Chapter 8 Sun Wukong complex

When we talk about Oedipus in the East, it is just that the story mainly tells the story of the relationship between a son and his parents.It also implies a son's "Oedipus-hate complex" in his childhood. However, it is undoubtedly a much more complete story. The father-hating and mother-hating complex has long been melted away by the harmonious culture of mankind—this is a story in which modern people can find examples of family life. It may also be because the story of Oedipus did not take place in such an ancient age, or it may be because Chinese feudal culture had already developed very magnificently and matured in the age of birth, the story of Monkey King and the story of Oedipus There is a considerable difference.

In the story of Oedipus, the rivalry between father and son is very cruel.If Oedipus's unintentional patricide showed the son's strong hatred of the father, then before that, the father's foundling had already shown the father's hostility and rejection.The father's hostility towards his son is probably one cause of the son's hostility towards his father.But in Zhong, the father's attitude is much gentler.He taught his son a harsh lesson, but after all, he did not abandon him, but guided him on a broad road of life. The benevolent, magnanimous attitude of the father in the middle is completely different from the image of the old king of Thebes.Even if the foundling of the king of Thebes was foretold by the oracle, it reflects the extreme cruelty of the father.In this story, which we will call Oedipus of the East for the time being, we see a fairly complete image of the father.

If we compare the story of Oedipus and the story of Oedipus with the relationship between father and son, we can find that in Oedipus, the father is pierced by the son's sharp sword, and the son shows his opposition in an extreme way of patricide. Father's hatred and confrontation.In the novel, although the son had a sharp confrontation with his father's rule and was severely suppressed by his father, however, after being leniently liberated by his parents, the son slapped the dust that had fallen on him for five hundred years and went to the west. Learned.He showed no signs of knocking down his father, and never tried to overthrow his father's authority.After conflicting with his father's will, he finally accepted his father's advice.This point shows that the traditional Chinese culture of "father is the foundation" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Even in such ghost stories, there is no expression of the son's dream of trying to overthrow his father's rule.

Art is a picture made by the subconscious mind.When the Oedipus complex manifested itself in the extreme form of "killing the father and marrying the mother" in ancient Greece, it was just a primitive child's dream.And when the Oedipus complex is faintly revealed in such a gentle way in the novel, the children's complex has been suppressed by culture.Even in the compilation of myths, the artist did not dare to reveal the complex of defeating his father, which is enough to illustrate the strong family ethics and moral concepts in traditional Chinese culture, which have accumulated in the artist's subconscious.

Further comparing the myth of Oedipus with the myth, we find that Oedipus expresses the primitive Oedipus complex of childishness by marrying his mother unintentionally.In the middle, Sun Wukong's love for the "mother" of Guanyin Bodhisattva is nothing more than daring to make a little naughty intimacy with her.This kind of teasing is the reasonable treatment that a kind mother often receives in front of a confident son. Sun Wukong, the naughty son's vivid and restrained Oedipus performance, once again shows the powerful normative power of Chinese family ethics and moral culture.It penetrates deep into the subconscious of the artist and becomes an unconscious mode of artistic creation.

In the whole attitude of Sun Wukong to Guanyin Bodhisattva, we see the performance of the son in front of the mother in Chinese culture.When Sun Wukong was holding a golden cudgel in his hand, he was trekking on the road to learn Buddhist scriptures in the west, although he was far away from his parents, he was always under the care of his parents. The whole relationship between him and his parents showed that the Oedipus complex had already begun Family and society well suppressed and regulated by human culture. The story of Monkey King is a story about the healthy personality development of a little boy.

Investigating the conditions and links for the sound development of Sun Wukong's personality, we will come up with a fairly complete series: First, Sun Wukong’s infancy was free and unrestrained, which more or less likened to how a little boy in a family with many children in traditional Chinese society lived happily among children. They break free from the confinement of their parents and play unscrupulously on Huaguo Mountain with their own flags and weapons. This is undoubtedly a necessary condition for boys to grow up.A little boy who lacks this stage of unrestrained and lawless play may not be able to form a sound and perfect personality.

