A Peek into Pleasure and Pain
(A Lesson for the Laypeople)
It may also be worth learning Dhamma from a fiction or fantasy movie because the story does not portray a true life story - some of us are too sensitive to true life stories that reflection on them can be very hard. One of the most beautiful fantasy movie stories that had been made and yet can also be reflected as well with Dhamma is the movie with title of "MURAL". The characters are shown to experience pleasure and pain in life whether they be humans or supernatural beings.
For those who have not yet seen the movie please click your mouse button on the link Mural to watch the movie for free.
You may be wondering why this movie is being brought here as sort of reflection for Dhamma when it has nothing to do with Buddhism. It contains some sensuous and inappropriate action scenes by various characters with regard to position. However, we (the laypeople) in reality are exposed to sensuous life in this world. Therefore, it would be worth to reflect on this world and yet not be entrapped by suffering and ignorance. Similarly, this fantasy movie is an art portraying in the characters their joy, suffering and partial realization from living in mundane and sensuous world. In the light of this perspective, it would be proper to be mindful in carrying out affairs and seek wisdom by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.
MURAL Movie Review
by RLM
This movie is captivating to watch. It does not only provide a beautiful fantasy story, but it could also be interpreted in relation to the Dhamma.
In the movie, Xiaolian is portrayed as a male gallant scholar who set out to travel with his servant in order to reach the city and take government exam. He wanted to be a government official, he likes to play righteous and show others that he is a gentleman.
The movie starts with a scene of Xiaolian together with his servant chasing a bandit (whose wrists had been tied with rope behind the back) along a mountain gorge; they have reached and got inside a strange temple. They met inside a monk named Budong who pacified all of them to rest and asked to wait awhile as he prepares some food. Xiaolian's servant, after lighting a candle and having prayed, noticed beautiful lady figures in a mural and had been enchanted by them. Being vexed by the servant's behavior, Xiaolian scolded the latter and followed it with reminder about his previous teachings. However, being curious, he got himself looking at the mural and being enticed by a certain lady figure. This became a triggering moment where a fairy appeared before him. Being attracted to the fairy, he followed and accompanied her in finding way through a tunnel. They reached the end of the tunnel where an unlocked gate existed. Upon peeking, they saw outside a ground and palace which she then had recognized as her home. She then told him that the place was forbidden from men. However, as he was about to make his way back a wall along the path appeared and barred the tunnel. Thus, in inconspicuous manner, she hurriedly led him through the gate running to get into a corridor of the palace and move along the way to get to the other end where an exit gate also existed. She told him that he could make his own way outside to a village and find way back to the temple. He learned that her name was Mudan as she was leaving him for an assembly. However, he committed improper action when he did not leave the compound of the palace, but instead barged into the formal assembly of fairies where Mudan was then attending. A great commotion then had been caused among the crowd.
After some other unexpected turn of events took place, Xiaolian was fortunate enough to have been hidden in the chaos and had bit moments knowing some beautiful fairies. He got particularly close with Mudan (who was very eager to learn human ways of life and their concept of love). They became fond of each other. Moreover, Mudan began developing a sort of love towards him. On the other hand, Xiaolian had only thought about pleasures of seeing and meeting beautiful fairies, he had little regard for safety of the fairies even for Mudan who eventually guided him to escape the fairyland. However, his company with Mudan was seen by the palace bird sentinel, and subsequently, paid grave price for Mudan. It inadvertently caused unjust and severe punishment to Mudan by the Queen of fairies. Feeling responsible for the suffering of Mudan, he intended to go back into the fairies realm in order to find and save her. Being much concern on his primary goal for Mudan, he plunged further complication in his actions with his servant, monk Budong, and the bandit. Xiaolian together with the servant, and in the company of the bandit embarked an expedition to look for the palace. Surprisingly, the queen accompanied by her warriors found them, they were brought to the palace. This time however, she welcomed them to the palace. The men noted that the queen was knowledgeable of their traits as men, she also took part in drinking wine with them, and even permitted them to marry their desired fairies (except Shaoyao who was the queen's right hand).
