great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Despite the fact that Monkey has lived a seemingly full life— king of the monkeys, living within a beautiful waterfall, having been around hundreds of years— he can’t seem to shake the feeling that something is missing in his life. This is obvious in the quote, “Though I am very happy at the moment, I am a little concerned about the future. Hence I’m distressed.” This is where one can see how the name Wake-to-Vacuity is so appropriate. This is the moment in which he realizes that he needs something more than what he already has, hence his realization to emptiness or wake to vacuity. And thus his journey begins, leading us to one of the Six Perfections— action. He embarks on this journey in his attempt to find meaning to his life. And he’s obviously willing to go through great lengths to reach his destination as evident in, “Your pupil drifted across the oceans and trudged through many regions for more than ten years before finding this place.” This is where we can wonder if Monkey is all about action. In the sense that he has this idea of finding something more but he’s acting before he can fully think it through. Already he has spent ten years of his life in an attempt to achieve more, therefore wasting time

– Aly Yoon

Aly, you make a great point and I agree with you when you state that his name, Wake-to-Vacuity, relates to the theme of action. Wake-to-Vacuity can be interpreted as a realization of the emptiness the Monkey feels in his life. In order for Monkey to make something out of the remaining time he has left to live, he has to become involved and be in action. The idea of action is first seen when the monkeys are traveling up the waterfall and they become curious to know what is behind the curtain. Without hesitation, Monkey volunteers to be the one to travel into the waterfall. Moreover, before he embarks on his journey, Monkey exclaims, “Tomorrow I shall take leave of you all and go down the mountain. Even if I have to wander with the clouds to the corners of the sea or journey to the distant edges of Heaven, I intend to find these three kinds of people.” This quote portrays the idea of action by showing us that Monkey is determined and will not return unless he completes his goal. Lastly, Aly, you mention something interesting. “Already he has spent ten years of his life in an attempt to achieve more, therefore wasting time.” This can be interpreted in many ways. The way that I see it related back to the theme. At least, Monkey decided to act upon the situation and embark on a journey that would impact him deeply.

– Jorge Moreno

Jorge and Aly you both give great examples of how the name, Wake-to-Vacuity, relates to the theme of action.  The way I believe Monkey’s name can relate to the theme of action is because he feels his life is empty or the beginning, he needs to take action to apply meaning to life and fill it with meaning.  The quote “If we die, shall we not have lived in vain, not being able to rank forever among the Heavenly beings” helps support action because it explains how he wants to go out and be able to make his life impact the world.  From what I read, I can tell Monkey is willing to do whatever it takes to find the meaning and understanding that his life may need.  Another quote “Going through big cities and visiting small towns, he unwittingly spent eight or nine years” portrays his will and dedication to action to have a fulfilled life.  Because his name is Wake-to-Vacuity, it is also a portrayal that his journey of action is just beginning and will take all his will power to reach his goal.

– Preston Cheung