monkey magic and other perspectives on Buddhism

I recently started reading an article about Buddhism, and as often happens (more now that I have a baby boy), I did not get to finish it. One of the things that first striked me about it is that it discussed Buddhism as a combination of ideas between a polytheistic religion and a non-theistic one (including a monotheistic one for some people).

Although the principles are clearly non-theistic, Buddhism has adapted to the local cultures where it grew. I think that since the principles make it clear that you should not try to 'convert' people as it happens in other religions, its ideas just melt and impregnate what is already there.

This is what happens in many Buddhist traditions, sometimes made popular through movies and TV shows that are very .... uhm ... special. 'Monkey magic' is the most interesting I have seen. It is a 70's Japanese show with a childish sense of humor and random quotations from Buddhist literature.

Today I was browsing at books in Sapho's our local bookstore/cafe and found "Utimate Journey" by Richard Bernstein (Borzoi Books, 2001). "Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk who crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment".

I could not believe it when it said mentioned "Monkey, a Journey to the West" by Wu Cheng-en, apparently the fiction written around the real story of a real monk (Hsuan Tsang) who traveled from China to India . The novel actually has a monkey with supernatural powers who travels with the monk. Obviously the story in which the show is based.

The show (and probably the book) mixes Buddhism with ideas from other religions. In fact, the shows' Buddha, reminds me of a cartoon's version of Jesus Christ.

I have also seen the polytheistic approach in Korean and Chinese art, where Boddhisatvas, daemons, Devas and other deities appear repeatedly.
Some of they may be based on the different levels of beings that appear on Buddhist scriptures, but other are based on traditions from each locality where Buddhism developed.