Why the Hunter Saved the Monk- The Lion's Roar | Journey to the West Wisdom Trial 7/81
Finding the Hunter of the Soul – The Seventh Trial in Journey to the West.
In this episode we explore the story of Liu Boqin, the legendary hunter who represents the backbone of the human spirit.
In the ancient Chinese classic Journey to the West, every step of the pilgrimage is a test.The road to enlightenment is marked by 81 trials.
The Seventh Trial takes place in the wild mountains of Shuangcha Ridge, where the young monk Tang Sanzang faces one of the earliest dangers of his journey.
But the danger is not only wild beasts or bandits.
It is fear.
At this moment, the monk meets a remarkable man — the mountain hunter Liu Boqin.
In the story, Liu Boqin protects the monk from danger.
But symbolically, he represents something deeper in Chinese culture:
The hunter of the human soul.
In traditional Chinese philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, courage is not only a psychological state.
It is also connected to the energy of the body.
When a person lives in fear, the body collapses.
The chest sinks, the back bends, and vitality weakens.
But when a person stands upright with inner strength, energy rises along the spine through the Governing Vessel (Du Mai) — known in Chinese medicine as the “Sea of Yang.”
This ancient idea connects spiritual courage, posture, and human vitality.
Through the story of Liu Boqin, the hunter, this episode explores how the classic novel Journey to the West reflects deeper layers of Chinese wisdom about:
• courage and fear
• the strength of the human spirit
• energy channels in traditional Chinese medicine
• the symbolism behind the 81 trials
• and the awakening of the inner self
The true hunter in the mountains hunts animals. But the true hunter in life confronts something far more difficult: the darkness within the human heart.
The ancient message of Journey to the West reminds us:
When fear bends your back, your spirit weakens.
But when you stand upright, the hunter of the soul awakens.