西遊記の成立

Abstract

Hsi-yu-chi (西遊記) consists of two main motifs, one of which is from Chinese myth. Hsüan-tsang (玄奘), having crossed a river on the last leg of his trip, looked back and found his own body floating on the water. This means that his body had died and his spirit arrived at the other world, which is identified with Mt. K'un-lun (崑崙) surrounded by Jo-shui (弱水) or deep water. This mountain is considered to be the place where human beings return after death. Hsüan-tsang's followers, such as Sun Wu-k'ung (孫悟空), a monkey, and Chu Pa-chieh (猪八戒), a pig, are regarded as guides to the other world as well as animals that are believed to dwell in Jo-shui. Ancient people realized that world through their own religious experiences. Therefore Hsüan-tsang's arrival at that world also means that he reached the sphere of deliverance with his followers helping him to do it. The other motif is from Buddhism. The destination of Hsüan-tsang's trip was Mt. Ling-chiu (靈鷲), a paradise in Buddhist belief. He entered Nirvana there after his death, which also means he attained deliverance. The roles of the animals as his followers were to guide him to paradise and at the same time to help him attain deliverance. These two motifs permeate the Hsi-yu-chi in close association. It is Sun Wu-k'ung that plays the most active part in the Hsi-yu chi. Thus when we investigate the materialization of Hsi-yu-chi, we should pay particular attention to the communal worship of monkeys. Some groups of people worshipped monkeys as their ancestors and at festivals they would often be possessed by their spirits. They illustrated these experiences in stories of monkeys guiding them to the other world. Also, at Buddhist temples the monkey is worshipped as a protector of Buddhism and is considered a guide to paradise or to deliverance. These two different aspects, one regarding the monkey as an ancestor of a community and the other regarding it as a protector of Buddhism, mingled with each other and brought forth the original Hsi-yu-chi around the T'ang (唐) dynasty. Later, Hsüan-tsang's trip to India, which was a historical fact, was introduced into the story. This trip is the third, but less important, motif. The literary texture of the Hsi-yu-Chi was gradually enriched in the course of time, until the story reached its complete form in the Ming (明) Dynasty.