Story Summary
Discover how the Monkey King met his match in Imprisoned Under Five Elements Mountain. A tale of hubris, a divine wager, and 500 years of stone-cold penance.
After wreaking havoc in the Celestial Realm, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, defied the Jade Emperor and claimed he was fit to rule the heavens. To quell the chaos, the Buddha arrived and challenged the Monkey King to a wager: if Wukong could leap out of the palm of his right hand, the throne of Heaven would be his. Arrogant and swift, the Monkey King somersaulted thousands of miles to the very edge of the universe, where he found five towering pink pillars. To prove his success, he scribbled his name on the middle pillar and left a mark of disrespect. Returning to the Buddha, he boasted of his victory, only to be shown the Buddha’s own hand. To his horror, the pillars were actually the Buddha’s fingers, and his writing was etched into the base of the middle one. Before Wukong could escape, the Buddha turned his hand over, transforming his five fingers into the Five Elements Mountain—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. He sealed the Monkey King beneath the massive peaks with a sacred mantra, leaving him to wait five hundred years for his eventual redemption.
The Moral
True wisdom and power surpass brute strength and arrogance; no one can escape the consequences of their actions when they defy the natural order.
“You thought you had reached the edge of the world, but you never even left the palm of my hand.”
Fun Fact
The mountain is also known as Wuzhi Shan (Five Fingers Mountain) because its peaks resemble a hand, reminding all of the Buddha's role in the legend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of Imprisoned Under Five Elements Mountain?
The story teaches that arrogance and ego lead to a person's downfall. It emphasizes that no matter how powerful one becomes, there are always greater forces of wisdom and cosmic order that cannot be bypassed.
Who imprisoned the Monkey King under the mountain?
Sun Wukong was imprisoned by the Buddha (Tathagata). The Buddha used a wager to demonstrate the Monkey King's limitations and then transformed his hand into the mountain to restrain him.
How long was Sun Wukong trapped under the Five Elements Mountain?
The Monkey King was imprisoned for five hundred years. He remained there until the monk Tang Sanzang (Tripitaka) arrived to release him for the journey to the West.
What was the bet between the Buddha and Sun Wukong?
The Buddha bet the Monkey King that he could not leap out of the Buddha's palm. Wukong, believing his cloud-somersault could cover any distance, failed to realize the Buddha's palm encompassed the entire universe.
What do the five peaks of the mountain represent?
The peaks represent the Five Elements of Chinese philosophy: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. This symbolizes the physical universe and the material world's power to bind the unruly spirit.
Why did the Jade Emperor need the Buddha's help?
The Jade Emperor's celestial armies were unable to defeat Sun Wukong, who had become immortal and possessed immense magical powers. The Buddha was called upon as a higher authority of wisdom and peace to resolve the conflict.
