Story Summary
Explore The Buddha's Wager from Journey to the West, where the arrogant Sun Wukong learns the limits of his power against the vast wisdom of the Great Buddha.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, had wreaked havoc across the Celestial Realm, defeating the Jade Emperor's finest generals and declaring himself 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' To restore order, the Buddha intervened and proposed a wager: if the Monkey King could leap out of his right palm, he would be granted the throne of Heaven; if he failed, he would return to Earth to repent. Confident in his ability to travel 108,000 li in a single somersault, the Monkey King laughed and accepted. He soared through the cosmos until he reached five towering pink pillars at the edge of the universe. To mark his victory, he wrote his name on the middle pillar and left a crude sign of his presence. Returning to the Buddha, he demanded the throne. However, the Buddha opened his hand, showing the Monkey King that he had never left his palm. The 'pillars' were merely the Buddha's fingers, and the writing was on his middle finger. Realizing he was trapped by his own arrogance, the Monkey King tried to flee, but the Buddha turned his hand into the Five Elements Mountain, pinning the monkey beneath it for five hundred years.
The Moral
True wisdom and power are found in humility and self-awareness, for even the greatest ego cannot escape the vastness of the universe or the reach of divine law.
“You thought you had reached the edge of the world, but you never even left my palm.”
Fun Fact
This story is a pivotal moment in 'Journey to the West,' one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, written during the Ming Dynasty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of The Buddha's Wager?
The story teaches that arrogance and pride are blinding, and that no matter how powerful an individual becomes, they are still subject to the laws of the universe and divine wisdom.
Who is Sun Wukong in Journey to the West?
Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, is a powerful immortal stone monkey who possesses 72 transformations and incredible strength, serving as the protagonist of the epic novel.
What were the five pillars at the end of the world?
The five pink pillars that the Monkey King discovered at the edge of the universe were actually the fingers of the Buddha's hand, illustrating the Buddha's infinite scale.
How long was Sun Wukong trapped under the mountain?
The Monkey King was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for 500 years until he was eventually freed by the monk Tang Sanzang to begin their journey to the west.
Why did the Buddha challenge the Monkey King?
The Buddha challenged him to end his rebellion in the Celestial Realm using wisdom and a lesson in humility rather than relying solely on destructive force.
What does the Five Elements Mountain represent?
The mountain represents the physical world's constraints and the weight of one's own karma, which the Monkey King had to endure as penance for his pride.