Since his birth the king monkey has shown a theme of emptiness to the reading audience. The king monkey was born of a stone rock that split and did not have any parents or siblings to teach him any ways of life. When the king monkey was born, he had never been given a name. “At nebula’s first clearing there was no name” (pg. 436). At the end of the first chapter, the king monkey was given the name ‘Wake – to – Vacuity’. Due to the emptiness the king monkey has been experiencing, he was extremely excited to receive a name. “Splendid! Splendid!” Said the monkey king, “henceforth I shall be be called Sun Wukong” (pg. 436). The King monkey receiving a name is significant because of the theme of emptiness presented in his character.
-William Dayan
The Monkey King now known as Sun Wukong, whose name “Wake To Vacuity” can be translated to also mean “to acknowledge emptiness.” The theme of emptiness, in a literal sense of not containing anything, is also present in the very “DNA” of the Monkey King. As he was born of stone, a material not living, but cold and ‘empty’. It is also said that the stone from which he is born is “…an immortal stone”(Pg.424) whose measurements “corresponded to the three hundred and sixty five cyclical degrees, while the circumference of twenty four feet corresponded to the twenty four solar terms of the calendar”(Pg.424). This symbolizes how time has no real bearing on the Monkey King as he is immortal just like the stone he from which he came from. However the monkey does not even seem to realize his own immortality since it is after three or four hundred years of living this “insouciant existence”(Pg.428), that he realizes that “old age, and physical decay in the future will disclose the secret sovereignty of Yama, King of the Underworld. If we die, shall we not have lived in vain, not being able to rank forever among the Heavenly beings?”(Pg.248) Although it seems that he is expressing concern for his loyal subjects it is likely that he is thinking of himself. It is as if he is searching for a different type of emptiness than the one he was born with. He begins a journey to attempt to rid himself of his fears of the future that loom over his head. He believes if he finds these Heavenly Beings they will lead him down a path to achieve inner emptiness to feel at peace.
-Brian Baigorria
During his journey, the Monkey King claims he is on a search for immortality. The Monkey King seems to define immortality as the result of achieving the concept of emptiness in your life. Before setting off on his quest to find the Heavenly beings that can help him achieve immortality, he tells the rest of the monkeys “I will learn from them how to be young forever and escape the calamity inflicted by King Yama.”(429). Previously, the Monkey King explains that King Yama is the King of the Underworld and in the future they all must give up their lives to him. The Monkey King is clearly worrying about death and his life not having a significant meaning. He questions, “If we die, shall we not have lived in vain, not being able to rank forever among the Heavenly Beings?”(428). The solution to his concern is to go on a journey to achieve a sense of immortality by not having to worry about King Yama and what the future may hold for him. It is not just a journey of immortality, but also a journey of inner peace, and learning how to eliminate fears in order to achieve a state without suffering or a sense of self, and in summary, a state of emptiness.
-Sabera Qazi