Buddhism in the Classic Chinese Novel Journey to the West: Teaching Two Episodes
Roberta E. Adams

The Major Characters
The Jade Emperor

The Jade Emperor rules in Heaven, and much of the novel’s satire centers on him. An elaborate description of him sitting on his throne surrounded by his ministers mirrors the descriptions of many of the worldly rulers that Tripitaka and his disciples encounter on their journey. The Jade Emperor and his heavenly authority and hierarchies parallel the secular authority of the Emperor Taizong and the hierarchies of other secular rulers on earth. The Jade Emperor is frequently seen as despotic and unfair in his rule, especially by Monkey. In his Havoc in Heaven episode (Chapter 5), Monkey, upset that he was not invited to the Queen Mother’s Peach Banquet, arrives early, consumes the immortal peaches and wine, steals Lao Zi’s golden elixir pills, and destroys much of the surroundings. When he is finally brought back for justice, after much ado, he tells Buddha that he should rule instead of the Jade Emperor.

Works Cited:

Plaks, Andrew. The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987.

Yu, Anthony C., trans. and ed. The Journey to the West. 4 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977.