The story goes on with it's own intrigues and mysteries, Shaoyao and Cuizhu had also been falling in some sort of love towards Xiaolian. Xiaolian tried ways and means to find out Mudan, but failed and fell into despair after learning from the queen that Mudan had killed herself for a man. He mourned in sorrow inside his room in the palace. Shaoyao being moved by the suffering of Xiaolian, confessed that Mudan is alive. Shaoyao was then forced to tell of Mudan's whereabouts. Xiaolian along with his servant and newfound friends (fairies and the bandit) decided to take action in saving Mudan. The queen revealed her sinister plot against the men during a conversation with the bird sentinel; her intention was to kill them after they had babies with their own wives. The movie includes some action scenes, and climax came near during the adventure and fighting against warriors, monster, and the queen. In the final fighting episode, the queen became very much infuriated when all other fairies as well as the bird sentinel decided to take side with the rebel party and took part in fighting against her. She vent all her wrath by annihilating all of them.
After feeling as a lone miser, monk Budong came into the scene and asked her, "What benefit did her actions made?" The monk told her, "It would not be true love if it does not hurt." He confessed his feelings of secret love for her and admitted such as the cause of his not being enlightened. He advised her as well to retire from the palace and live with him in the human world. She then realized her misdeeds, the unhappiness and sufferings that had been caused. To amend her wrongdoings, she restored all those she recently had annihilated and assigned Shaoyao as the successor Queen of the fairy kingdom. (This movie is indeed proven as a fairy-tale story in that the death of many lives was shown reversible.) Hence, there was great jubilation from all the fairies and men who have been given back life - it is as if all the travails that happened were only dreams.
Upon reflection with the Dhamma, it can be seen that there had been instances of suffering of the characters in the movie. Xiaolian realized his foolishness after Shaoyao bluntly pointed out the suffering experienced by Mudan and Cuizhu because of the subtle schemes he had been performing. Shaoyao made the statements upon seeing and realizing that Xiaolian was not resolute in his love for her, Mudan or Cuizhu. However, she expressed her intention to not intervene in the love life of all those who were there. It appeared that Xiaolian was not yet ready for romantic love. His weakness had been exposed from the other fairies and fellow men, he felt ashamed and decided to leave the the fairy kingdom.
Some unfortunate events could have arose from his mishandling desires; his lack of mindfulness made him ignorant.
The surprising circumstances that Xiaolian had met upon returning in the realm of humans was that everything had been the same as before, his servant and the bandit were also with him in the temple, but the latter men did not have any thoughts about having had gone into the realm of fairies and had just recently came back. On the contrary, Xiaolian alone has the memory of what they had been through in the fairy kingdom. And when Xiaolian inquired from monk Budong about his own confusion about how such many things have had happened in such short time, the monk ironically stated that Xiaolian alone knows his own thoughts including whatever images that came into his mind. Xiaolian did not treat his suffering as personal, he gave thanks to the monk. It is to be understood that not all knowledge and wisdom is to be solely sought or relied on monks, but also to be deeply reflected upon oneself.
We may have noticed that the use of deceitful words had been common from the main characters of the movie. When reflecting on the Dhamma, this would remind us that right speech is essentially moral and would likely let us avoid suffering in the future.
The ending scene is played with Xiaolian along with his servant and accompanied by Meng (a previous bandit, but had now decided to become Xiaolian's bodyguard) paid great respect and bade farewell to monk Budong. The three men then became like fading smokes in the wind, monk Budong may have had given them help for fast journey.
Upon reflection with the Dhamma, it can be seen that a right livelihood is essentially moral and would help us in properly dealing with others. Meng started to learn to appreciate the merits of good relationship and doing good than being a plain bandit. And this had been possible due to Xiaolian's trait of not treating Meng's actions at personal level. Xiaolian was kind enough to share food with Meng in most instances.
Many characters of the movie (Xiaolian, the bandit, the servant, some of the fairies including the previous queen, and the monk) at some extent were preoccupied with desire and sense pleasures. Ultimately, all of them realized their own afflictions - they began to reflect and decide to start doing proper action. The previous queen realized how she had been disillusioned by desire and subsequently abused her authority and misused her power.
Reflecting this in similar manner with our society, a good leader should realize that proper actions are achieved and benefit all through proper understanding and wisdom. Preference and desire change according to circumstances and needs, everything is bound to impermanence. Thus, they should be carefully analyzed before consideration and should not be imposed on others as sort of whims.
So, it seems all of them have gone out well in the story, they did right action in the end. Right action is essentially moral and can be reflected with the Dhamma. However, there is a hitch - monk Budong had chosen the fairy queen for romantic love over monastic life. Even though he was very kind and has very good composure, he still lacked commitment in carrying out the path to enlightenment.