After Becoming a Buddha: Seeking the Buddha's Heart at the Foot of Spirit Mountain

The pilgrimage to the West was complete, and the travelers were made Buddhas. But the real tribulation awaited them at the foot of Lingshan. The Sandalwood Merit Buddha, Tang Sanzang, discovered that at the foot of Lingshan, monastic officials were lining their pockets, fake Buddhas ran rampant, and demons in robes devoured the faithful. The common people burned incense and knelt in prayer, only to see their families destroyed. When Sun Wukong beat to death a demon monk who had harmed people, Lingshan punished him severely under its precepts: “Buddhas do not kill.” When Zhu Bajie tried to save starving people from their misery, he was rebuked: “Buddhas do not interfere in mortal affairs.” When rigid precepts became accomplices to suffering, and the vow to save all living beings was reduced to empty words, Tang Sanzang and his disciples faced one final question: We endured countless hardships and became Buddhas. What comes next? This time, there were no scriptures to fetch. They would shatter the lotus throne, protect the people through battle, and challenge the Buddha through their actions. At the foot of Lingshan, they would fight their way to a path of salvation of their own.