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After dismissing Wukong, Sanzang continues the westward journey with only two disciples Pigsy and Friar Sand. Before long, the imbalance within the team becomes evident. In the Black Pine Forest, Sanzang falls into the hands of a monster, and the pilgrims are forced to confront a new challenge: how far can a journey of awakening proceed when a key strength is missing?

Session Focus:
With Wukong absent, we will continue to examine the importance of each member’s unique strengths within a team. This session invites us to reflect on responsibility, self-awareness, and what happens when reliance on others turns into unconscious dependency.

Key Questions for contemplation:

When asked by Sanzang where he was going, Pig replied, "Don't let that bother you. I'll beg you some food even if it's like cutting through ice to get fire, or even if it means squeezing oil out of snow."
Q1: What character traits and habitual tendencies do you observe in Pigsy’s words?
Do you sense sincerity, exaggeration, reluctance, or self-image at work here?

Pig found the going heavy, and he muttered to himself, "When Monkey was with us the old priest could have anything he wanted, but now I have to do it all. How true it is that 'you have to keep house to realize how expensive rice and firewood are, and raise sons to understand parental love'. There's nowhere at all to beg on this road."
Q2: What insights do you gain from Pigsy’s self-reflection here?
When Pigsy compares himself to Monkey, what does this reveal about unconscious dependance?
Have you realized someone’s value only after they were gone?
In a team or family, what risks arise when responsibility is unevenly carried?

Reflect your own Pigsy woment - fatigue, excuse-making, or reliance on others.

By now Pig felt sleepy after all this walking and he thought, "If I go back now and tell the old monk that there's nowhere I can beg food, he may not believe I've come this far. I'd better hang around here for another hour or two before reporting back. Oh well, I may as well take a snooze in that grass." With that the idiot pillowed his head in the grass and went to sleep. He had only meant to take forty winks and then get up again, not realizing that he was so exhausted by the journey that he would be sound asleep as soon as his head was down.
Q3: What additional habits or patterns do you observe in his behavior?
How do complaint, comparison, and fatigue subtly shape his choices?

Take your time with these questions. Bring your insights, personal reflections, and discoveries into our circle for shared contemplation.

In the Black Pine Forest, with Wukong gone, the journey does not stop, but vigilance does. Pigsy’s sleep is not just fatigue; it is the moment responsibility is dropped. This chapter cuts sharply into a hard truth: when we depend on others to stay awake for us, we fall asleep ourselves.

📚 Self-Study & Preparation:
https://chine.in/fichiers/jourwest.pdf
Chapter 28 (page 401 - 409).

💰 Participation Fee:
Pay-as-you-go: AUD $5 per session (via PayPal)

📝 Members’ Blogging Space:
Share your reflections and learnings:
https://www.hellosuliving.com/blog

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