Buddhism and the arts
Books
Stories
Oct 30, 2022

The Stories of Monkey | Martin Goodson

The magical stories of Monkey, from the novel Journey to the West, are retold by The Zen Gateway.

©

Original Image by Roberta Mansell

Introduction to the Stories of Monkey | With illustrations by

Stories Retold
Born from a rock, possessing magical powers to rival the Gods and imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, the Character of Monkey has been the subject of TV shows, films and Operas.

Monkey | Chapter 1

Journey to the West Retold
A precocious monkey seeks out the secrets to immortality in this retelling of the Chinese classic Journey to the West.

Monkey | Chapter 2

Journey to the West Retold
Monkey learns the secrets of immortality from a Daoist mystic, but how long will his teacher’s patience last?

Monkey | Chapter 3

Journey to the West Retold
In this episode, Monkey ransoms one of the four dragons of creation and gets kidnapped and dragged down into the underworld.

Monkey | Chapter 4

Journey to the West Retold
In this Episode the Jade Emperor of heaven, the planet Venus and multi limbed transforming warriors all attempt to get the precocious monkey under control.

Monkey | Chapter 5

Journey to the West Retold
Monkey, now the Great Sage and Equal of Heaven, has become so powerful that even the emperor of heaven is scared of him, after all he’s still a monkey.

Monkey | Chapter 6

Journey to the West Retold
With no one able to defeat the monkey king the great magician Erh-lang comes up with a cunning plan...

Monkey | Chapter 7

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Although the God's have managed to capture Monkey but he has become so strong the Gods have no way of actually getting rid of him. With no one else left to turn to, the western Buddha is called.

Monkey | Chapter 8

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Monkey has now been imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha but a Bodhisattva who’s on a mission, may be able to get this monkey out of its cage.

Monkey | Chapter 9

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
We take a break from the fantastical misadventures of Monkey to tell a story of love, betrayal and redemption.

Monkey | Chapter 10

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this Episode, the Dragon King makes a bet with a fortune teller unaware that his bet is against Fate itself.

Monkey | Chapter 11

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this Episode, the Emperor faces a trial by the Judges of Death for killing the Dragon King in his dream.

Monkey | Chapter 12

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this chapter, the unfortunate couple Liu and his wife Blue lotus, who having being returned to the land of the living, finds that her soul has been placed in the recently deceased Princess Jade Bud's body.

Monkey | Chapter 13

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this episode the monk Tripitaka sets out on his long journey to retrieve the lost Buddhist texts but what will the naïve monk do when he comes face to face with the horrible dangers he was warned about?

Monkey | Chapter 14

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this episode, the monk Tripitaka stumbles across a particular Monkey who has been trapped under a mountain…

Monkey | Chapter 15

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Everyone is blaming Monkey for their misfortune again but surely this time it isn’t his fault?

Topics

AUDIO COURSES
BLOG
BOOK
BOOK EXTRACTS
BOOK REVIEWS
BOOKS
BUDDHISM AND THE ARTS
DAILY LIFE PRACTICE
EXERCISES IN MINDFULNESS
FILM REVIEWS
FOLKLORE
IN LIGHT OF ASIA
INTERVIEWS
NEWS
PEOPLE
PSYCHOLOGY
REVIEWS
STORIES

Donate

The virtue of generosity, charity or giving. Your donations are welcomed.

Learn more
Further reading

Easy by Nature by Lao Tsu | with commentary by Michael Haggiag

Poet's Corner
The virtues of being like water in spiritual training.

Yoka Daishi’s Realising the Way | Book Review by Lucy Spear

This book is a companion and a guide. The poem itself is not so much an instruction manual, rather it’s a distillation of what and how it is to be a pupil of the Way. 

Radical Scepticism: A Middle Way in a time of Ideological Labelling.

Culture has a significant impact on our beliefs. Rather than accepting or rejecting these beliefs, the middle way offers us an alternative.

Adaptation Practice – Living Zen - An online talk 17th June 2025

with Dr Clive Sherlock
By following practical instructions on what to do and guidance on how to do it, emotional strength and insight develop in us. This is the most effective way known for clearing the mind and dealing with the upsetting emotion and disturbing thoughts that lie at the heart of our suffering.