Puti Zushi (), also known as Master Bodhi, Patriarch Bodhi or Patriarch Subodhi (, is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''
Journey to the West''. The character is believed to be derived from
Subhūti
Subhūti (Pali: Subhūti; ) was one of the ten principal disciples of the Buddha. In Theravada Buddhism he is considered the disciple who was foremost in being " worthy of gifts" (Pali: ''dakkhiṇeyyānaṃ'') and "living remote and in peace" (P ...
, one of the
ten principal disciples
The ten principal disciples were the main disciples of Gautama Buddha. Depending on the scripture, the disciples included in this group vary. In many Mahāyāna discourses, these ten disciples are mentioned, but in differing order. The ten discip ...
of
the Buddha.
Background
Puti was a mentor and tutor of the protagonist, the
Monkey King (known as Sun Wukong in Chinese), endowing him with supernatural powers through
Taoist practices. These include the "seventy-two earthly transformations" (shape-shifting abilities), immortality, and cloud-somersaulting, the ability to traverse 108,000
li (used as a synonym for "
indefinitely large number", although literally a distance of ~54,000 km) in one somersault. Puti foresaw the flaws in his disciple's character, most notably his ego and amorality; therefore, he would later request Sun Wukong to keep his discipleship a secret.
Sun Wukong's first meeting with Master Puti is believed to be based on the story of ''
Huineng's Introduction to
Hongren'', as told in the
Platform Sūtra of
Zen Buddhism. Because of the role that Subhūti plays in the story, his name has remained familiar in
Chinese culture.
[Nan Huaijin. ''Diamond Sutra Explained''. Florham Park: Primordia, 2004. Page 25.]
He is described as proficient in both Taoist and Buddhists practices.
See also
*''
Journey to the West''
*
The Monkey King
Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel ''Journey to the West''. (The novel was also translated as ''The Monkey King'' by George Theiner in 1964.)
Monkey King may also refer to:
* Monkey King (horse) (b ...
*
Zhenyuan Daxian
Zhenyuan Daxian (), also known as Zhenyuanzi (), is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' and a Taoist deity who is the patriarch of all Earth's Immortals in Taoist pantheon. His dojo is Wanshoushan Wuzhuang Guan ...
References
{{Fict-char-stub
Chinese deities
Chinese gods
Journey to the West characters
Shapeshifting