The term monkey mind or mind monkey originates from Chinese xīnyuán or Sino-Japanese shin'en (心猿), a word that literally means "heart-mind monkey." It is a Buddhist concept that describes a state of restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control in one's thoughts. This "mind monkey" metaphor is not only found in Buddhist writings such as Chan or Zen, Consciousness-only, Pure Land, and Shingon, but it has also been adopted in Daoism, Neo-Confucianism, Chinese poetry, theater, and literature. The expression "monkey mind" commonly appears in two reversible four-character idioms paired with yima or iba (意馬), which means "idea horse": Chinese xinyuanyima (心猿意馬) and Japanese ibashin'en (意馬心猿) illustrate the interconnectedness of a restless mind and wandering thoughts. The "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West" is an iconic personification of feeling indecisive and unsettled.
Illustration of Sun Wukong and Xuanzang, 1864 edition Journey to the West
Reconstructed Daoyin tu Drawings of Guiding and Pulling [Qi] in the Mawangdui Silk Texts
Madhu Purnima Honey-offering Festival commemorating a monkey giving a honeycomb to the Buddha
Tri-color glaze porcelain, showing "monkey" (猿) and "horse" (馬). Tang dynasty.
Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia. Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey, is known in English-speaking countries.
Earliest known edition of the book from the 16th century
The four protagonists, from left to right: the Monkey King, Tang Sanzang (on the White Dragon Horse), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing
Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an
Porcelain pillow showing characters