Tathagata does not appear much in Journey to the West, but every time he appears, he is a god-like existence, and he never misses a beat. Coupled with the influence of the TV series, many friends think that Tathagata is powerful in Journey to the West. It is the strongest, but is it really so?
Judging from Taoist classics, the supreme leader of Taoism is Sanqing, and Taishang Laojun is recognized as the ancestor of Taoism. He has the power to create the heaven and the world, so the Tathagata will be afraid of Taishang Laojun. ? In fact, the author believes that although Tathagata is inferior to Laojun in terms of status, after Laojun turned Hu into a Buddha and handed down the Tao Te Ching, he has quietly retreated behind the scenes and has no great substantive power. On the way to learn the scriptures, although Laojun Secretly instigating the Qingniu Jing to cause chaos in the lower world, Tathagata was embarrassed, but the two were only afraid of each other, and Tathagata was not actually afraid of Laojun.
It can be seen from a series of actions of Tathagata Buddha that he was in awe of the Jade Emperor. When talking to Sun Wukong, he described the Jade Emperor as having gone through 1,750 calamities, and he had lived for 200 million times. For many years, you must know that the strength of gods increases with the passage of time. In terms of seniority and strength, the Jade Emperor is above Tathagata.
What scares Tathagata the most is not the strength of the Jade Emperor, but the power in the hands of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is the supreme emperor in the three realms. The gods in the three realms must obey his orders, even the three pure You also have to lower your head, so when Sun Wukong made a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace, as soon as the Jade Emperor's decree arrived, Tathagata did not dare to delay at all, and hurriedly went to refine the demons and subjugate them. This is the fact. Even if Tathagata had ten courages, he would not dare. It's a show in front of the Jade Emperor, so the only great god in the Three Realms that Tathagata fears is undoubtedly the Jade Emperor.