The Buddha summoned the venerable Arhat Anuo and Maha Kasyapa to accompany him and left the Thunderclap Temple.
Outside the Lingxiao Hall, they heard loud shouts. When they came closer, they saw the thirty-six Thunder Generals surrounding the Great Sage.
"Tell the Thunder Generals to stop fighting, disperse their formations, and have the Great Sage come out. I want to inquire about his supernatural powers." The Buddha commanded.
The generals immediately complied and retreated.
The Great Sage then reverted to his original form and approached, his anger evident, loudly asking, "Who dares to interfere with me? Who are you?"
The Buddha smiled and replied, "I am Gautama Buddha from the Western Pure Land. Namo Amitabha[1]! I've heard of your wild conduct in the countryside and your repeated defiance of Heaven. I'm curious about your origin when you attained enlightenment and the reason for your unruly behavior."
The Great Sage replied, "As for my origin:
Yo, in heaven and earth, I was born,
A spirit like no other, ready to perform.
From Flower Fruit Mountain, I take the stage,
Watch out, challengers, I'm about to engage.
In Water Curtain Cave, I've made my lair,
Seeking wise masters, the Dao to declare.
I've honed my skills, I've got the might,
No one can match me, I'm a celestial sight.
I've got countless methods, longevity on my side,
Master of transformations, no place to hide.
Unsatisfied with the mortal's scope,
I aim for the heaven‘s crest, I won't lose hope.
I bend reality, I defy the laws,
Unbound transformations, behold my flaws.
With every move, I'm breaking the norm,
The monkey king rises, a celestial storm.
My heart's on fire, I've got the drive,
To reach new heights, I'm ready to strive.
In this battle, I'll take the throne,
No one can stop me, I stand alone.
I've got countless methods, longevity on my side,
Master of transformations, no place to hide.
Unsatisfied with the mortal's scope,
I aim for the heaven‘s first, I won't lose hope.
Step up if you dare, to face this king,
But be warned, I've got tricks that'll make you sing.
I'm a legend in the making, destined to enthrall,
In this battle, I'll conquer all.
I've got countless methods, longevity on my side,
Master of transformations, no place to hide.
Unsatisfied with the mortal's scope,
I aim for the heaven‘s peak, I won't lose hope.
So here I stand, the monkey king,
In this battle, I'm the one to bring.
With every verse, I'll prove my might,
In heaven and earth, I'll shine so bright.
I've got countless methods, longevity on my side,
Master of transformations, no place to hide.
Unsatisfied with the mortal's scope,
I aim for the heaven‘s top, I won't lose hope. "
Upon hearing this, the Buddha chuckled coldly and said, "You, that little monkey, dare to deceive yourself and covet the honorable position of the Jade Emperor? He has cultivated diligently since his youth, enduring one thousand seven hundred and fifty kalpas. Each kalpa lasts for one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. Calculate how many years he must endure to attain this boundless enlightenment. I cannot believe you, who were once just a lowly animal, dare to brag like this. You are not worthy of being called a human! You have shortened your own life with your foolishness. You should repent early and stop your nonsense. I fear you will face a fatal blow, and your life will be extinguished instantly, which is a pity for your original talent."
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"Although the emperor has been cultivating for a long time, he shouldn't monopolize this place forever. As the saying goes, 'The emperor's throne rotates; next year, it might be my turn.' Just tell him to move out, hand over the Heavenly Palace to me, and that will be the end of it. But if he refuses to yield, there will be conflicts and unrest that will never end."
"Apart from your ability to change forms and have a long life, what else can you do to claim the Heavenly Palace?" The buddha asked.
"I have numerous skills: I can transform into seventy-two different forms and have eternal life that spans countless kalpas. I can ride the Flying Nimbus and travel a hundred thousand miles in one leap. Why can't I sit on the throne of Heaven?"
"Let's make a wager. If you can jump from my right palm with one somersault, I'll admit defeat, and without resorting to warfare, I'll ask the Jade Emperor to live in the Western Paradise and hand over the Heavenly Palace to you. But if you fail to jump out of my palm, you'll return to the mortal realm as a monster and continue to cultivate for several more kalpas before you dare to contend again."
"The Buddha is quite naive. I can easily jump a hundred thousand miles with one somersault, and his palm is not even a foot in diameter. How can I not jump out of it?" The Great Sage thought to himself. Then he added loudly, "Since you said so, can you make the arrangements?"
"Of course I can." The Buddha replied confidently. He extended his right hand, which seemed to be the size of a lotus leaf.
The Great Sage put away his rod and mustered his divine power. With a leap, he stood on the palm of the Buddha's hand and said, "I'm off now." Then, you could see him swiftly disappearing in a trail of clouds and light, vanishing without a trace.
The Buddha watched with discerning eyes as the Monkey King kept advancing like a windmill.
Along the way, the Great Sage spotted five flesh-colored pillars holding up a strand of green aura. "This must be the end of the road. Once I return, I'll have evidence to prove that Lingxiao Palace should rightfully belong to me."
Then, he had another idea. "Wait, let me leave some markings as a message for the Buddha." Plucking a single strand of his fur, he blew on it with celestial energy and exclaimed, "Transform!" The fur turned into a pair of thick ink brushes and he wrote a large line of characters on the middle pillar, which read, "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here."
After finishing the inscription, he retrieved the strand of fur. He didn't stop there but squatted under the first pillar and urinated.
Using his Flying Nimbus, he returned directly to where the Buddha was holding him in his hand and declared, "I've already left your palm, and now I'm back. You tell the Jade Emperor to hand over the Heavenly Palace to me."
"You didn't actually leave my palm." The Buddha said mockingly.
"You don't know the whole story. I went all the way to the end of the heavens and saw five red flesh-colored pillars supporting a strand of green aura. I left a message there. Would you dare to go there with me?"
"No need to go. Just look down." The Buddha replied.
The Great Sage used his fiery eyes and golden pupils to look down and saw that the Buddha had written "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here." on his right middle finger. There was even a trace of monkey urine smell.
Taken aback, the Great Sage questioned the situation. "What's going on? How could this writing be on his finger when I wrote it on the supporting pillar? Could it be some kind of divination magic? I refuse to believe it! I don't believe it at all! I'll go there again to find out."
The Great Sage tried to leap out again. But the Buddha swiftly raised his palm and pushed the Monkey King out of the Western Heavenly Gate. His five fingers transformed into five connected mountains made of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. He named it "Five Elements Mountain,". Gently pressing down, Buddha buried the Monkey King under it.
The Thunder Gods, along with Arhat Anuo and Maha Kasyapa, all praised with folded palms, singing, "Excellent, excellent!
In days of yore, he hatched as mortal kin,
Determined to pursue the path, the truth within.
Through countless eons, his dwelling stayed supreme,
Yet in an instant, lost, his essence in a dream.
Defying heaven's might, ambition in his eyes,
Challenging the saints, disrupting sacred ties.
A lifetime steeped in sin, now fate's decree,
Uncertain when redemption comes, his soul not free.
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[1] Namo Amitabha: Buddhistic greeting. It’s a part of a chant.