The monkey, an agile and cunning creature that has fascinated cultures around the world since ancient times, is much more than just an animal. In this article, we will explore the deep spiritual significance of the monkey and how its symbolism has influenced various religious traditions and teachings throughout history.
With a focus on wisdom, transformation and balance between the dual nature of the human being, we will discover how the monkey provides us with valuable spiritual lessons and invites us to reflect on our own existence and personal evolution.
Spiritual significance of the monkey
Monkeys represent loyalty, intelligence, community and family. They also symbolize mischievousness, joy, courage, innocence and generosity.
Known for their playful nature, mischief and practical jokes, monkeys like to have fun. Just as humans like to add a little humor to their lives, so do these primates.
Very social creatures, family is of utmost importance to monkeys. They live in social circles and groups, where they communicate, interact, groom each other and form strong bonds.
Community is not only essential for protection from predators, but it demonstrates how affectionate and loyal monkeys are.
The monkey in the Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, Monkey People display a fresh sense of humor and very high intelligence. They are also quick learners. They have a magnetic personality and a hint of mischief. Those born under the sign of the Monkey play practical jokes on others, but always with the intention of play, not harm.
In relationships, Monkeys need eccentric partners who understand their curious and restless nature. It takes Monkeys a while to figure someone out. They do not trust easily. Mono have lucky numbers four and nine. Lucky colors for people born under the Monkey sign are white, golden and blue.
Monkey Symbolism by Color
Golden Monkey
In the Chinese zodiac, people born in the year of Monkey with Golden element are self-confident, intelligent and stubborn. But spiritually, a golden monkey symbolizes loyalty, both romantic and platonic, as well as happiness.
Black Monkey
The color black symbolizes various things, such as power, control, emptiness, the unconscious mind, all things occult, death and rebirth, and evil. But a black monkey can represent friendship, splendor and devotion.
White monkey
White represents purity, perfection, clarity, renewal, appreciation and distance. Although it is very rare to see one, the white monkey symbolizes wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
The monkey in popular folklore and mythology
India: Hanuman
Hanuman, in Hindu mythology, the monkey commander of the monkey army. His exploits are narrated in the great Hindu Sanskrit poem the Ramayana (“The Journey of Rama”).
When he was still a baby, Hanuman, son of a nymph of the wind god, tried to fly and catch the Sun, which he mistook for a fruit. Indra, the king of the gods, struck Hanuman with a thunderbolt in the jaw (hanu), thus inspiring his name. When Hanuman continued to misbehave, powerful sages cursed him to forget his magical powers, such as the ability to fly or to become infinitely large, until he was reminded of them. Hanuman led the monkeys to help Rama, an avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu, to retrieve Rama’s wife, Sita, from the demon Ravana, king of Lanka.
After Jambavan, the king of the bears, reminded him of his powers, Hanuman crossed the strait between India and Lanka in one leap, despite the efforts of the demonic waters to stop him by swallowing him or his shadow. He was discovered in Lanka, and they set fire to his tail, but he used that fire to burn Lanka. Hanuman also flew to the Himalayas and returned with a mountain full of medicinal herbs to restore the wounded of Rama’s army.
Hanuman is worshipped as a subsidiary figure in temples dedicated to Rama or directly in shrines dedicated to Hanuman himself. The latter are usually crowded with monkeys, who know that they cannot be mistreated there. In temples all over India, he appears in the form of a red-faced monkey that stands upright like a human. For his service to Rama, Hanuman is considered a model of human devotion.
Hanuman is also a popular figure among Buddhists in Central, Southeast and East Asia, and in all these areas many temples have been erected for his worship and districts of cities are named after him. Outside India, however, quite different stories are told about him. For example, although in the Sanskrit tradition he is chaste, in other traditions he has wives and children.
China: The Monkey King, Sun Wukong
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong in Mandarin Chinese , is a legendary mythical figure. He is best known for being one of the main characters in the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West and many subsequent stories and adaptations.
In that novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by Buddha. After five hundred years, he accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang and two other disciples on a journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from the West (India), where Buddha and his followers dwell.
Sun Wukong possesses many abilities. He has amazing strength and is able to bear the weight of two heavenly mountains on his shoulders while running “with the speed of a meteor”. He is extremely fast, able to cover 108,000 li (54,000 km, 34,000 mi) in a somersault. He has an amazing memory and can remember every monkey ever born.
As king of the monkeys, his duty is to track and protect all monkeys. Sun Wukong also acquires the 72 Earthly Transformations, which give him access to 72 unique powers, including the ability to transform into various animals and objects. He is a skilled fighter, capable of defeating the best warriors in the sky. His hair has magical properties, capable of making copies of himself or transforming into various weapons, animals and other things. He also displays partial weather manipulation abilities and can stop people in their place with binding magic.
The Monkey King, one of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, has a varied and much debated background as well as a colorful cultural history. His inspiration may have come from an amalgam of influences.
It may also have been inspired by the legends of the White Monkey of Baiyuan, from the Chinese Chu kingdom (700-223 BC), which worshipped gibbons. These legends gave rise to stories and artistic motifs during the Han dynasty, eventually contributing to the figure of the Monkey King.
Some believe that the association with Xuanzang is based on Xuanzang’s first disciple, Shi Banto.
Hu Shih was the first to suggest that Wu Cheng’en was possibly influenced by the Hindu deity Hanuman of the Ramayana in his depictions of the Monkey King, through stories passed down by Buddhists who traveled to China. However, others, such as Lu Xun, point out that there is no evidence that the Ramayana was translated into Chinese or was accessible to Wu Cheng’en. Instead, Lu Xun suggested the 9th century Chinese deity Wuzhiqi, who appears as Sun Wukong’s brother in ancient Yuan dynasty stories, as another possible inspiration.
Sun Wukong may also have been influenced by the folk religion of Fuzhou province, where monkey gods were worshipped long before the novel. Among them were the three monkey saints of Lin Shui Palace, who were once demons subdued by the goddess Chen Jinggu, Empress Lin Shui. The three were Dan Xia Da Sheng, the Red-Faced Monkey Sage, Tong Tian Da Sheng, the Black-Faced Monkey Sage, and Shuang Shuang San Lang, the White-Faced Monkey Sage. The two most widely practiced traditional religions in Fuzhou are Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. Traditionally, many people practice both religions simultaneously.
These various religions incorporated elements such as gods and doctrines from different religions and provincial folk cultures, such as totem worship and traditional legends. Although there are mainly two main religions in China, because it is so large, folk stories vary from village to village, city to city and province to province, with their own myths about different deities.
Sun Wukong’s religious status in Buddhism is often denied by Chinese and non-Chinese Buddhist monks, but he is very well received by the general public, spreading his name around the world and establishing himself as a cultural icon.
What does it mean to dream of a monkey?
If you dream of a group of monkeys that won’t stop talking, it means that someone will try to seduce you with words. They have ulterior motives. Avoid flatterers.
Dancing Monkeys symbolize happiness and fun on the horizon. It’s time to kick off your shoes, laugh and enjoy the simple joys of life. Relax and play with family and friends.
When the monkey in your dream searches through the jungle, it represents creative problem solving. When you are faced with a problematic situation, you may have to work hard and be creative to find the ideal answer.
When a monkey attacks you in a dream, it is a warning to be on the lookout for those who have evil intentions towards you. These individuals will do anything to prevent you from succeeding, so stay away from people who do not have your best interests at heart.
If in the dream you are caring for a baby monkey, it could represent your nurturing nature and maternal instincts. On the other hand, this type of dream could also indicate the need for more care and attention in your own life.
