Monkey vs The Heart Sutra - Essay Example

? "Monkey" Vs. "The Heart Sutra” Task Introduction In Monkey, Wu Cheng En describes a true story concerning the Buddhism religion in East Asia. Wu Cheng En tells a true story about a renowned Chinese rector known as Xuan Zang. The monk was exceptionally religious, and was not satisfied by the holy book they used to read and seek guidance. Therefore, he decided to make a journey to India to find the remaining scriptures that were required to make the book whole. In the book, Stone Monkey king accompanied by Hsuan Tsang and other believers begin their journey modestly. They face challenges and difficulties during the journey, such difficulties included fighting immortals and aiding the underprivileged in the society (Cheng En). They had to observe the conformities of Buddhism strictly and not fall because of temptation. Conversely, The Heart Sutra consists of words that are in prayer form that the religious individuals in Japan recite every time after or before meditation sitting. Earlier, it was written in the Japanese language, but was translated to English recently. The length of the writing is approximately three hundred words, which makes it simple to read and memorize. The message is about Buddhism religion and one does not have to listen to the words, but it is exceptionally riveting when sung. It is one of the popular Sutras of the religion and mostly chanted by the faithful during the worship time. In this essay, the similarities and differences of the two literatures based on religion, history and approach in language would be offered. Comparisons Both the monkey and The Heart Sutra in English are related to the Buddhism religion that is practiced in the East Asian countries such as Korea, China, and Japan. The two base their interest in the religious culture that is followed by the faithful. Wu Cheng En writes about the emergence of a better holy book of Buddhism by narrating the story about the Stone Monkey King who organized along a journey to the west to find the missing scriptures that were missing (Cheng En). The foremost reason why journey was organized was the love and conviction the Stone Monkey King had on the religion. Wu Cheng En narrates the challenges of the journey the Monkey and his companions faced just to upgrade the worship style and practices of the Buddhism believers. Similarly, in The Heart Sutra, the writings are related to Buddhism creed since they are a form of prayer, praise, and worship. The monks leading a worship session during prayer time use it to please their gods. Early religious leaders used it often, and it has grown to be one of the prominent prayer recitations in the religion (Joseph). It is widely common, and therefore, forced to be translated from the initial Japan Language to other languages. This is to make it easy for other Buddhism believers to use it in their worship. In addition, they have a historic origin, probably in the 1500s. They are both chronological events and facts that are written firmly in the history books of the Buddhism religion. Wu Cheng En describes the story of Stone Monkey King as an event that occurred several years ago. The settings that the author uses in his writing describe the early life that was practiced by the people that time. The journey that they had planned of was to be trekked, since there was no transport design they could use for the long journey (Cheng En). They had to walk to India, spending many nights along the roadside. The background shows undoubtedly that the occasion happened in the past since transport methodologies were not invented at the time. The story is also a real historical event that occurred in the land of China long time ago. Xuan Zang, the prominent Chinese Monk was a true believer of the Buddhism religion and ventured in finding out the missing scriptures that carried vital information about the religion. Wu Cheng En wrote the real life story using other characters to represent the main ones. Similarly, The Heart Sutra characterizes chanted Buddhist sutras that was written previously and is a real article (Joseph). It has been used for an exceptionally long time by the Buddhists faithful during their worship. The religion has been greatly influenced by the Sutra and therefore its historical information has been researched broadly and kept in the religious books. For a long time, the passage was previously written in one language, which was used by all the Buddhists religious faithful (Joseph). According to historical information, it later necessitated being translated to other languages due to expansion of the religion globally. Contrasts The difference between the two is that Monkey is a long story narrating the Stone Monkey King while The Heart Sutra is a short three hundred words passage used during worship time. Wu Cheng En describes the story of Stone Monkey King who was born from a stone. The Stone monkey was more gifted than the other monkeys, which enabled him to learn several magical tricks. This made him more superior than other monkeys, and hence, declared himself as their King (Cheng En). He becomes elated, and later decides to leave a mark that he will be remembered with during his legacy. Therefore, he decides to look for a religion that he would practice with its people. A journey is organized and he decides to go India to search for scriptures that they will use to form a religion. The journey is full of challenges and the Stone Monkey King undergoes challenging situations that they had no other obligation but to face courageously (Cheng En). Conversely, The Heart Sutra is a passage that is written majorly for worship. It is recited every time the religious believers have assembled to offer their prayers (Joseph). Unlike the Monkey, which is a book, The Heart Sutra is a three hundred-word passage consisting of praising words of their superior. Therefore, they are completely different in the methods of formatting and word structure. Additionally, the lengths of the writings are not alike since one is longer. While the Monkey has a definite, recognized author, The Heart Sutra has an anonymous author. Wu Cheng En is the writer of the narrative and is the person behind the achievements of the book. Every person buying or accessing the book is able to identify the origin of the book, and the profile of the author for a good comprehension. Conversely, similar to most religious scriptures, The Heart Sutra has no author, and it has simply been accepted as a piece of religious literature. The comparisons discussed are the common relationship they have on Buddhism religion. Apart from the religious similarities, the two both have a historical connotation and relationship to the Buddhist culture. The difference between them is that Monkey is a long narrative while The Heart Sutra is a short passage containing holy words to be used in the worship. Finally, the difference the two works of literature have is that the Monkey has an author while the other one does not have an author. Conclusion The differences that are highlighted in the essay are that Wu Cheng En writes a long story that talks of the journey the Stone Monkey King made during the world session. The other difference is that, on one is written by an author while the other one does not have any author that wrote the book. The similarities between the two articles exist in their historic significance. Their sources of information diverge and are referred to some hundreds rears ago. An author who is exceptionally prominent to the readers writes the Monkey. The author shows the background story of a great Chinese Monk that travelled to look for missing scriptures in India. The books hold significant information about the past and teach individuals on the significance of religion in the societal context. The practice and historical significance and growth of Buddhism are noticeably highlighted in the two pieces. Works Cited Cheng En, Wu. Monkey. London: Penguin Books Ltd. 2005. Print. Joseph. The Heart Sutra (English/Chinese/Korean). Somewhere in Dhamma. 2011. Web. October 17, 2011. Available at: Read More