Six Bandits

"One is called Eye-Seeing Joy, one is called Ear-Hearing Rage, one is called Nose-Smelling Love, one is called Tongue-Tasting Thought, one is called Mind-Seeing Desire, and one is called Body-Itself Worry." — In Chapter 14, six bandits block the path of Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, who has just emerged from Five-Elements Mountain. In fewer than fifty characters, Wu Cheng'en introduces six names, each exactly three characters long, arranged as neatly as a roll call. Yet, this list does not read like a set of names for bandits—what bandit would be named "Eye-Seeing Joy" or "Ear-Hearing Rage"? These are clearly Buddhist terms. These six men are no ordinary highwaymen; they are the personifications of the "Six Sense Organs"—eye, ear, nose, tongue, mind, and body. When Wukong strikes them dead, he is not merely clearing an obstacle, but is "severing the six roots." A monkey, newly accepted as a disciple, uses an iron staff to announce his first lesson in conversion to the Buddhist faith.

Six Names: The Literary Transformation of the Buddhist Six Roots and Six Desires

In Buddhism, the "Six Roots" refer to the six organs and faculties through which humans perceive the external world: the eye (sight), ear (hearing), nose (smell), tongue (taste), body (touch), and mind (thought). When these roots contact the external world, they produce the "Six Dusts"—color, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, and dharma—which in turn trigger various desires and afflictions. For a practitioner to achieve liberation, the first step is "purity of the six roots"—ensuring the six senses are no longer swayed by external temptations.

Wu Cheng'en materializes these abstract Buddhist concepts into six bandits, assigning each a specific emotion or desire: Eye-Seeing Joy (joy upon seeing), Ear-Hearing Rage (anger upon hearing), Nose-Smelling Love (longing upon smelling), Tongue-Tasting Thought (yearning upon tasting), Mind-Seeing Desire (desire upon thinking), and Body-Itself Worry (innate anxiety within the body). These six names correspond precisely to the relationship between the six roots and six emotions—they are not random inventions, but are supported by rigorous Buddhist logic.

Transforming philosophical concepts into fictional characters is one of Wu Cheng'en's greatest strengths. The essence of Journey to the West is a "secular adaptation of a Buddhist allegory," yet Wu Cheng'en never makes the reader feel as though they are reading a sutra. He wraps Buddhist principles in stories of fighting and chaos, allowing the reader to unconsciously absorb the underlying philosophy while enjoying the spectacle. The Six Bandits are a classic example of this technique: if he had simply stated "Wukong severed the six roots," the reader might find it too esoteric; but by saying "Wukong struck down six bandits blocking the road, one by one," the reader understands perfectly—and then, glancing at the names, realizes, "Oh, so that's what it means."

The title of Chapter 14, "The Mind Monkey Returns to the Righteous Path, the Six Bandits Vanish Without a Trace," is itself a condensed Buddhist expression. The "Mind Monkey" refers to Wukong—Buddhism uses the phrase "mind monkey, horse gallop" to describe a restless mind, and Wukong is that very restless "mind." "Returning to the righteous path" signifies his recruitment into the pilgrimage party. "Six Bandits Vanish Without a Trace" means the six roots have been severed and no longer cause turmoil. The overall meaning is: when the "mind" finds the right path, the afflictions of the "six roots" disappear. On a Buddhist level, Wukong killing the six bandits is a symbolic ritual of the "Mind Monkey subjugating the six roots."

However, Wu Cheng'en's brilliance lies in the fact that he does not let this "ritual" become a solemn religious scene. Instead, he writes it as a chaotic farce—Wukong finds the six bandits tedious and simply swings his iron staff. After the slaughter, Tang Sanzang is furious, and the master and disciple nearly break off their relationship on the spot. Buddhist principle is Buddhist principle, and story is story; Wu Cheng'en allows the two to run in parallel without conflict.

The First Master-Disciple Conflict Triggered by Wukong's Killing of the Bandits

In Chapter 14, the six bandits block the path of the master and disciple with arrogant demands: "I opened this road, I planted this tree; if you wish to pass, leave the toll money." Wukong has no patience for this. After a brief exchange with the six bandits, he produces the Ruyi Jingu Bang and kills them all, one blow per person. It is clean and efficient, just as it was when he killed the Demon King of Confusion.

But this time, the consequences are entirely different. The Demon King of Confusion was a monster, and killing monsters is considered just; the six bandits—at least in Tang Sanzang's eyes—were mortals, and killing mortals is a violation of the precept against taking life. Seeing the corpses strewn across the ground, Tang Sanzang's expression changes drastically. He delivers the first severe reprimand between the two: "How can you be so cruel? Though they were bandits, they were still human lives."

This is the first eruption of conflict between master and disciple in the entire Journey to the West. Wukong believes his actions were entirely correct—the six bandits intended to rob and harm them; if he didn't kill them, was he to wait to be robbed? His logic is "fighting violence with violence," simple, direct, and devoid of psychological burden. Tang Sanzang's logic is entirely different—as a Buddhist disciple, "non-killing" is the most fundamental precept. Even if the opponent is a robber, one should avoid killing if possible and show mercy if possible.

The deep structure of this conflict is the eternal contradiction between "resolution by force" and "moral restraint." Wukong represents "efficiency"—solving problems directly without hesitation; Tang Sanzang represents "principle"—the belief that every action must remain within a moral framework. This contradiction persists throughout Journey to the West, reappearing in later plots such as the Three Strikes against the White Bone Demon and the True and False Monkey King. The incident with the six bandits is the "debut" of this contradiction, setting the tone for all subsequent conflicts between master and disciple.

More importantly, the incident with the six bandits leads directly to the activation of the Tight Fillet. After being reprimanded, Wukong leaves in a fit of rage, feeling wronged. While traveling alone, Tang Sanzang encounters an old woman (an incarnation of Guanyin) who gives him a gold-flower cap and the Tight Fillet spell. When Wukong later changes his mind and returns, Tang Sanzang places the cap on his head—this is the origin of the golden headband. From then on, Wukong wears the fillet; whenever Tang Sanzang chants the spell, Wukong suffers a splitting headache, and he can no longer act entirely according to his own will.

In other words: Wukong's killing of the six bandits indirectly led to him wearing the golden headband—an instrument of restraint for the rest of his life. The six bandits were the "fuse." It was not that the bandits themselves were powerful, but that Wukong's act of killing them exposed his "unruly" nature. This showed Guanyin that he could not be controlled without a fillet, leading to the subsequent arrangement.

The combat strength of the six bandits was nearly zero. They were merely mortal bandits—no magic, no treasures, and no supernatural abilities. Wukong killed them as easily as crushing ants. But because they were so weak, Wukong's "killing" seemed "excessive": for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to kill six mortal bandits—what kind of feat is that? Tang Sanzang's dissatisfaction was not only about the precept of "non-killing," but also carried a subtext: "With such a reckless temperament, what will you do when you encounter real trouble in the future?"

Related Characters

• Sun Wukong — The executioner who killed the six bandits, triggering the first conflict with his master and indirectly leading to the wearing of the golden headband.
• Tang Sanzang — Severely reprimanded Wukong for killing the six bandits, causing Wukong to leave in anger.
• Guanyin — Following the incident, she disguised herself as an old woman to provide the gold-flower cap and the Tight Fillet spell, making a key strategic move to control Wukong.
• Demon King of Confusion — Another opponent "instantly killed" by Wukong, but because of his identity as a demon, his death sparked no moral controversy, serving as a contrast to the six bandits.