Fortune and fame, destiny decree,
Beware deceit, let hearts be free.
In virtuous light, integrity shall gleam,
Goodness reaps fruits like a boundless stream.
Foolish arrogance draws heaven's ire,
When the time is right, fate shall conspire.
Ask the Eastern Lord why woes persist,
For lofty ambitions, order dismissed.
Heed the lesson, distinctions clear,
In chaos‘ lies, troubles appear.
The heavenly soldiers took the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to the Execution Platform. Then, they tied him to the Demon-Subduing Pillar. They tried cutting him with knives and axes, then stabbing him with spears, and slashing him with swords, but they couldn't harm him in the slightest.
The Southern Dipper Official ordered the gods from the Fire Department to set him on fire, but it had no effect. The gods from the Thunder Department tried striking him with thunderbolts, but they couldn't hurt him at all.
The Ghost King of Strength and the others reported to the Jade Emperor, "Your Majesty, we've tried cutting, burning, and striking him with thunder, but nothing seems to work. We can't harm him even a bit. We wonder where he learned such body protection techniques."
The Jade Emperor pondered, "How do we deal with this situation?"
"The monkey ate the Immortal Peaches and drank the Royal Wine, and he even stole some Elixir Pills from me. Those five pots of pills, he swallowed them all. I used the Samadhi Fire to refine them, creating his indestructible Vajra body. No ordinary means can harm him," Laozi said, "I suggest taking him to the Eight Trigrams Furnace and using the civil and martial fires to refine him into an elixir. His body will turn to ashes by doing so, but I will get back my pills."
The Jade Emperor agreed and ordered the Six Ding and Six Jia to release the Great Sage and hand him over to Laozi, who accepted the decree and left.
At the same time, Erlang was honored and rewarded with a hundred golden flowers, a hundred bottles of Royal Wine, a hundred Elixir Pills, precious pearls, and exquisite treasures.
The Jade Emperor instructed him to share these rewards with his sworn brothers. After the divine lord expressed gratitude, he returned to his home on the bank of the Guan River.
Laozi arrived at Heavenly Mansion and had the Great Sage's ropes removed. Then, he released the tool that pierced his pipa bone. He pushed him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Next, he ordered the Daoists in charge of the furnace and the attendant boys to ignite the fire for refining.
The furnace consisted of the Eight Trigrams[1]: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui.
The Great Sage positioned himself within the Xun segment of the furnace, which represents wind. Because wind can extinguish fire, no flames reached this segment. However, the wind stirred up the smoke, and the fiery smoke irritated his eyes, turning them red and causing him to suffer from an eye ailment named "Fiery Eyes with Golden Pupils."
Time flew swiftly; before anyone knew it, forty-nine days had passed, and Laozi‘s fire refinement was complete. On that day, he opened the furnace to retrieve the elixir.
The Great Sage covered his eyes with both hands, still wiping away tears, when he heard a sound from above. Opening his eyes wide, he saw a bright light. Unable to contain himself, he leaped out of the elixir furnace. With a loud crash, he knocked over the Eight Trigrams Furnace and hurried toward the exit.
The furnace attendants, stokers, and the others rushed to stop him.
With each strike, Wukong toppled his foes. His movements were swift and powerful, reminiscent of a wild tiger or a mythical dragon in the throes of a tempest. Even when Laozi tried to snatch him, he slipped through his grasp and fled.
The Great Sage then pulled out his Gold-Banded Rod from his ear. After adjusting its size, he held it firmly, ready to cause havoc in the heavenly palace. He struck fear into the Nine Luminaries Stars, who closed their doors, and the Four Heavenly Kings seemed to vanish into thin air.
What a crafty monkey monster! There's a poem to describe him:
In primordial unity, the Dao prevails,
Through myriad ages, nature sails.
Boundless like the formless void,
Stillness found in Dao's hidden alloy.
Within the furnace, refined not with lead or mercury,
Beyond the worldly realm, immortality's key.
Endless transformations, an eternal dance,
The Three Jewels, Five Precepts, in silence enhance.
Another Poem:
A glimmer of divine light pierces the void,
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The staff in hand, its brilliance employed.
Be it long or short, at man's command,
Horizontal, vertical, as he demands.
And once more with feeling:
In the realm of monkeys, a path aligns,
With human hearts, their essence entwines.
The Great Sage's journey, no falsehood found,
An honored companion, a title profound.
Horse and monkey, hearts and minds combine,
Bound together, no need to seek or pine.
In countless forms, one truth they embrace,
United with the Buddha, in the forest's grace.
In this battle, the Monkey King showed no mercy as he swung his iron staff in all directions, and no deity could withstand him. He fought his way into the Hall of Brilliance and even beyond the Lingxiao Hall, where the Aid-Saint True Lord resided. However, the Majestic Spirit Officer guarded the palace.
The Spirit Officer saw the Great Sage wreaking havoc and stepped forward, wielding his golden whip, and blocked him. "Mischievous monkey, where are you going? I'm here, don't act recklessly."
Without any hesitation, the Great Sage raised his staff and attacked. The Majestic Spirit Officer brandished his whip to counter. The two clashed in front of the Lingxiao Hall, engaging in a fierce battle.
