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15 The Dragon
high-definition creative commons posters depicting The Dragon from The Journey to the West, together with further information.
While travelling in winter, Tripitaka’s horse is swallowed by a dragon at the Eagle Grief Stream. After Monkey fails to defeat the dragon, which hides in the water, the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin is summoned to intervene. She reveals that the dragon is actually an exiled prince destined to aid their holy quest. Kuan-yin transforms the dragon into a replacement white horse, enabling them to cross the river and proceed west.
The dragon symbolises the untamed mind, filled with anger and destructive karma. Its violent outbursts are the inner defilements that block spiritual progress. When Kuan-yin subdues the dragon, transforming it into the white horse, it symbolises the transmutation of negative karma into a vehicle for dharma. Our worst impulses, once disciplined, become the very tools that carry us toward ultimate illumination.
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License
