The Monkey King had learned enlightenment. He could make a cloud trapeze to cross continents. He could make an iron cudgel from the tiny pick behind his ear. He could defeat any army on earth or in Jade Heaven.

As a matter of fact, it was his bad behaviour in Jade Heaven that landed him in hot water with the Jade Emperor and the Buddha of the Western Gate. Monkey had fought and defeated all of the warriors that the Jade Emperor had set on him. Jade Emperor was desolate. He turned to Buddha of the Western Gate and begged him to help. Buddha said, “Don’t worry; I will deal with this insolent monkey.”

So, Buddha of the Western Gate approached the Monkey King and said, “Monkey King, you obviously have superior skills. You have laid waste to all the warriors of Jade Heaven. You have won the right to challenge the Jade Emperor.” Monkey preened at the compliments of the Buddha. Then Buddha of the Western Gate went on, “The Jade Emperor has asked me to challenge you to one final task. If you can accomplish this task, you will rule Jade Heaven.”

Monkey thought to himself, “A Task? This will be so easy.” He said, “Tell me the task and I will do it before you can blink!” Buddha shook his head, “No, there is one thing to which you must agree if you cannot complete the task.” Monkey had no fear of losing and said, “What is it?” “You must agree to be locked in an iron mountain for eternity if you lose,” said the Buddha. Monkey laughed, “Since I won’t lose, I have no worry! Tell me the task!”

Buddha merely smiled, “Then, here is your task. Jump from the palm of my hand to the ends of the earth and come back.” “That’s it?!?” Monkey was incredulous. Using his cloud trapeze he could go to the ends of the earth and back before Buddha could blink. Buddha nodded. Monkey said, “You’re on!”

Dear Monkey, he jumped onto Buddha of the Western Gate’s hand. From there he leapt to the ends of the earth. When he had gone as far as he could he found himself in a place in the sky with 5 pink pillars. “Hmmm,” thought Monkey, “No one will believe I was here if I don’t leave a mark of some kind. I know, I’ll just write on one of these pillars, ‘Monkey was here!’” And so he did on the middle pillar. Then, just to be sure that no one would doubt him; he peed on the base of the middle pillar. Finally, he jumped on his cloud trapeze and went back to Buddha’s hand.

Monkey was quite pleased with himself, “Okay, give me the keys to the Jade Palace!” he proclaimed to the Buddha of the Western Gate. Buddha glared at Monkey, “You miserable little miscreant!” Then Monkey noticed something dripping from Buddha’s hand. “You never left my hand!” Monkey took Buddha’s hand and looked at his middle finger. In very tiny writing it said, ‘Monkey was here!’ Urine dripped through Buddha’s fingers.

It was true; Monkey had never left Buddha of the Western Gate’s hand. And so that is how Monkey came to be locked up in the iron mountain for 500 years until Tripitaka chose him to take on his journey to the west. Ah but, that is another story entirely.

The beginning of the journey is to the end as the end is to the beginning.