Especially for a creative personality like Sun Wukong, there must be a mischievous and omniscient childhood stage. Second, for children's lawless behavior and necessary discipline, freedom is limited. At this time, the image of the father is at stake.Tathagata Buddha first understood the practice of Sun Wukong to make troubles in the heavenly palace, and carried out persuasive education.When persuasive education was ineffective, he also used the severe sanctions necessary to persuade.He pretended to ignore his son who had made a big mistake and let him reflect on himself in isolation.After the son has received enough lessons, point out the life path for him to learn from.

Here, a Chinese father exhibits the proper rigor of educating his son, the necessary norm for his son's infinitely expansive childhood capriciousness. Third, the image of the mother is crucial. Avalokitesvara exhibits the appropriate attitude of a Chinese mother.She appears in due course after her father's harsh sanctions have taught her son enough lessons.Cooperating with her father's education policy, she liberated the punished son with the image of mother's love, and at the same time pointed out a correct life path for the son according to the father's will. Fourth, if the appropriate attitudes of the father and mother are combined, that is, both benevolent and strict, loving but not spoiling, giving the son the space to move freely, but not allowing him to be unrestricted and lawless, and implement severe lessons when necessary, Give a way out after a harsh lesson.

All these norms with both kindness and strictness finally lead the son to move in the right direction like a rushing torrent through the combination of interception and guidance. Fifth, when Guanyin Bodhisattva combined comfort and teaching to guide Sun Wukong to go to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, we said that Sun Wukong just embarked on the road of life leading to his father's kingdom. He went to his father to learn scriptures and inherited his father. Industry.When the Tathagata Buddha's Paradise of Ultimate Bliss shone in the far west through the long journey of demon smoke, we saw another extremely favorable condition for a little boy to grow up, that is, his father's example.

