People never stop daydreaming about the stories in the later period of Journey to the West, and so do writers. Many stories about Journey to the West have been put on the screen. Whether it's the ghost-animal war between the Monkey King and Wutian Buddha in The Journey to the West, the Monkey King becoming a master of agarwood in Lotus Lantern, or the Monkey King being robbed in the TV series Fighting Buddha starring Chen Musheng. These are people's imagination of the Monkey King's life after becoming a Buddha. Can the Monkey King really get used to becoming a Buddha?
I used to be young and energetic, and I thought, if we were born free, who would dare to be above us? The Monkey King should be a defiant, indomitable and carefree the Monkey King. How can he stand the discipline above Lingshan? Lingshan is not its destination, Huaguo Mountain is. However, gradually, the perspective of the problem has changed, and I began to consider whether the Monkey King's actions from birth to now are mature. We think he is a hero of resistance, because he is resisting the system, but when it comes to what he has done, is he really right?
Fighting Buddha is a real thing in Buddhism, and it is a kind of acceptance ceremony and repentance among the 35 Buddhas. The Buddhist Doctrine Determines the Puni Sutra, which says that people who have committed five karma should repent before these 35 Buddhas. And what does anti-Buddha mean? Nature does not mean going against the sky, fighting wars, etc. Buddhism is in the name of compassion. Although there is King Kong glaring, he will not take the initiative to fight. The so-called struggle refers to the struggle against selfishness and self-persistence in the process of spiritual practice, and constantly uphold the correct view of "no self". At the same time, we will fight against the obsession of "I want, I want, I am tired and I am afraid" until we overcome all selfish preferences and enjoy peace forever.
And before the Monkey King became a Buddha, how many of his faults in the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea, in the underworld and in heaven were the faults of others? The Xialong Palace in the Monkey King got the treasure of the sea, disturbed the Crystal Palace of the Dragon King, and demanded lotus root silk shoes, golden locks, phoenix wings and purple crowns, and beat them all the way out. I went to the underworld, crossed out my name in the book of life and death, and also crossed out the name of the monkey genus, which led to problems in the cycle of heaven and earth. He was called to heaven. For the first time, he became Bi Marvin, and for the second time, he became the monkey king who ate flat peaches and Dan medicine, disrupting the flat peach party. This is more because of the Monkey King's obsession with "I want it, I want it".
The Monkey King lived a very self-centered life in many times, and did everything by his own emotions, but he still had a strong ability. It doesn't matter that such a person is withdrawn and indifferent to the world, but if he keeps in touch with the world, only others will suffer. After he became a Buddha, he defeated his selfishness and obsession. He has been changing since he went to the Western Heaven to learn Buddhist scriptures. He began to think of others, began to care about people, and gradually stopped treating human life like dirt. This is the real influence of the Tang Priest on the Monkey King, which made the Monkey King no longer independent of the group and gave the Monkey King a chance to become a Buddha.
The opportunity for Tang Priest to become a Buddha came from the Multi-Heart Sutra taught by Zen Master Wu Chao, and his ultimate achievement was the merit Buddha. This Buddha is also one of the 35 Buddhas. In the name of reciting the merits of sandalwood Buddha, past lives can be erased and the sin of fasting monks can be stopped. This seems to correspond to the Monkey King, Tang Priest's discipline of the Monkey King and the Monkey King's exhortation. Is it also preventing the Monkey King's criminal career? Of course, not only the Monkey King, but also Pig Bajie, Sand Monk and even Little White Dragon.
Therefore, the Buddha's name given to them at last in The Journey to the West was not given casually. Buddha is a complete awakened one. There is no difference between the two, but each has its own function. The Monkey King overcame his selfishness and obsession, and finally became a Buddha. Tang Sanzang eliminated and stopped his disciples' evil behavior, helped them to do good deeds, and finally became an upright Buddha, which was determined by their experiences along the way, that is to say, everything has been decided!