II. Beginning Episodes
(Chapters 23> 52)
from Chinese Alchemy & the Monkey

Chapter 23: Piggy corrupted by desires

Episode 1: The Widow and her 3 daughters

Chapters 24->26: Piggy corrupts Monkey to obtain Ginseng

Episode 2: Taoist Master, Lord Equal to Earth

To realize the Buddha-nature immanent in all things
Buddha-nature not warm and cuddly
Instant Enlightenment of Zen?
Lead follows Mercury or Mind serves desire
Harmonizing Yin and Yang

Chapters 27->31: Piggy corrupts Tripitaka to ban Monkey

Episode 3: Old Monster Yellow Robe

Deceived by Crafty Nature Tripitaka banishes Mind
Vain thoughts can not be destroyed by force
Bogus and Real are confused. Or are they?
The Horse of the Will provided the one thought joined with Truth
Investigating the Nature of Things

Chapters 32->35: Tripitaka, a False Tiger

Episode 4: The Monsters of Level Top Mountain

Pain essential to become a man among men
Attention to detail essential for success
Consuming pure food, not enough
Exploiting virtue or Mind and Spirit in discord
Trapped by Identification with Ego
Divine enemies

Chapters 36->39: Distinguishing True from False

Episode 5: The False King of the Black Rooster Kingdom

The necessity of earning merit
When External form doesn’t reflect internal substance
Stages vs. instant self realization
How to expose a falsehood that is universally accepted
Beware of the impotence of bogus beliefs
Truth associated with Pain, not Comfort. Darn!
Cursed by Heaven due to Stopping short from Fear

Chapters 40->42: Five Phases Confused

Episode 6: The Red Faced Boy

Tripitaka trapped by the endless circles of a drama queen
Stillness breeds fiends
Not giving up, even though good advice is consistently ignored
Self-cultivation is not enough
Five Phases Blocked by Solid Truth
Taking a bath with the wrong water
Coming to the Truth through Pain

Chapter 43: Sand earns Merit

Episode 7: The Monster of the Black River wants to eat Tripitaka

Monkey warns Tripitaka not to assemble the Six Robbers
Just concentrate on carrying the loads on our backs
For those on the Path troubles abound

Chapters 44->46: The Disciples expose Intolerance

Episode 8: The enslaved Buddhists of Slow Cart Kingdom

Overturning the Cart
Liberation through Humor
Lighthearted Tolerance, one of the Highest Virtues

Chapters 47->49: An Impatient Tripitaka

Episode 9: The Monster of the Heaven Reaching River

Never as easy as we expect
Tripitaka, as Bait - Meant to be
The Blessings of the gods, or their Test?
Taking reality too seriously
Trapped by his impatience to reach the Western Heaven
Chosen Ones lamenting their Fate
Seeking Affinity to Solve Problems
Partial knowledge of Buddhism breeds monsters
Some mistakes are meant to be
Fundamentals in place and all else falls into place
Tripitaka makes a fateful promise to the river crossing tortoise

Chapters 50->52: A Bullheaded Tripitaka

Episode 10: The Buffalo Monster of Golden Helmet Mountain

First sweep the mind of the dust of affections
When earth follows mercury, troubles follow
Laugh rather than cry
Buddhism and Taoism join forces to tame Mind
Friend and foe, we are all the same
Bullheaded, or the consequences of not listening