Once upon a time, our Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, was captured by the heavenly soldiers and taken to the Demon-Slaying Platform, where he was tied to the Demon-Subduing Pillar. You'd think that would be the end of it, right? But no, not at all! They tried to chop him with knives, hack him with axes, stab him with spears, and pierce him with swords, but guess what? They didn't even manage to harm a single hair on his monkey head! The Southern Dipper Star Officer got anxious and ordered the fire gods to burn him, but the fire couldn't touch him either. Then they called in the thunder gods to strike him with lightning, but still, nothing worked. The Mighty Demon King and the other gods had no choice but to report back to the Jade Emperor: "Your Majesty, this Great Sage seems to have learned some incredible protective magic. Knives, axes, thunder, and fire—nothing can harm him. What should we do?"
The Jade Emperor was also at a loss: "This monkey is so hard to deal with, what should we do now?"
At this moment, the Supreme Lord Laozi stepped forward with a suggestion: "This monkey has eaten the peaches, drunk the royal wine, and even stolen my elixirs—five gourds of them, both raw and cooked, all eaten by him. He's turned his body into one as hard as diamond, impervious to weapons. How about I take him back and put him into my 'Eight Trigrams Furnace'? We'll use both gentle and fierce flames to refine him. Maybe we can extract the elixirs from him, and he'll naturally turn to ashes." The Jade Emperor thought this was a good idea and ordered the Six Ding and Six Jia gods to hand Sun Wukong over to Laozi.
Laozi took Sun Wukong back to the Tushita Palace, untied him, removed the device from his pipa bone, and pushed him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. He then instructed the Taoists tending the furnace and the boys stoking the fire to keep the flames strong. The furnace had eight sections—Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui. Sun Wukong hid under the "Xun Palace" section, which was where the wind was, and where there was wind, there was no fire. However, the smoke made his eyes red, turning them into his famous "Fiery Golden Eyes."
Forty-nine days passed in the blink of an eye, and Laozi's refining process was complete. One day, as they opened the furnace to retrieve the elixirs, Sun Wukong, rubbing his eyes, heard the commotion and suddenly saw the light. Unable to resist, he leapt out of the furnace, kicking it over in the process. The guards and the Ding and Jia gods inside were knocked over, and Sun Wukong went on a rampage. Laozi rushed to catch him, but Sun Wukong pushed him down headfirst and made his escape. He pulled the Ruyi Jingu Bang from his ear, shook it in the wind until it grew to its full size, and once again began to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
Things got really chaotic. The Nine Luminaries Stars shut their doors, and the Four Heavenly Kings were nowhere to be seen. What a monkey spirit! There is indeed a poem that testifies to this: "The primordial body aligns with innate nature, enduring countless eons naturally. Vast and boundless, like the primordial state, unmoving and known as the initial mystery. Long refined within the furnace, not lead or mercury, eternal life outside of material bounds is the true immortal. Ever-changing and yet unchanged, the Three Refuges and Five Precepts need not be spoken of."
The Great Sage was truly unstoppable, swinging his iron staff east and west, with no deity in the Heavenly Palace able to stop him. He fought his way to the Hall of Universal Brightness and the outside of the Hall of Divine Mists. Luckily, Wang Lingguan, the assistant of the True Lord of Support and Protection, was on duty at the hall. Seeing the Great Sage running amok, he brandished his golden whip to block the way: "You wretched monkey, where do you think you're going? With me here, you shall not pass!" Sun Wukong didn't waste words, raising his staff to strike. Wang Lingguan met him with his whip, and the two clashed fiercely in front of the Hall of Divine Mists.
The battle was truly spectacular: "With a loyal and brave reputation, deceiving the heavens and tarnishing his name. One low, one high, fortunately matched, heroes and champions gamble alike. The iron staff is fierce, the golden whip swift, how can one endure such righteousness? One is the Responder to Thunderous Voices, the other the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the monkey monster. Both wield divine palace weapons, today showing off their prowess at the Hall of Divine Mists, each displaying their talents, truly admirable."
