In both Chinese folklore and the novel Journey to the West, Laozi is considered one of the most powerful figures. He is also known as the the Supreme Elder Lord, or Supreme Exalted Lord, one of the Three Purities.
From the story of Sun Wukong and Laozi in the novel, however, readers cannot help but wonder whether Lord Laozi is weak or concealed his power when ‘failing’ to subdue the Monkey King?
Now let’s discuss Laozi’s (Tai Shang Lao Jun / Lord Lao Zi) true strength and his standing among the powerful deities in Journey to the West.
Many high-ranking immortals in Journey to the West, despite possessing profound magical powers, remain deeply reserved and unassuming. Laozi is a good example.
Consequently, we find almost no direct descriptions of his combat prowess or abilities in the original text. To understand his true power, we must analyze seemingly insignificant details from indirect perspectives. We can examine this issue through Sun Wukong’s viewpoint.
The story of Journey to the West actually intertwines two narrative threads: one obvious thread is the journey to retrieve the scriptures, while the other, more subtle thread, is Sun Wukong’s growth history. As Sun Wukong’s understanding of his own strength deepens, his attitude towards Laozi correspondingly changes.
Laozi’s first direct action against Wukong occurred during the Heavenly Court’s second campaign against the Monkey King. At that time, the Monkey King was locked in a fierce battle against Erlang Shen (God of Erlang), assisted by the Howling Celestial Dog and the Six Sages of Meishan. At this critical moment, Laozi struck the monkey on the head with his Diamond Bangle (Jingang Zhuo), knocking him unconscious.
Naturally, this sneak-attack-like blow didn’t make the monkey recognize the true gap in their power. This led to Laozi’s second intervention against the monkey.
This time, however, was strange. Laozi, who spent his years refining elixirs, burned the monkey in the Eight-Trigrams Furnace for 49 days without realizing he was still alive. Most suspiciously, when the monkey escaped from the furnace, he knocked Laozi to the ground. Because of this fall, many readers concluded that Laozi was overrated and lacked true power. Since Laozi failed to subdue Wukong again, the Jade Emperor, left with no choice, had to summon the mightiest figure in the novel, Tathagata Buddha (Rulai Buddha), to subdue the monkey.
But was Laozi truly helpless against the Monkey King?
We must not forget the potency of his treasures! Any one of his magical artifacts could easily subdue the monkey. Examples include the Purple Gold Gourd (the Golden Gourd), the Vase of Pure White Jade (the Jade vase), and the Golden Binding Rope later wielded by the Golden Horned and Silver Horned Kings, and the Diamond Bangle (Diamond Band) possessed by the Green Bull Spirit (Great King One-Horned Buffalo or the One-Horned Ox King). Undoubtedly, the treasures he possessed far exceeded these. It’s highly unlikely that all his treasures were stolen.
Some readers might argue that Lord Laozi was fundamentally a technical deity, implying his inherent combat strength wasn’t particularly great. Others suggest he deliberately concealed his power and held back against the monkey.
Let’s return to Sun Wukong’s perspective to understand this.
Initially, Wukong held Laozi, and even the Jade Emperor, in contempt. However, during the 500 years Sun Wukong was imprisoned under Five Elements Mountain (Five Phases Mountain), his attitude underwent a significant shift. Presumably, Wukong slowly realized many things during those centuries. For instance, it wasn’t that Laozi was weak; Laozi simply hadn’t been serious with him. Consequently, Wukong’s attitude towards Laozi became increasingly respectful, and his assessment more objective.
After emerging from Five Elements Mountain, he placed Laozi on par with the Jade Emperor.
For example, at the end of Chapter 15, said Pilgrim (Wukong ):
“For playing a game of hide-and-seek like that with us, he really deserves a beating! But for the sake of the Bodhisattva, I’ll spare him, and that’s something already! You think he dares accept a bow from old Monkey? Old Monkey has been a hero since his youth, and he doesn’t know how to bow to people! Even when I saw the Jade Emperor and Laozi, I just gave them my greeting, that’s all!”
In Chapter 24, when the pilgrims first arrived at Wuzhuang Temple, Wukong said:
“This Taoist priest boasts to intimidate people. Five hundred years ago, when I caused havoc in Heaven, right at Lord Laozi’s own gate, I never heard such words.”
This shows that by this time, Wukong clearly recognized Laozi’s status.
Chapter 86 provides the clearest evidence:
“You audacious hairy clod!” scolded Pilgrim(Wukong). “How many years have you lived that you dare assume the tide, South Mountain? Old Lord Li (Laozi) happens to be the patriarch of creation, but he still sits to the right of Supreme Purity. The Buddha Tathagata is the honored one who governs the world, and yet he still sits beneath the great roc. Kong the Sage is the founder of Confucianism, but he assumes the mere tide of Master. And you, a cursed beast, dare call yourself some Great King of South Mountain, holding this place in your sway! Don’t try to escape! Have a taste of your Grandfather’s rod!”
This reflects Wukong’s evolving understanding of Laozi. Throughout his journey of cultivation, he gradually came to appreciate Laozi’s profound capabilities. Although the novel provides limited direct description of Laozi’s strength, the transformation in Wukong’s attitude towards him clearly indicates that Laozi’s power was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Those who possess true strength usually feel no need to flaunt it, because their inner confidence is complete, requiring no external proof.
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