With the father's example, the norms and education for the son are ready-made, and the son's life progress also has a very vivid goal. Of course, on the one hand, an overly powerful father may provide a shining example for the son's growth; on the other hand, it may also become a limitation, and it is difficult for the son to surpass the great father.Sun Wukong did not open up a more magnificent world of bliss than Laifo, he just got a more honorable position in the world ruled by his father.This ending is not only the inevitable result of the "father-oriented" concept in traditional Chinese culture, but also can be seen as a kind of inhibition caused by a great father who always hangs over his son's head. Sixth, when Sun Wukong embarked on the road of learning Buddhist scriptures, we saw his experience of struggling independently under the long-distance care of his parents. It is precisely because of the environment in which his son is able to work independently that he has the full possibility to display his intelligence and exercise his ability.To a considerable extent, it is the story of Monkey King struggling alone away from his parents.Today's parents will undoubtedly understand the correct way to "hope their children will become dragons" from the story of Monkey King. Seventh, although the parents gave the son a wide and free space to work independently, however, they did not allow him to completely break away from the norms of the parents. When Guanyin Bodhisattva put the golden hoop given to her by Tathagata Buddha on Sun Wukong's head, and passed on the mantra to Tang Seng, it was the parents who imposed the basic ethical and moral rules on their sons.Tang Seng, as analyzed above, can be regarded as the existence of Sun Wukong's "superego".It is this "superego" that holds the mantra given by the parents and represents the norms set by the parents and society.Without this necessary restraint, a boy who is just embarking on a life of independent struggle may still exceed the boundaries of reason. Eighth, this is how Sun Wukong struggles independently in the vast world under the necessary constraints of Tang Seng's curse.At this time, the development of his personality is mainly achieved through two aspects of struggle and conflict: one is to fight against various difficulties and dangers, defeat all kinds of demons and ghosts, temper his will, increase his talents, and forge his overall quality; It is the constant conflict with one's own "superego" and "id", and the integrity of the "self" is exercised in the conflict. On the long journey of learning Buddhist scriptures, he has to struggle and accommodate with the "ego" of "food and sex nature" represented by Zhu Bajie, which is satisfying and restrictive, tolerant and severe, and he also has to fight with the clear rules, precepts, pedantry and rigidity represented by Tang Seng. The "superego" is a struggle and accommodation that is both opposite and unified. Here, if we regard Sun Wukong as a boy's "ego", and Zhu Bajie and Tang Seng as "id" and "superego" respectively, looking back at the various dramatic conflicts between the three, thinking of Zhu Bajie's rough and straightforward , Tang Seng's stubborn old-fashioned, Sun Wukong's improvisation can clearly comprehend some rationality of Freud's theory of personality structure. Ninth, in the process of Sun Wukong learning the scriptures, we not only saw his independent struggle, but also saw that his parents not only restrained him from a distance through the magic spell, but also provided necessary help when he encountered difficulties.The separate responsibilities and roles played by the parents here are quite appropriate. Generally speaking, it is the father's teaching and example that give the son the basic belief support, although he is by no means dedicated to everything.He magnanimously left his son to wander alone at great distances, and seemed to have no business, yet he was very timely in helping him in the most intractable difficulties.He fulfilled the task that only his father could complete. Guanyin Bodhisattva, as a mother, gives more specific help to her son.Whenever her son encounters difficulties on the road of life, she always has the foresight from a long distance, and never rushes to show up in advance, so as to give him enough time and opportunity to exercise independently.When the son is really difficult to solve some difficulties, she will appear either on his own initiative or at the son's request.And when she helped her son subdue demons one after another and solve problems one after another, she didn't appreciate her son's mischievous thanks, so she floated away with the jade bottle in hand. Sun Wukong's parents can be said to be the perfect parents for the sound development of a boy's personality.It is such parents that constitute the strong backing for the little boy's struggle in life. In addition to the help of parents, we also see the support of the whole society for the little boy Monkey King.When he embarked on the glorious road to his father, the support of society also gave the little boy the necessary growth environment. Ten, Sun Wukong was able to persevere on the road of learning scriptures because the Zhengguo of the Western Paradise was calling him. The reason why a little boy can persevere on the road of life and gradually develop an ideal personality is because there is a greatest reward waiting for him.The biggest reward is the affirmation of parents and the whole society, which is the source of all motivation. This reward is like a beacon of light shining on the little boy on the difficult and dangerous road.Whether there is this reward is the most important condition for a son to grow up soundly.Whether you are good at forging this reward and using it to illuminate your son's journey all the time is the first gist of parents and the entire adult world in educating future generations. Rewards and punishments are all the authority of the emperor to rule the country, and rewards and punishments are also all the means for parents to cultivate their children.While necessary punishment regulates children's various foul behaviors, necessary and sufficient rewards are the most important driving force for children to develop a healthy personality. Great parents are good at using great rewards. Great rewards make great sons. If we do not criticize the orthodox order represented by Tathagata Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and the entire Tiangong fairy world, if we do not ask Sun Wukong to be a revolutionary who overthrows the orthodox order, we say that Sun Wukong’s personality is indeed quite sound and ideal masculine personality. He is free and unrestrained, dares to think, dare to speak, dare to do and dare to break through, and the bravery shown in Havoc in Heaven has always run through his personality.He can accept irresistible and correct lessons openly.When he was suppressed by Tathagata Buddha under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, After jumping out from the liberation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, there was no pathological