However, the fight ended in a stalemate. The True Lord of Support and Protection sent for reinforcements from the Thunder Department, summoning thirty-six thunder generals to encircle Sun Wukong. Each showed their divine powers, fighting desperately. Sun Wukong remained fearless, swinging his Ruyi Jingu Bang to block and parry, front and back. For a moment, the thunder generals' swords, spears, halberds, and axes, along with their whips, maces, hammers, and other weapons, attacked in waves. Seeing this, Sun Wukong transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form; he shook his Ruyi Jingu Bang, turning it into three sticks. With six hands wielding three sticks, he spun like a spinning wheel in the midst of the formation, making it impossible for the thunder gods to get close.
Sun Wukong was truly formidable: "Round and luminous, shining brightly, eternally existing beyond human reach. Unburned by fire, never drowned by water. A bright Mani pearl, impervious to swords and spears. Capable of good, capable of evil, good and evil at his whim. In goodness, he becomes a Buddha or an immortal; in evil, he dons fur and horns. With endless transformations, he wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and the thunder generals and divine soldiers cannot capture him."
At that time, the gods surrounded the Great Sage but couldn't get close, causing a chaotic uproar that alarmed the Jade Emperor. Thus, the Jade Emperor ordered the Wandering Officer and the True Lord of Support and Protection to go to the West and invite the Buddha to come and subdue Sun Wukong.
The Jade Emperor sent two divine emissaries to the Western Heaven to seek the help of the Buddha. The two emissaries traveled tirelessly until they reached the Thunderclap Monastery on Mount Ling, where they paid their respects to the Four Great Heavenly Kings and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, explaining their mission. The gods quickly reported to the Buddha. Upon hearing the news, the Buddha immediately summoned the two emissaries.
The Buddha asked, "What matter requires you to come down from the heavens?" The emissaries quickly explained, "Here's the situation: a monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain has caused havoc in heaven. Initially, the Jade Emperor gave him a minor position as the 'Protector of the Horses,' but he was dissatisfied with the low rank and refused the job. Later, he was granted the title 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' and was put in charge of the Peaches of Immortality Garden. However, he stole and ate the peaches, then crashed the Jade Pool banquet, eating and drinking without permission, causing chaos. Drunk, he went to Laozi's palace and stole the elixirs, ultimately escaping from the Heavenly Palace. The Jade Emperor dispatched one hundred thousand celestial troops to capture him, but they failed. Then Guanyin Bodhisattva recommended Erlang Shen to apprehend him. After a fierce battle, they finally caught him, but knives, axes, fire, and lightning couldn't harm him. Laozi had no choice but to place him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace for refining. Astonishingly, after forty-nine days, he jumped out again and wreaked havoc in heaven. Now, the Jade Emperor is at a loss and can only ask for your help."
After listening, the Buddha smiled slightly and said to the Bodhisattvas, "You all stay here. I'll go handle that monkey and assist the Jade Emperor."
The Buddha, accompanied by the venerable Ananda and Kasyapa, left the Thunderclap Monastery and headed straight to the outer area of the Hall of Divine Mists. From afar, they heard the deafening sounds of battle, for the thirty-six thunder generals were surrounding Sun Wukong in combat. The Buddha ordered them to cease fighting and called Sun Wukong to come forward. Wukong, unceremoniously, stopped his magic, approached with a fierce demeanor, and asked, "Who are you to dare obstruct me?"
The Buddha replied with a smile, "I am Shakyamuni Buddha from the Western Pure Land. I've heard that you have repeatedly rebelled against the Heavenly Palace. Where do you come from, and why are you so audacious?" Sun Wukong replied, "I am a spirit monkey born of heaven and earth, residing in the Water Curtain Cave on Flower Fruit Mountain. I sought friends and masters, learning the arts of immortality. Dissatisfied with the smallness of the mortal realm, I sought a place in heaven. The Hall of Divine Mists isn't owned by anyone; the strong rule. I simply want to compete for supremacy!"
The Buddha listened and coldly chuckled, "You're just a monkey spirit, yet you wish to usurp the Jade Emperor's throne? The Jade Emperor has cultivated for 1,750 kalpas, each kalpa being 129,600 years. Do you realize how long he has cultivated to achieve this great path? You, a mere creature in your first lifetime, dare speak such arrogance! You lack respect! Repent quickly, or your life will be in jeopardy; what a pity!"
