Monkey tries to escape Buddha's hand - the meaning of the Journey to the West story
Channel: littlebangdotorg
Date: 2024-03-30

The famous Chinese story in the Journey to the West of how Monkey tries to escape the Buddha's hand, only to find himself still there. This story is a direct description of the meditators mind trapped in perceptions, and how it is to finally escape. 
In this talk find the real meaning behind Monkey's interaction with the Buddha, and how he became trapped in a human body.
The story parallels the story of Rohitassa, in the Pali Buddhist suttas. Rohitassa also failed to find the end of the universe.
Dhamma talk by Pandit Bhikkhu, Thailand 2013 on the Rohitassa Sutta. 


Rohitassa was a bhikkhu in the Buddha's time who claimed to have traveled across the universe, never finding the end of the world. Sakyamuni 
Buddha gave him a short teaching. This sutta is one of the earliest teachings.