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Contents:
Introduction
1. The Novel itself is Buddhist-BasedWu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West is a novel that revolves around general Chinese folklore, featuring themes heavily relating to the Buddhism and Daoism religions of traditional China. The more significant of the two lies with Buddhism [src. 2], of which the entire novel’s goal is based on. A few major examples of the significance of Buddhism in the novel include: Tripitaka’s journey destination being Spirit Mountain the home of the Buddha, the many Buddhist temples and monasteries appearing during the journey, and of course our five protagonists all being Buddhist pilgrims. Therefore, the concept of Buddhism is placed as a priority over others, and thus will mean that the Buddhist deities will be presented to be more prestigious, with Tathagata being the Buddhist patriarch, positioned to be the most powerful.
2. The Greatest Demons are Subdued by HimThe Tathagata Buddha has only made a few appearances throughout the novel. Apart from presenting the sutras to the pilgrims and occasionally giving advice, Tathagata only shows up three times to subdue the most powerful demons which nobody else, not even the powerful Jade Emperor or Lord Lao, could defeat, proving him self to be the greatest figure in Heaven. These three demons that he conquered are listed below. 2.1. The Great Sage Heaven's EqualThe Buddha’s first appearance in the whole novel is to interfere with the Great Sage Heaven’s Equal’s actions while he was wreaking a great disturbance in Haven. Tathagata arrived at the celestial palace to help the Jade Emperor subdue the demon Sun Wukong, the self-proclaimed Great Sage Heaven’s Equal at the time, who nobody in all of the heavenly palace could defeat. Tathagata managed to trick Monkey onto his palm and agreeing to a bet that was guaranteed for Tathagata himself to win. When Monkey lost the bet, Tathagata activated his Buddha’s Palm [2] [src. 3], which he turned into the Five-Elements Mountain to crush Monkey beneath [src. 4].
Dear Great Sage! Quickly he crouched and was about to jump up again, when the Buddhist Patriarch flipped his hand over and tossed the Monkey King out of the West Heaven Gate. The five fingers were transformed into the Five Phases of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They became, in fact, five connected mountains, named Five-Phases Mountain [Five-Elements Mountain], which pinned him down with just enough pressure to keep him there. 2.2. The Fake Monkey KingTathagata’s second time exorcising a monster was during the famous episode of the real and fake Monkey Kings. After the two Monkeys fight their way across the three regions [3] and nobody was able to tell them apart, they end up at the Buddha’s home for Tathagata to distinguish the real and fake Monkeys. With his formidable eyes of wisdom (huiyan, 慧眼) Tathagata was able to immediately identify the fake Monkey. To prevent the impostor from escaping, Tathagata summoned his golden alms-bowl, which he used to trap the demon and reveal its true form as the Six-Eared Macaque (liu’er mihou, 六耳猕猴) [src. 5-6]. This golden alms-bowl that the Buddha possesses can ensnare people, just like Lord Lao’s Diamond Cutter (jingang zhuo, 金刚琢); it can also reveal an individual’s true form, which is a much stronger counterpart of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King’s Demon-Reflecting Mirror (zhaoyao jing, 照妖镜). This treasure is a powerful asset to go with Tathagata’s great abilities.
Shaking his body quickly, he [the fake Monkey] changed at once into a bee, flying straight up. Tathāgata threw up into the air a golden almsbowl, which caught the bee and brought it down. Not perceiving that, the congregation thought the macaque had escaped. With a smile, Tathāgata said, “Be silent, all of you. The monster-spirit hasn’t escaped. He’s underneath this almsbowl of mine.” The congregation surged forward and lifted up the almsbowl; a sixth-eared macaque in his original form indeed appeared. 2.3 The Roc of Ten-Thousand Cloudy MilesThe Tathagata Buddha’s third and final appearance of subduing a demon was at Lion-Camel Kingdom (shituo guo, 狮驼国), where there were three demon kings occupying the place and obstructed the pilgrims’ path. The senior and second eldest demons were tamed by their respective Bodhisattva masters, with the third king refusing to surrender. This third demon is the Roc King, known as the Roc of Ten-Thousand Cloudy Miles (yuncheng wanli peng, 云程万里鹏), who is the strongest of the three demon kings and nobody could stop him. It was only the Tathagata Buddha who used his great magic to immobilise the Roc [src. 7-8], defeating him and forcing him to submit to Buddhism.
