Who Is Patriarch Subhuti (Subodhi)?
Sun Wukong's one and only teacher
Patriarch Subhuti is the immortal sage in Journey to the West who gives Sun Wukong his name and his magic powers, making him Wukong's first and only teacher. He lives in the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars on the Mountain of Mind and Heart, on the Western Continent, where he teaches many disciples.
When the monkey arrives after nearly ten years of travel, the Patriarch names him Sun Wukong. One day he taps Wukong on the head three times, walks inside with his hands clasped behind his back, and shuts the door. Wukong understands this as a secret signal to come to the back door at the third watch of the night (around midnight), and there he is taught the secret of long life. Later the Patriarch also teaches him the 72 transformations and the Somersault Cloud. But when Wukong shows off in front of the other disciples by turning into a pine tree, the Patriarch expels him and orders him never to tell anyone he was his student.
Subhuti shares his name with one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, but the Patriarch in Journey to the West is portrayed as a mysterious figure versed in both Buddhist and Taoist teachings.
