Wukong’s Peace

“He is nothing special!” the Jade Emperor declared to his subjects when he knew of Sun Wukong’s birth. The gods continued to ignore and disdain him as he became king of all monkeys, obtained the secrets of the Tao, retrieved the treasures of the Dragon Kings, erased his name from the Book of Life and Death and forged alliances with many powerful entities. Finally, the gods invited him to Heaven with the promise of glory but treated him like a lowly servant, arousing his anger and prompting him to wreak such havoc that the Jade Emperor was forced to appeal to the Buddha, who imprisoned Wukong in a mountain until the buddhist monk Tang Seng had to journey west to deliver a collection of sacred scriptures. He needed protection from demons so Wukong volunteered to guard him. Thus the proud and powerful Monkey King learned patience, humility and service, eventually attaining Buddhahood himself.