Our Father Buddha pointed at him [Roc demon] with his finger and immediately the monster-spirit felt such cramps throughout his huge wings that he could not fly away. All he could do was to hover over the Buddha’s head in his true form: a golden-winged great roc. 3. He is Everybody's Last HopeThis is perhaps the most important point, where the Tathagata Buddha’s powers are demonstrated every time there is an issue that no one else could resolve. From this, it is apparent that everyone in the world acknowledges that Tathagata is the greatest, and that is why they resort to him as their final hope in emergencies. 3.1. The Jade Emperor during Monkey's HavocDuring Sun Wukong’s rebellious havoc in Heaven, the entire celestial army and the gods could not overcome all the chaos that Monkey was causing. None of the Daoist deities there were willing nor able to step in to do anything. With no other choice of method to bear Monkey’s wrath, the Jade Emperor requested urgent assistance from the Buddha [src. 9-12]. From this request of the celestial palace, it is evident that the gods there knew clearly that only the Tathagata Buddha was proficient enough for them to depend on. All the hustle and bustle soon disturbed the Jade Emperor, who at once sent the Wandering Minister of Inspection and the Immortal Master of Blessed Wings to go to the Western Region and invite the aged Buddha to come and subdue the monster.
[The Wandering Minister and the Immortal Master explained,] “The situation is desperate, and for this reason, the Jade Emperor sent a special request for you [Tathagata] to defend the Throne.” 3.2 Sun Wukong during the JourneyEvery time Wukong requires celestial reinforcements to help him during the journey, he would tend to ask around everywhere first, before paying Tathagata a visit when he has no other choice, showing that even Monkey knows that Tathagata’s powers are the greatest. The example in src. 13 below is from the chapter where the pilgrims encounter Great King Single-Horned Bovine (dujiaosi dawang, 独角兕大王), who possesses a magic hoop with vast powers that nobody in Heaven or Earth could fend. Monkey’s last option is to seek Tathagata for help. Pilgrim [Monkey] replied, “Come to think of it, the dharma power of Buddha is boundless. I shall go now to the Western Heaven to question our Buddha Tathāgata; I shall ask him to scan with his eye of wisdom the four great continents of Earth and see where this fiend was born and raised. I want to learn what sort of treasure his [Single-Horned Bovine’s] fillet is, and no matter what, I’m determined to have him arrested.
ConclusionUltimately, it is perceivable that the Journey to the West novel recognises the Tathagata Buddha to be the most powerful character, placing him to be stronger than even Lord Lao or the Jade Emperor, both of whom are considered the strongest in general Chinese folklore. Tathagata’s might is displayed in the novel when everyone acknowledges him as their last hope in defeating the most powerful of villains. Most noticeably, author Wu Cheng’en has written Tathagata to be the strongest simply because the novel itself is heavily based on Buddhism, and thus the patriarch deity of the Buddhists would be presented as the most prestigious. - Notes[1] Three Purities (三清)
Also known as: Three Pure Ones. This trio of gods is the immortal trinity of Daoism. These three deities are: Celestial Worthy of Primal Beginning (yuanshi tianzun, 元始天尊), Celestial Worthy of Spiritual Treasures (lingbao tianzun, 灵宝天尊) and Celestial Worthy of the Way and Virtue (daode tianzun, 道德天尊 - this is Laozi (老子), commonly known in Journey to the West as Supreme Exalted Lord Lao). [2] Buddha’s Palm (如来神掌) Literal meaning: Divine Palm of Tathagata Perhaps the most notable mentions of this ability are from Stephen Chow’s films. It was first put forward in the film Kung Fu Hustle (2004), which had references made later in Chow’s other films, including CJ7 (2008) and his two Journey to the West movies: Conquering the Demons (2013) and The Demons Strike Back (2017). [3] three regions (三界) The three regions in traditional Chinese cosmology are: Heaven, Earth and Hell.
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