Buddhism is the most revered religion in Asia. The history of Buddhism takes us back to northern India, 2,500 years ago. Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of this religion. Siddhartha Gautama was the crown prince of a nation in northern India. When he was young, he would go out of his palace and observe the pains of the people for i) Childbirth, ii) Aged, iii) Sick, and iv) Death. He escaped from his palace and trained to save people from his pain. He became an awakened Buddha. Buddhism quickly gained ground in India, but it could not be important there. Some argue that the kings and politicians of ancient India did not welcome Buddhism’s belief, the equality of the people under Buddha, for their purpose of government. Buddha, however, remained on the Indian religious scene to be one of the many gods of Hinduism.
How did Buddhism become the most revered religion in Asia? China played an important role in Buddhism growing in Asian countries. How did Buddhism specialize in China? It was in the 7th century that a Chinese monk, Xuanzang Fashi, traveled to India in violation of the law. He studied Buddhism in several key places in Indian Buddhism. He brought Buddhist scriptures to China. The Xuanzan monks worked to translate these Scriptures into Chinese. Xuanzan Fashi was the main reason Buddhism found favor in China and Asian countries.
Later in China, Xuangzan’s trip to India became a fictional story. In this story, 3 monsters follow Xuangzan as Buddhism learners. They are i) Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong, ii) Big Monster, Zhu Beijie, and iii) Soldier Ghost, Sha Wujing. The title of this story is “Journey to the West (Xi You Ji). The story became popular all over the world. It was made into cartoons several times in China and Japan. The media made it into movies and TV shows many times. .
The 3 followers of Xuanzan Fashi had their own stories. They were stories of pain, agony, fear, remorse and resentment. They are pains identical to those of human beings. The 3 followers were the ones who couldn’t bear these pains and turned into monsters. Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong was born from stone. He was smart and powerful but violent. His supervisor put him under a mountain for 5 thousand years until Xuanzang found him and freed him. Zhu Beijie and Sha Sujing were generals in heaven. Their supervisors and colleagues exiled them to earth to punish them. They had been waiting to meet Xuanzong for thousands of years.
They fought against all odds, for Xuanzang’s sake. Sun Wukong with his other 2 colleagues saved and helped Xuanzang all the way to India. Their journey was even more painful for everyone than their previous lives, turning them into monsters. On their trip to India, the 3 followers had gradually realized the love philosophy of Buddhism. They grew like buddha trains. At the end of their journey, the Buddha granted them the status of gods of Buddhism. Sinful people can repent and free themselves from the bondage of sin. They can even become gods, even today’s people worship.