The Laughing Sutra

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The Laughing Sutra by Mark Salzman is a story about Hsun-ching's journey to America so he may find an old Buddhist scripture and bring it back to his adopted father in China. Hsun-ching is accompanied by Colonel Sun, an immortal who spent his early life as a soldier, he was essential in assisting Hsun-ching on his journey to America and retrieving the sutra. Although The Laughing Sutra portrays Hsun-ching as the hero because he brought his master the final sutra, I think that Colonel Sun is the real hero because he saved Hsun-ching's life on many occasions, he was critical to safely travel through China and Hong Kong, and he was essential to recover the sutra in order for Wei-ching to finally be able to read it.

A hero can be defined as a person who performs acts without expecting anything in return. Hero may also be defined as "a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability."

(Webster) A hero is also a person who is willing to sacrifice his or her own life for the greater good. Colonel Sun is the hero in this novel because he was committed to helping Hsun-ching at all costs. "But the only reason I am here and not closer to the boat is that I assumed you wanted to get the sutra, at all costs. And I promised to help you." (241) Colonel Sun gave his word to Hsun-ching, and stood by it throughout the journey, he was willing to have to hurt or possibly kill someone or risk being caught by the police in order to allow Hsun-ching to bring the sutra back to China.

Colonel Sun demonstrated his heroism on many occasions throughout the story. First when he saved Hsun-ching from his demise by catching him when he was thrown off the waterfall. "Someone tried to kill this boy today, I happened to be nearby, so I was able to save him." (13) This was heroic because the Colonel did not know who the boy was, and would receive nothing for saving his life except knowing the fact that he was responsible for allowing the boy to try and live a full and complete life. He only asked that Wei-ching not say how the boy came to be with him. Colonel Sun was also ready and willing to stand up and fight for Hsun-ching if needed. "Just as quickly, the colonel stepped between Hsun-ching and the black haired man." (229) Without any care for his own safety, he was ready to protect Hsun-ching. This was another example of his heroic actions to save or protect Hsun-ching.

Without the help of Colonel Sun, Hsun-ching would not have been able to successfully travel through China and Hong Kong. The colonel had the idea to try and get a boat ride in Hong Kong, rather then risk traveling through the mountains. Colonel Sun took care of any problems that arose during their journey toward Hong Kong, including getting onto the livestock train, "You won't have to. You'll ride on my back, and I'll take care of the landing." (65) The colonel used his abilities to escape the guards, and supplied Hsun-ching with a gold bar so they could try and buy clothes, which ironically led them to a man who helped them travel to America. Colonel Sun was acting heroically because he did not except Hsun-ching to repay him in gold, or even in goods.

"A few minutes later Hsun-ching heard shuffling sounds from the room below him.... Now what will I do?" (243-244) The colonel thought that if he was on his way back to China, how hard would it be to bring a little piece of paper for an old man. Although the colonel could not read, he still had to try and find it. It took the colonels strength and Hsun-ching's ability to read to find the sutra. Colonel Sun acted as a hero again during this part of the novel because he was prepared to finish what they had started, and although he knew it was very unlikely he would find the sutra on his own, he still put forth the effort to attempt it.

"Listen carefully, I will walk down the beach toward the soldiers. They will point their torches at me. When they do, you crawl on your stomach toward the cliff. Then, hug the cliff and run north! You can hide in the boulders until they leave." (247) The colonel was willing to sacrifice everything to allow Hsun-ching to escape and get back to China. He appeared to sacrifice his life in order for Hsun-ching to get to the docks just in time to catch the boat as it was leaving. This act of heroism enabled Hsun-ching escape from the police and safely travel back to China.

Throughout the novel Colonel Sun was a hero to Wei-ching as well as Hsun-ching. Even though Wei-ching was not physically present with the pair in America, and was not able to accompany them on the journey, Wei-ching was there in spirit with both of them. Wei-ching was not sure if he would ever see either the colonel or Hsun-ching again, and without the help of Colonel Sun, Hsun-ching might have decided to stay in America, if he had even been able to reach it alive on his own.

Colonel Sun was undoubtedly the hero of the novel because he kept Hsun-ching alive and out of harms way, was ready and willing to sacrifice his own life in order to save Hsun-ching's, and was a key element to success for Wei-ching to achieve his enlightenment. They will never forget their experiences with the real life "monkey king". Works Cited Slazman, Mark. "The Laughing Sutra" Vintage Books 1991: 1-263 "Hero." Merriam-Webster. Online. 2002