human monk carrying priceless scriptures is going to need protection. Watch Guanyin's masterful recruiting skills at work as she uses her mercy and compassion (and inspirational words of wisdom) to convert every monster she meets along the way. Plus, her disciple Moksa's got a big stick. So when the carrots fail, thrilling combat is bound to ensue! Join Richard and James as we catch up with old Monkey under the mountain and help Guanyin pave the way for some new disciples to Buddha's cause.
Guanyin's ready to meet the monk who will retrieve Buddha's scriptures, and so are we! If you thought Batman's origin was sad, just wait until you read Xuanzhang's. It's got echoes of Moses and Bruce Wayne, with plenty of tragedy and divine intervention to boot. Plus, want an Ancient Chinese government job? Well, get your time machine ready because we're about to tell you how! Just watch out for bandits and evil ferrymen because the relocation is fraught with peril. On a more serious note, we also take a brief look at how Ancient Chinese cultures viewed suicide and why it would pop up in an otherwise happy ending to this week's story. Not exactly a "very special episode" but one you won't want to miss nonetheless.
We had a really great time sitting down with Jim McClanahan whose blog, Journey to the West Research is a wealth of information on all things Monkey King and his pals. Whether you're just starting the book with us or you've spent more time ruminating on the book than Wukong has spent under Five Phase Mountain, there's something new for everybody.
We go from commoners and lords to emperors and gods in this week's chapter of Journey to the West. Starting with an Ancient Chinese rap battle and ending with one of China's greatest emperors passing away into the great beyond. A dragon head will roll in this week's episode. Don't miss it!
It's like Dante's Inferno meets a Christmas Carol in this week's Journey to the West podcast. One of the greatest emperors who's ever lived confronts the ghosts of political intrigue's past when he's forced to stand trial for failing to save the Dragon King and then confront his brothers who he killed to get to the throne. Talk about a mortifying family reunion! Join Richard and James in this very spooky Halloween episode!
In which the emperor's attempts to keep all the promises he made in the afterlife leads to the building of a grand temple and the commencement--once and for all--of the Journey to the West. If you were wondering what the hell was going on (pun intended) with this extended detour involving a Dragon King, royal brothers, that loan made out in the afterlife, this chapter gives you all the answers. It all had to happen so that Guan Yin could find the right disciple to get the scriptures. Join Richard & James this week to see how it all went down!
This week the venerable Xuanzang, aka Tripitaka, begins his quest for the scriptures! And it goes... about as well as you'd expect from a few naive monks with no fighting or sorcery abilities. But just when all hope is lost, our old friend the Planet Venus makes a cameo, as does a friendly woodcutter and his family in the woods. So stop in for some game and find out why James and Richard call this the "Tom Bombadil" chapter.
The Monkey King meets the king of monks in an encounter that's been a long time coming. And the Journey to the West is officially, finally, underway! Only, the two almost immediately get into a fight and Sun Wukong runs off to have tea with an old friend. How will Xuanzang keep his disciple loyal? Tune in to find out!
This week, Xuanzang and Monkey King are forced to take a long walk, as a dragon eats the chosen monk's horse! And don't think the Monkey King's forgotten about that whole headache-inducing-hat trick that Guanyin pulled off in the last chapter! This episode's all about confrontations. You won't want to miss it!
This week, the monk Tripitaka and his disciple, the Monkey King Sun Pilgrim, arrive at a temple and encounter an old abbot who's got a thing for fancy things. While the monk wants to stay humble, old Sun Wukong can't help but show off their stuff. As a result, the old abbot gets jealous and calamity befalls everyone! Will our two heroes survive? Tune in this week to find out!
If this week's chapter was a Marvel comic, it would be a top-seller and totally worthy of being part 2. With the cassock gone and Monkey King unable to overcome the bear monster who took it with brute force alone, he gets help from the Bodhisattva of Mercy, Guanyin! But not before she drops some pearls of wisdom that makes Wukong see himself in a different light. Tune in this week for an eye-opening episode with Richard and James!
Who do you call when your son-in-law turns out to be a literal pig, a divorce attorney or an exterminator? That's the dilemma facing old man Gao when Wukong and his master, Tripitaka, come across their village. What follows is like Little Red Riding Hood in reverse as Monkey not only rescues Gao's daughter but pranks her monstrous husband by taking on her appearance. It's an UN-romantic comedy you won't want to miss!
This week we get the exciting conclusion to Sun Wukong's fight with Zhu the pig monster and the Gao family's ordeal. In the process, Zhu gets a new name, Tripitaka gains a new disciple, and we all learn the Heart Sutra to level up in our journey. It's an essential episode that's not to be missed!
Socky W
love the content but my God talk into the mic and dont do your dishes or rearrange your pots and pans while recording. geesh!