Sun Wukong is pinned under the Five-Finger Mountain

The Heavenly Soldiers hauled Sun Wukong to the Demon Execution Platform, binding him to the Demon-subduing Pillar. Yet blades hacked and axes chopped without harming him. The gods of the Thunder Department summoned thunderbolts, but not a hair on his body was singed. The Lord Lao Zi declared, "He ate the Peaches of Immortality, drank the Imperial Wine and swallowed my Five Gourds of Elixir Pills. Within his belly, they have fused into a solid lump, forging his entire body into indestructible adamant. Only by burning him in the Eight Trigrams Furnace can my elixir be recovered, while he himself is reduced to ashes."

Sun Wukong was then taken to Tushita Palace and thrust into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. The furnace attendants lit the fire, and the burning commenced. The Xun trigram (☴, Wind) position in the furnace directed the wind to fan the flames. The fiery smoke stung Sun Wukong’s eyes, turning them red and afflicting him with an eye ailment that would henceforth be known as "fiery eyes with golden pupils." They burned him for forty-nine days. Sun Wukong was covering his stinging, tear-streaming eyes when suddenly the furnace lid flew open. He leaped through the air, sprang out of the furnace, kicked the Eight Trigrams Furnace over with one foot, and stormed out. Lord Lao Zi rushed to stop him, but Wukong shoved him down. Then, pulling his Compliant Golden-Hooped Staff from his ear, he charged through the Heavenly Palace, smashing everything in his path.

The alarm was raised to the Jade Emperor, who dispatched the Official of Wanderers westwards to beseech the Buddha to subdue the rebellious monkey. The Official arrived at the blessed land of Vulture Peak, entered the Thunderclap Monastery, and addressed the Buddha seated upon his lotus throne, conveying the Jade Emperor’s plea. The Buddha said to the assembled Bodhisattvas, "Remain seated here in the hall upholding the Dharma. I shall go to tame the demon and rescue the court."

Accompanied by the Venerables Ananda and Kasyapa, the Buddha left the Thunderclap Monastery and arrived directly outside the Hall of Miraculous Mist. There, he saw thirty-six Thunder Generals locked in furious combat with Sun Wukong. The Buddha commanded the Thunder Generals to cease fighting, and they instantly drew back their weapons. Seeing this newcomer, Sun Wukong shouted, "Who are you?" The Tathagata smiled and replied, "I am Sakyamuni, the Honored One from the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amitabha Buddha. You are merely a monkey spirit. How dare you covet the throne of the Jade Emperor? He began his cultivation as a child and has endured arduous trials through 1,750 kalpas. Each kalpa spans 129,600 years. Calculate how many years that makes! Only after such vast cultivation can he enjoy this supreme, eternal Way. Surrender now!"

Sun Wukong retorted, "Though his years are long, he should not cling to the throne forever! As the proverb goes, 'Every few years the emperor's changed; Next year, it'll be my household named!' Let him move out now and yield the Heavenly Palace to me. If not, I will make such chaos that peace never reigns again!" The Buddha asked, "Beyond immortality and shape-shifting, what other powers do you possess that embolden you to seize the Heavenly Palace?" Sun Wukong boasted, "I can also ride the Cloud Somersault! One leap covers 108,000 li(1 li equals 0.5 kilometers)! Why shouldn't I sit upon the heavenly throne?" The Buddha replied, "Let us make a wager. If you can somersault out of my right palm with one leap, you win. I will have the Jade Emperor move to the Western Paradise and yield the Heavenly Palace to you. If you cannot, then descend to the lower world, become an ogre once more, cultivate through a few more kalpas, and return to quarrel then."

Sun Wukong laughed inwardly, 'How foolish this Tathagata is! My single somersault covers 108,000 li(1 li equals 0.5 kilometers)! How could I possibly fail to leap beyond his palm?' Aloud he asked, "Can you truly make such a decision?" "I can," affirmed the Buddha. Extending his right hand, which seemed no larger than a lotus leaf, Sun Wukong landed upon the Buddha’s palm and cried, "I'm off!" He streaked away like a beam of cloud-light, vanishing without a trace. As he soared, Sun Wukong spied five fleshy, pink pillars supporting a mass of azure vapor. Thinking them the very pillars of heaven marking the world's end, he decided to leave proof for the Buddha. Plucking a hair, he blew on it, crying "Change!" It transformed into a writing brush dipped in ink. On the middle pillar he wrote: "Sun Wukong Reached This Place." Then, in an unseemly touch, he lifted his leg and pissed at the base of the first pillar.

He somersaulted back, landing once more upon the Buddha’s palm and declaring, "I went and returned! Tell the Jade Emperor to make way for me!" The Buddha rebuked him, "You pissing monkey! You never left the palm of my hand!" Sun Wukong looked down. There, inscribed on the Buddha's middle finger, were the words: "Sun Wukong Reached This Place." A pungent smell of monkey urine rose from the crevice of the thumb. Stunned, Sun Wukong cried, "Impossible! I don't believe it! I'll try again!"

He prepared to leap once more, but the Buddha flipped his palm over and thrust Sun Wukong out of the Western Gate of Heaven. The five fingers transformed into the Five Elements Mountains – Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth – pressing down upon him with deceptive lightness. Sun Wukong struggled frantically, managing only to free his head and one arm. The Buddha then drew from his sleeve a square plaque bearing the sacred inscription in six golden characters: Om Mani Padme Hum. He placed it upon the summit of the mountain, upon a square boulder. Instantly, the mountain took root, its crevices sealed tight. Sun Wukong was pinned, able only to wave his free arm weakly.

Subsequently, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Numinous Treasure Celestial Worthy of Grand Purety, and other high deities approached the Buddha to offer their thanks. They escorted the Buddha to meet the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, who presented gifts in gratitude for his aid.

The Buddha then took his leave of the Jade Emperor and the heavenly host. Accompanied by his two venerable disciples, he departed through the Heavenly Gate. Moved by compassion, he summoned the local deity of the Five Elements Mountain and charged him with guarding Sun Wukong. "When he hungers," instructed the Buddha, "feed him pellets of molten iron. When he thirsts, give him molten copper to drink. When the period of his punishment is fulfilled, someone will come to release him." But how many years and months must pass before that punishment ends? Listen to the explanation in the next chapter.