25 The River to Heaven

After exposing three monstrous false immortals and freeing local Buddhists, Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy, and Tripitaka resume their holy pilgrimage. Blocked by the massive River that leads to Heaven, they seek shelter in a village. Learning that their elderly hosts must sacrifice a young boy and girl to a wrathful deity, Monkey and Pigsy use magic to disguise themselves as the children and are carried to the temple. This episode illustrates the core Buddhist concepts of compassion (karuṇa) and skilful means (upāya). Tripitaka reminds Pigsy that saving a single human life accumulates far more secret merit than building a grand seven-storeyed pagoda. By using magical transformations to protect the innocent children, Monkey and Pigsy demonstrate how spiritual power must be selflessly directed to alleviate suffering, embodying the active path of a Bodhisattva.