stubbornness and tragedy, but a happy smile and accepted the path pointed out by my parents.This is an extremely healthy performance of a child. He can treat his parents correctly in different ways at different stages of his age, showing a sound personality that receives necessary love and discipline.He can fight and laugh at the authority of his parents by ear, maintain his own free space, and at the same time, he is not so self-willed and arrogant, crying and making a lot of noise, and always accepts the rules and arrangements that his parents must accept with a childlike innocence. He can also treat society correctly.Not only can he correctly treat his childhood partners, that is, those demons and ghosts who are still lawless and making troubles, but he can also correctly treat the adult world he collided with during the period of havoc in the heavenly palace.He can always communicate with the Heavenly Palace and the Immortal World in a happy and laughing manner, seeking their understanding and help. He is full of enthusiasm and courage in the struggle of life, and he behaves vigorously and indomitably, like a happy elf who never remembers sorrow.He is filled with the positive content of the Chinese culture.When he bravely marched forward bravely carrying the golden cudgel, a healthy and optimistic personality stood in front of us vividly. However, if we calm down and think about what complexes and sources of motivation are condensed in the optimistic personality of the boy Sun Wukong, we will go deeper into our theme. The first thing we see is the law of the game, which runs through Sun Wukong's life. He has always shown the impulsiveness and joy of fighting life.Whether it was building the Huaguo Mountain, making troubles in the Heavenly Palace, or going through all kinds of difficulties and dangers on the road of learning Buddhist scriptures, he was always full of impulse and fun to win, fighting wits and courage.The psychological law of this child's game became his lifelong intractable complex. This may be the personification of the basic melody of human beings resolving conflicts, overcoming objects, and conquering the world.In this regard, we can see the shadow of Sun Wukong in all struggling creative personalities. However, why can the creative personality of active struggle be realized in Sun Wukong?We have to go back to his childhood experience. We also found that Sun Wukong's indomitable and playful creative spirit originated from his parents and family.When he performed the optimistic spirit of struggle on the road to the west, there was a deeper source of power under this seemingly pure game impulse of struggle and victory, that is, the prospect that his parents expected summoned him in the distant future. he.This is not only the success recognized by society, but also the expectation of his parents since he was a child. No matter how Sun Wukong struggles independently, how he grows into an adult, how he appears to be fighting for his own life, the complex forged in childhood is still strong after all.When he is pursuing social affirmation, the deeper psychological motivation is to pursue the appreciation of his parents.Here, we see a more complex but very complete transformation of the Oedipus complex. A boy who had Oedipus and father-hating complex in his ignorant childhood is now not only fighting for his mother's affirmation, but also fighting for his father's affirmation in life.As a son, Sun Wukong, the potential motivation for all his struggles is mainly to get his father's affirmation. This is by no means a conjecture taken for granted, let alone a logical deduction based on any theoretical theory.We can see this fact in the case of Monkey King and in a large number of life cases inspired by it. A boy has been severely taught by his father, has let his father down, and has been denied by his father. However, the father is generous after all, and he expects his son to embark on the road to success.After the son seems to be forced to accept the father's norms under the tenderness of the mother's love, all his behaviors in life struggle explain a strong complex that he is not even aware of, that is, he is struggling for his father's affirmation. Maybe it contains the huge guilt and repentance that once confronted the father, hated the father, and was hostile to the father; maybe it also contains the potential patricide complex that children have not been aware of until now; maybe this is the religious emotion that human beings usually have because of reverence for their father; Maybe it's revenge for the excessively severe punishment my father once gave me (I want to prove that you were completely wrong for treating me that way); not a bad boy); perhaps there is some mild resentment toward my mother (you were once as disappointed in me as my father); Do it, and maybe do it better than you); maybe one day my father is old, and I can take care of my father as a successful person (this is both gratitude and revenge. You used to be strong, discipline me; I will be strong and take care of you); and perhaps the desire to wash away all the reproaches, dissatisfaction, disappointments, and humiliations I received from my father in childhood (every time you blamed me, I have not forgotten, but You may have forgotten); of course, it may also mean washing away all the accusations, dissatisfaction and disappointment that the social environment has given him (you say that I am mischievous, lawless, and a bad boy with no prospects)... In this way, we see a psychological complex transformed from various antagonizing emotions with the father. This may be the "prodigal son turned back" complex.Many stories throughout the ages and many individual cases in the modern world illustrate the power of this complex.Because of the grievances suffered by the young mind during childhood, today through a set of psychological mechanisms, it has been transformed into a huge motivation for pursuit. A boy is after the approval of the world, of his parents, and especially of his father.Maybe he is not aware of this all his life, maybe on the surface he will be indifferent to any affirmation of his father, maybe he will still tease his father with tolerance in one way or another, but deep down in his heart there is only one sentence : Your son is not a bad boy, but a good boy. It is through the story of Monkey King that we see the childhood complex, which Freud called the Oedipus complex, develop into the personality of Monkey King in a healthy family environment and social environment.In Sun Wukong's personality, the so-called Oedipus complex is no longer the primitive sexual desire that Freud said, it is cast by social culture, and it absorbs all aspects of culture from society to family Factors, through a series of transformations, become such a psychological complex eager to be recognized by the father. A boy like Sun Wukong longs for his father's recognition and to prove himself in front of his father in his latent psychology all his life. This complex often secretly and powerfully drives a man's life. We may call this complex the "Monkey King Complex".