A Journey to the West Work Diary

The Ancient Buddha, Tathagata Prabhutaratna, manifested countless incarnations beyond his own body. I, cast into the Saha World as one such incarnation, endured countless trials until at last I became my own being and the teacher of the Seven Buddhas. I have countless devoted followers and know all things, until the day the heavens were shaken and a monkey named Sun Wukong suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He demanded to stand as the Jade Emperor's equal, smashed through the Southern Heavenly Gate, and trampled the Hall of Miraculous Mists. In the end, the Tathagata pulled off a last-ditch move and pinned him beneath a mountain to reflect on his actions. I listen to the sounds of the world and guide all living beings toward salvation. I wanted to guide that pure-hearted but lost monkey to Buddhahood, but I never imagined that nearly every monster sent down to cause him trouble would get beaten up. We sent them down with plenty of magical treasures, so... For 300 out of 365 days a year, the monkey comes running to the South Sea for help. I said he was a troublemaker, and that he'd turn me into the first bodhisattva in the Myriad Worlds to go bald from sheer annoyance. The Dragon Girl asked me, "Bodhisattva, if Sun Wukong is a troublemaker, then what does that make our Purple Bamboo Grove?" Me: "..." Huian asked me, "Master, the bear from Black Wind Mountain wants to take refuge in Buddhism..." Me: "..." The Twenty-Four Heavens looked at me uneasily. "The wild monsters along the pilgrimage route have nearly all run away... What should we do?" Me: "No matter. I have a plan!" Later, in carrying out my plan, I transformed into countless forms, from an eighty-year-old woman and a mountain spirit to an ordinary mortal... Sometimes I was tricking the monkey out of his cassock, sometimes tricking monsters, and other times tricking a pig or a cicada, all to test the sincerity of their pilgrimage. A dignified bodhisattva like me was either lying or on my way to telling another lie... Amitabha. Monastics do not tell falsehoods! P.S. Thanks to my friend for making the cover! This is a silly, comedic story, for entertainment only. No slanderous takes on Journey to the West's characters, please! Theme: Keep going, fellow wage slaves!