Journey to the West, Explained with Numbers

Background and origins: The story opens with the Havoc in Heaven. After the stone monkey Sun Wukong is born, he braves the dangers of the world to enter the Water Curtain Cave and become the Handsome Monkey King. Seeking the secret to eternal life, he sails across the seas to become a disciple and learn the arts. He is given the name Sun Wukong and masters supernatural abilities such as the Seventy-Two Transformations and the Somersault Cloud. Later, dissatisfied with Heaven’s appointment of him as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, he rebels against Heaven, proclaims himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and fights the celestial troops and generals. In the end, the Buddha presses him beneath Five Elements Mountain. - The pilgrimage: Five hundred years later, Tang Sanzang, guided by Guanyin Bodhisattva, sets out on the Journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. Along the way, he rescues Sun Wukong from beneath Five Elements Mountain and takes him as his disciple. They later take in Zhu Bajie, Sha Seng, and the White Dragon Horse. The four master and disciples vanquish demons and monsters as they endure the Eighty-One Tribulations. They encounter all manner of monsters and demons. The White Bone Demon transforms into human form three times to deceive Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong sees through her with his fiery golden eyes and kills her, but Tang Sanzang misunderstands and sends him back to Flower-Fruit Mountain. Red Boy nearly burns Sun Wukong to death with his Samadhi True Fire, but is eventually taken in by Guanyin Bodhisattva as the Wealth Child. The Golden-Horned King, the Silver-Horned King, the Spider Demon, the Scorpion Demon, and many other monsters also make their pilgrimage fraught with obstacles. - Attaining enlightenment: The four master and disciples remain steadfast in their faith and fear no hardship. With help from immortals along the way, they finally reach Mount Ling in the Western Heaven and obtain the true scriptures. Sun Wukong is named the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Tang Sanzang the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit, Zhu Bajie the Altar-Cleansing Messenger, Sha Seng the Golden Arhat, and the White Dragon Horse the Eight-Part Dragon King Bodhisattva.