Reviewer: wongkk Signed Date: 11/07/09 - 10:27AM Title: Chapter 1

I like the architecture of this piece – it’s a huge topic but you’ve pinned it down to a few examples and some neat insights, such as the point of bringing Gojyo down before he can recognize the significance of new-born Hakkai. 

 

On a spiritual score, there seems to be more to Sanzo’s lack of orthodoxy than taste and style.  He denies himself the inner peace, which – as a monk – he knows the route to, maybe because of his guilt at not saving Koumyou.  Maybe.  Karma punishes.  Sanzo punishes Sanzo.  Maybe!

 

For a short write, yours is well-packaged and nicely written.  Further, it takes the view of Sanzo below the surface – which the grumpy, dark monk deserves.

Author's Response:

*blushes* Thanks! I finally got around to answering reviews here -- we'd already discussed this one, which is why I hadn't come back to it.

There's more to Sanzo as a priest, or even as a Buddhist practioner, than meets the eye. He despises ritural, and I think it's Buddhist ritual and tradition that's meant when he's described as "not a Buddhist" or a "bad Buddhist." He's actually a very good Buddhist at everything other than attaining inner peace, including at being practical and at not sweating the externals - profanity, smoking, eating meat, gambling, not shaving his head, and killing (but in his case, only in defense of self or others).