What do you mean by "three steps in the bridge" in The Journey to the West?

When I was watching the Journey to the West recently, I saw a bridge and three entrances in this place. Then someone asked, what does this bridge three-step shoe mean? In fact, it is still very meaningful. Let's look at this problem together.

The story of "Three Steps on the Bridge" was originally a story that happened to Sean in the Western Han Dynasty. Used in The Journey to the West to guide the Monkey King to return to Tang Sanzang, the original chapter 16 can be seen.

So, what is the meaning of the three-step shoes of the bridge?

First, antecedents

First of all, knowing the reason why things happened makes it easier to understand the moral and significance of the story.

The Monkey King has been at the foot of Wuxing Mountain for 500 years. I was struck by lightning and ate iron pills with copper juice. Thanks to the guidance of Master Guanyin, the Tang Dynasty learned from the West.

Since Tang Sanzang rescued the Monkey King from the foot of Wuxing Mountain, Wukong was filled with tears and remembered what Guanyin said, so he worshipped Tang Sanzang as his teacher. At first, the mentoring got along well, but after meeting a group of robbers, there was a great contradiction, so that the Monkey King resigned!

There are six robbers in the gang. One is to see happiness, the other is to listen to anger, the other is to smell love, the other is to taste thoughts, the other is to see desire, and the other is to worry about the body. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, heart and body correspond to the six dusts mentioned by Buddhists: the sense of touch of color, sound and fragrance, so it is generally believed that the six thieves represent the six dusts in the Monkey King, or six. Buddhism pays attention to six clean, the Monkey King killed six thieves is actually to get rid of their own six.

But in Tang Sanzang's eyes, the Monkey King killed his mother, his father's ordinary people, killed his life in vain, so he was driven away. Although the Monkey King was born as a stone monkey, he was impatient by nature and endured mountain pressure for 500 years. Still stubborn, he left Tang Sanzang to drink with the Old Dragon King in the East China Sea.

That's why the Monkey King saw the painting "Three Steps on the Bridge" in the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea, which changed his mind and led him to find Tang Sanzang and get back on the road.

Second, allusions.

The story of Sanbuqiao comes from Historical Records Hou Shijia written by Sima Qian. The story goes like this: At the end of Qin Dynasty, an old man deliberately threw his shoes under the bridge of Xiapi (now Gupi Town, Suining County, Jiangsu Province) and asked Sean to put them on him.

When Sean saw that the old man was old, he held back his anger and wanted to help him get his shoes back. Then he knelt down and put them on him.

The old man threw his shoes three times, and every time Sean took them back angrily and put them on him, so they were called "three-in-one shoes". After repeated experiments, the old man taught Sean the art of war. The old man was Huang Shigong, and Sean later helped Liu Bang achieve the imperial career.

Third, special arrangements

Then, after the Monkey King saw the painting "Three-Step Shoes of Bridge" in the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea, he asked the old dragon king what the scenery was, so the old dragon king in the East China Sea told him the story of the three-step shoes of Sean Bridge.

Finally, special emphasis is placed on:

(Sean) After the Taiping Rebellion, he abandoned his post and returned to the mountains. He swam from red pine and became a fairy road. Great Sage, if you don't protect Tang Priest, work hard and teach him, you will never be demon fairy.

The Monkey King thoughtfully after listening to, the along while don't talk. In The Old Dragon King, he said, "The Great Sage has his own disposal, and he should not be complacent and miss his future." After that, the Monkey King decided to go back and continue to protect the truth for Tang Sanzang.

In my opinion, this is a specially arranged "thought class". The Monkey King was born long, with high understanding, which few people in the three realms can match. However, if you refuse to receive education, direct reprimand will be counterproductive and ineffective. Therefore, Guanyin arranged an educational painting for the Monkey King to see, and the wise Wukong would certainly understand the profound meaning.

"Three steps into the bridge" is to let the Monkey King know that he should have patience and perseverance in doing things, sacrifice himself and respect his teacher, and follow Tang Sanzang to achieve positive results.