With valor and loyalty, one gains great acclaim,
Deceiving heaven brings a tarnished name.
One sinks, one rises, a delicate balance found,
Heroes bold and fierce, their destinies unbound.
The iron rod fierce, the golden whip fast,
Integrity and selflessness, how long can they last?
One is Taixu's revered sound-transforming sage,
The other, Heaven's Equal, a monkey enrage.
Both wielding weapons, divine and rare,
In Lingxiao Palace, their might they declare.
Displaying talents, they both shine bright,
Cherished and admired in heavenly light.
One seeks to seize the Cowherd's abode,
The other protects the divine realm's code.
In fierce competition, neither concedes,
Whip and cudgel clash, neither succeeds.
The two of them fought fiercely, and it was hard to determine the winner or loser.
The Aid-Saint True Lord wasted no time and sent orders to the Thunder Palace, summoning thirty-six Thunder Generals to surround the Great Sage in the center. They all fought ferociously, but the Great Sage showed no fear.
Twirling his Compliant Gold-Banded Rod, the Great Sage blocked attacks from all directions.
The Thunder Generals came at him with knives, spears, swords, halberds, whips, hammers, axes, and other weapons.
Instantly, Sun Wukong transformed into a giant with three heads and six arms. He swung his rod, turning it into three staffs. With six hands, he handled the three staffs as skillfully as a spinning wheel. Swirling and dancing in the center, he made it impossible for the Thunder Gods to get close to him.
Truly, his form was radiant and magnificent. Throughout eternity, people couldn't learn such skills. Fire couldn't burn him, and water couldn't drown him. He possessed the glow of enlightenment that swords and weapons couldn't harm. He could be virtuous or wicked, and his actions depended on the circumstances.
In goodness, he attains Buddhahood and Immortality's height,
In wickedness, fur-clad and adorned with horns, he takes flight.
Endless transformations, a tumult in heaven's domain,
The thunder gods and heavenly troops, in vain they try to restrain.
As the gods gathered around the Great Sage, chaos and fierce fighting ensued as they were unable to get close to him.
This commotion caught the Jade Emperor's attention, who immediately ordered the Spirit Officier and the Aid-Saint True Lord to go to the Western Heaven and invite the venerable Buddha to come and de-escalate the situation.
Upon receiving the decree, the two gods proceeded directly to the sacred realm of Mount Ling in front of the Thunderclap Temple. They respectfully greeted the four Vajras and eight Bodhisattvas and conveyed the message.
The divine beings followed them to the lotus platform. They greeted the venerable Buddha[2], who invited them to stand nearby. The two gods bowed to the Buddha thrice and stood by the platform.
"What brings you here on behalf of the Jade Emperor?" The Buddha inquired.
"Recently, a monkey born in Flower Fruit Mountain acquired supernatural powers and caused chaos among the monkeys, disrupting the world. The Jade Emperor issued a decree to appoint him as the Protector of the Steeds, but he rejected the position due to its insignificance. When Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha were sent to capture him, they failed. The Jade Emperor pardoned the monkey again and bestowed the title of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, an unpaid position. Then, he was entrusted with the management of the Peach Garden, but he stole peaches. He also went to the Jade Pool and plundered delicacies and wine, causing mayhem at the grand gathering. While intoxicated, he secretly entered the Heavenly Mansion and stole the Venerable Patriarch Dao‘s Pills, then escaped from Heaven.“
The two gods told the Buddha the story in detail.
„The Jade Emperor dispatched a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, but they couldn't subdue him. Erlang Shen pursued him along with his sworn brothers, but he displayed numerous transformations. Fortunately, Erlang Shen managed to capture him with the Adamant Chisel thrown by the Venerable Patriarch Dao. However, even when brought before the Jade Emperor, all attempts to harm him with knives, axes, fire, and thunder were in vain. The Venerable Patriarch Dao suggested taking him to be refined with fire. After forty-nine days of refining, he suddenly jumped out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, fought off the heavenly guards, and entered the Hall of Brilliance right outside the Lingxiao Hall. The Aid-Saint True Lord's subordinate, Majestic Spirit Officer, engaged him in a fierce battle. Thirty-six Thunder Generals surrounded him, but they couldn't get close to him. The situation is critical, so the Jade Emperor specially requested the venerable Buddha's assistance in solving the issue."
Hearing this, the venerable Buddha addressed the Bodhisattvas, "You all stay here firmly seated in meditation, and don't disturb your contemplation. I will go to subdue the demon and rectify the situation."
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[1] The Eight Trigrams, also known as Bagua, are fundamental symbols in Chinese cosmology and divination, forming the basis of the ancient Chinese text, the "I Ching" or "Book of Changes." Each trigram is composed of three lines, which can be either solid (Yang) or broken (Yin), representing the interplay of cosmic forces and natural phenomena.
[2] In Chinese Buddhism, Tathagata is one of the titles used to refer to the Buddha, particularly Gautama Buddha. The term "Tathagata" has profound meanings, and it can be interpreted as "One Thus Gone," "One Thus Come," or "One Thus Transformed," indicating the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment and transcendence of the cycle of birth and death (samsara). The term is commonly used as an honorific title for the Buddha in Buddhist scriptures and teachings.