東方朔から孫悟空へ

Abstract

This is a famous episode in the Xi-you-ji 西遊記 that Sun Wu-kong steals peaches from the Queen of the West 西王母, and as you know, originally the thief was Dong-fang Shuo who served under the Emperor Wu 武帝 of the Han 漢 dynasty in history. Taoists said that Dong-fang Shuo is exiled to the earth by the Queen of the West, and that he introduces the Emperor Wu, who wants to be immortal, to a lot of things about the west. The character of Dong-fang Shuo arranged by Taoists reminds us of Hou Xing-zhe 猴行者, the antecedent of Sun Wu-kong, in the Da-Tang San-zang qu-jing shi-hua 大唐三藏取經詩話. Hou Xing-zhe steals peaches from the Queen of the West and is banished from heaven, subsequently he guides Tripitaka Xuan-zang 玄奘三藏 to the west for the purpose of obtaining Buddhist scriptures. The author points out that Buddhists adapted the Taoist character of Dong-fang Shuo as a guide to Hou xing-zhe when they described the pilgrimage and ascentation of Tripikata Xuan-zang. Before giving this view, the author discusses Ju-ling 巨靈, who fights with Sun Wu-kong as a general in the Xi-you-ji. Ju-ling was depicted by Taoists as a dwarf who is a messenger of the Queen of the West and is exposed by Dong-fang Shuo. Going back to the Han dynasty, Ju-ling had two types of the original form, one was the God of canal works, and the other was a turtle which bears a holy mountain on its back. Moreover Ju-ling is now male, now female. The author pays attention to these multiple images of Ju-ling, and explore the origin of the so-called trapped monkey. Then in view of the "goddess and traveler" motif he analyzes the relationship between Dong-fang Shuo and the Queen of the West, as well as Sun Wu-kong and the Goddess of Mercy 觀音菩薩. This analysis shows us the evolution of Sun Wu-kong and the Goddess of Mercy from Dong-fang Shuo and the Queen of the West, which took place against the background of the race for power between Buddhists and Taoisits.