Sun Wukong dismissed this, saying, "He's been there long enough; it's time for him to step aside. As the saying goes, 'The emperor rotates; next year, it might be my turn.' As long as he moves out and gives me the Heavenly Palace, this matter will be settled. Otherwise, I'll keep causing trouble!"
The Buddha asked, "Besides your many transformations, what other abilities do you have to claim the Heavenly Palace?" Wukong proudly replied, "I have seventy-two transformations and am ageless through countless eons. I can ride the somersault cloud, traveling 108,000 li in a single flip. Why shouldn't I sit on the heavenly throne?"
The Buddha smiled and proposed, "Let's make a wager. If you can somersault out of my right palm, you win, and I'll invite the Jade Emperor to reside in the West, leaving the Heavenly Palace to you. If not, you must obediently return to the mortal world and cultivate for a few more kalpas."
Sun Wukong laughed inwardly, thinking, "This Buddha is easy to trick! I can somersault 108,000 li, and his palm is so small; how could I not jump out?" So he agreed, "Alright, do you mean it?"
The Buddha said, "I mean it." With that, he extended his right hand, which was as large as a lotus leaf. Wukong put away his Ruyi Jingu Bang, gathered his energy, and leapt into the Buddha's palm, declaring, "Here I go!" He transformed into a beam of light and sped forward.
As he flew, Wukong suddenly saw five flesh-colored pillars and thought, "This must be the end of the heavens. Once I return, I can have the Buddha testify that the Hall of Divine Mists is mine to occupy." He decided to leave a mark, so he plucked a hair, turned it into a brush, and wrote "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here" on one of the pillars. He also left a puddle of monkey urine at the base of the first pillar. Then he somersaulted back to the original spot, standing proudly in the Buddha's palm, "I've been there and back. Now, have the Jade Emperor hand over the Heavenly Palace to me."
The Buddha laughed and said, "You mischievous monkey! You never left the palm of my hand."
Sun Wukong was incredulous. "I clearly reached the end of the heavens and saw five flesh-colored pillars where I left my mark. Do you dare go with me to see?"
The Buddha calmly replied, "There's no need to go. Just look down yourself." Sun Wukong looked down and was shocked to see the words "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here" written on the Buddha's middle finger, and he could smell the scent of monkey urine between the thumb and forefinger. Astonished, he exclaimed, "How can this be? I wrote those words on the pillar, yet they appear on his finger. Does he possess some foresight? I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I'll try again!"
Oh, what a trickster Sun Wukong was! But before he could act, the Buddha flipped his palm, sending Wukong flying out of the Western Gate. With a wave of his hand, the Buddha transformed his five fingers into five great mountains representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, collectively known as the "Five Elements Mountain," effortlessly pinning the Monkey King beneath them. The surrounding thunder gods and Ananda and Kasyapa joined their palms in admiration, exclaiming, "Well done! Well done!"
At last, the mischievous monkey was subdued. The Buddha, wasting no time, returned to the Western Pure Land with Ananda and Kasyapa. Meanwhile, Marshal Tianpeng and the Star Lord of Heavenly Aid hurried out from the Hall of Divine Mists, calling, "Please wait, Buddha. Our Jade Emperor will arrive shortly." The Buddha turned and saw the Eight Scenery Phoenix Carriage and the Nine Glorious Canopies approaching, accompanied by celestial music and exotic fragrances. The Jade Emperor arrived and expressed his gratitude to the Buddha, saying, "Thanks to your great power, the monkey demon has been subdued. Please stay, and let us host a banquet in your honor to express our gratitude." The Buddha humbly replied, "It was nothing, just a small effort on my part, thanks to the blessings of the Heavenly Sovereign and all the gods."
The Jade Emperor issued a decree, inviting the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Elders, the Six Departments, the Seven Primordial Ones, the Eight Extremes, the Nine Luminaries, the Ten Capitals, and a thousand true saints to the banquet to thank the Buddha for his kindness.
