Acala Bodhisattva Secondly, the disappearances of the three men in front of the temple further question their real identities. What if they are not real, who are they? In order to figure out this question, the characters and the relationship between the monk Budong in the temple and Your Highness in the country of women have to be examined first. Budong is the name of the Acala in Chinese, which means immovable or steadfast (Buswell 13). He is a powerful deity, a Bodhisattva among the Five Wisdom Kings (“Acala”), who is able to protect all the livings from obstructions, thus helping them to obtain the enlightenment, and he also has the ability to project different transformation forms (Buswell 13). In Buddhist art, Acala usually depicted as
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So far, beneath the disguise of a love story, the scholar Zhu Xiaolian, his servant Hou Xia and the swordsman Meng Longtan are the different transformation bodies that embody the various temptations and barriers the monk has to confront in the way of practicing. In Mural, the major mission of the Bodhisattva is to eradicate his own delusions, rather than to help the others. The real identity of the monk has been further verifying in the movie by the giant statue of a face above the roof of the courtyard, corresponding to the depiction of the Acala in Buddhist art, and the moment when the monk comes to see Your Highness at the end, “Did not you say that you were going to attain ‘enlightenment’? (Mural 1:47:09).” On the other hand, in Vajrayana Buddhism, a Buddha called Mahamayuri is in the form of a peacock with peaceful personifications among the Wisdom Kings (Buswell 499). Meanwhile, the green and blue colors as the dominant tones in the outfits in the movie secretly disclose the authentic identity of Your Highness. Director Chan does not maintain the initial personification of the Mahamayuri in Vajrayana Buddhism, but endowing her a different perspective in the movie. Therefore, both of the Acala and the Mahamayuri are two legitimate prototypes in the Buddhism, even though their original meanings have been recomposed …show more content…
Although they never meet each other since the start of the movie, the unexpected conversation at the end confesses their secret connection. Probably years ago, in order to be a Buddha, the monk decides to abandon his lover, whereas he could not bear to witness the suffering of Your Highness. There are two paintings of heaven and hell on the two opposite walls of the temple. At every moment, the monk watches the movements of the woman he could not forget. On the other hand, from Your Highness’ point of view, the monk is a heartless man, who is tired of deceiving her and betrays their relationship in the end. When Your Highness ultimately comprehends the various aspects of love from herself, but also from the experiences of the scholar Zhu, the swordsman Meng, and the servant Hou Xia, she frees herself of the insistent, meaningless
So far, beneath the disguise of a love story, the scholar Zhu Xiaolian, his servant Hou Xia and the swordsman Meng Longtan are the different transformation bodies that embody the various temptations and barriers the monk has to confront in the way of practicing. In Mural, the major mission of the Bodhisattva is to eradicate his own delusions, rather than to help the others. The real identity of the monk has been further verifying in the movie by the giant statue of a face above the roof of the courtyard, corresponding to the depiction of the Acala in Buddhist art, and the moment when the monk comes to see Your Highness at the end, “Did not you say that you were going to attain ‘enlightenment’? (Mural 1:47:09).” On the other hand, in Vajrayana Buddhism, a Buddha called Mahamayuri is in the form of a peacock with peaceful personifications among the Wisdom Kings (Buswell 499). Meanwhile, the green and blue colors as the dominant tones in the outfits in the movie secretly disclose the authentic identity of Your Highness. Director Chan does not maintain the initial personification of the Mahamayuri in Vajrayana Buddhism, but endowing her a different perspective in the movie. Therefore, both of the Acala and the Mahamayuri are two legitimate prototypes in the Buddhism, even though their original meanings have been recomposed …show more content…
Although they never meet each other since the start of the movie, the unexpected conversation at the end confesses their secret connection. Probably years ago, in order to be a Buddha, the monk decides to abandon his lover, whereas he could not bear to witness the suffering of Your Highness. There are two paintings of heaven and hell on the two opposite walls of the temple. At every moment, the monk watches the movements of the woman he could not forget. On the other hand, from Your Highness’ point of view, the monk is a heartless man, who is tired of deceiving her and betrays their relationship in the end. When Your Highness ultimately comprehends the various aspects of love from herself, but also from the experiences of the scholar Zhu, the swordsman Meng, and the servant Hou Xia, she frees herself of the insistent, meaningless