Soon, deities from all directions arrived, including the Primordial Heavenly Venerable of Jade Purity, the Heavenly Venerable of Numinous Treasure of Upper Purity, the Heavenly Venerable of the Way and its Virtue of Great Purity, as well as the True Lords of Five Qi, the Star Lords of Five Dippers, the Three Officials, the Four Saints, the Nine Luminaries True Lords, and others. Each brought with them rare treasures, longevity fruits, and exotic flowers, offering their thanks to the Buddha, saying, "We are grateful for your boundless power in subduing the monkey demon. Please name this grand event." The Buddha thought for a moment and said, "Let it be called the 'Heavenly Peace Gathering.'" The deities unanimously agreed, "What a fitting name, the 'Heavenly Peace Gathering'!" They took their seats, and the banquet began with toasts, floral arrangements, and music, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
At this moment, the Queen Mother of the West, accompanied by a group of celestial maidens, gracefully danced before the Buddha, offering her respects: "Last time, the Peach Banquet was disrupted by the monkey demon. Today, thanks to the Buddha's subjugation of the unruly monkey, we are here to celebrate the 'Heavenly Peace Gathering' and have personally picked some great peaches to present." These peaches were no ordinary fruit, vibrant in color and fragrant, truly:
"Half red, half green, exuding sweet fragrance, their vibrant roots immortal through ages. A laugh at the peach trees of Wuling, incomparable to the celestial wonders above!"
The Buddha joined his palms in gratitude towards the Queen Mother. She then instructed the celestial maidens to sing and dance, earning widespread praise from the assembled immortals. It was indeed:
"Celestial fragrance fills the hall, vibrant celestial blossoms and flowers. Grand splendor in the Jade Capital's golden palace, extraordinary treasures of priceless worth."
As everyone was enjoying themselves, a sudden exotic fragrance filled the air, capturing the attention of all the immortals. They paused their drinking and looked up to see the Old Man of the South Pole gracefully arriving with a lingzhi mushroom in hand. After paying respects to the Jade Emperor and the Buddha, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "I heard the monkey demon had escaped after being refined by Laozi, but thanks to the Buddha's subjugation, I am here to offer my thanks, presenting the purple lingzhi and jade lotus elixir." A poem reads:
"Jade lotus elixir offered to Shakyamuni, may the Buddha's longevity be as infinite as sands. Peace and joy eternally in threefold splendor, health and longevity in ninefold blossoms."
The Buddha gladly accepted. The Old Man of the South Pole took his seat, and the festivities continued with more toasts. Next, the Barefoot Immortal arrived, expressing his gratitude to the Jade Emperor and the Buddha, saying, "Thankful for the Buddha's boundless power in subduing the monkey demon, I present two cross pears and several fiery dates." A poem reads:
"Barefoot Immortal's fragrant pears and dates, offered to extend Amitabha's longevity. Seven-treasure lotus platform stable as a mountain, thousand-flower seat adorned like brocade."
The Buddha expressed his gratitude once more, instructing Ananda and Kasyapa to collect the gifts presented by the immortals, and then thanked the Jade Emperor for the banquet. The immortals drank to their hearts' content, becoming thoroughly intoxicated. Suddenly, a patrol officer reported, "The Great Sage has poked his head out." The Buddha calmly responded, "No matter." He took a scroll from his sleeve, inscribed with the six golden syllables "Om Mani Padme Hum," and handed it to Ananda, instructing him to place it atop the Five Elements Mountain. The venerable Ananda complied, affixing the scroll to the four-sided stone atop the mountain, instantly stabilizing it, leaving Wukong unable to escape.
The Buddha bid farewell to the Jade Emperor and the assembled gods and, with the two venerable ones, departed the heavenly gates. With a compassionate heart, he recited an incantation, summoning the Earth Deity of the Five Elements Mountain, instructing him and the Five Directions Revealing Saints to guard the mountain. He advised them to provide Wukong with iron pellets to eat when hungry and molten copper to drink when thirsty, assuring them that when his period of tribulation ended, someone would come to rescue him. Indeed:
"The bold monkey dared to rebel in heaven, yet was subdued by the Buddha's hand. Thirst quenched with molten copper through years, hunger sated with iron pellets through time."
And a poem states:
"Subduing the mighty brings great deeds, taming dragons and tigers with cunning skill. Stealing peaches, stealing wine, roaming the heavenly court, rewarded with grace in the Jade Capital."
As for when Sun Wukong will be freed, that awaits the appearance of a holy monk in the Tang Dynasty. Stay tuned for the next chapter.
