"Princess Mononoke" movie poster
"Span11span Princess Mononoke" is the first Hayao Miyazaki movie I have watched, and it is by far the most among all the masterpieces of his old man Favorite one. I personally think that "Princess Mononoke", from the storyline to the screen, the soundtrack, and the far-reaching morals, is the best work of the Hayao Miyazaki grandfather. When the film was released in 1997, it indeed broke the Japanese box office record at the time. This film takes the relationship between humans and nature as the starting point, just like the more aging and fragrant wine, the side effects of industrial civilization are becoming more and more obvious today, and it is worthy of our review and reflection.
The background of the film is set in the Muromachi period of Japan (China was in the Ming Dynasty at that time), and Japan was in a period of transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In a quiet little village in the east, one day was attacked by a fierce demon. This evil demon came from the West. It was originally a wild boar god who guarded the mountains and forests. Its mind was occupied by hatred, and its terrible destructive power and lethality put the entire village at risk.
The village attacked by demons
At this time, a teenager in the village named Assi Taka came forward and persuaded the demons not to hurt the innocent, but The hatred of mankind. In desperation, Ashitaka shot the demon with the sacrifice of his consciousness. The evil spirit left a curse on his arm with a grudge before he died.
The Asitaka who came forward
This curse I think can be understood as the evil spirit of the wild boar god is attached to Asitaka's arm, so as long as Asitaka faces the warrior behind Assault wants to defend yourself or has angry emotions in your heart,The demons have a chance, and the cursed arm will attack humans with great power. When Ashitaka was in a calm state of mind, this curse could only bring him painful torture.
The witch in the village used Ashitaka to foretell good and bad luck. After learning that something bad was happening in the West, she encouraged Ashitaka to go to the West to find out why the wild boar god turned into a demon, and advised him to wear no cover. To see the truth with his eyes, it is possible to resolve the curse.
The witch in the village came upon hearing the news
The old people of the clan sighed that it has been 500 years since the village was defeated by the Yamato clan and retreated to the eastern end. The rule was weakened by the rise of the samurai power, and the Ezo’s bloodline gradually weakened due to isolation from the world. At this time the evil spirits from the West broke the calm of the village, and the young people in the East had to go out and go to the West to find out. The truth of the disaster and finding a way to save it may be the arrangement of fate.
is reminiscent of a sentence, "Heaven will descend to the people, and you must first pain your mind, work your muscles and bones, starve your skin, empty your body, and mess up what you do." It can be seen. Sitaca's mission is to quell the conflict between man and nature that originated in the West. Seeing this, the biggest metaphor of this film is already very clear, that is: some negative factors in Western industrial civilization will cause harm to the world. When the contradiction between man and nature intensifies, we must rely on ancient Eastern wisdom to find it. Way out.
Asitaka all the way west
This metaphor runs through the whole story, let us return to the movie: Asitaka riding a Jacques deer all the way west discovers the outside world Full of wars and famines, people live in a sense of insecurity held by natural and man-made disasters, suspicion of each other, the weak and the strong.
He met a fake monk on the way, and after showing him the projectile taken from the demonic body,The fake monk instructed him to look for the answer in the forest of the mountain beast god further west.
The fake monk encountered by Asitaka on his way to the west
Asitaka continued westward, and on the way he rescued two transported iron ore that fell into the valley after being attacked by the White Wolf God Cattle breeder. These two cattlemen came from the city of Tatara, the black hat lord. On the other hand, the White Wolf God was also hit by the black hat firecracker and fell into the valley. Ashitaka, who rescued the cattle-raiser, and Princess Mononoke Sang, the adopted daughter of the White Wolf God, met on the beach below the valley. Asitaka, who was frank and clear, saw in Sang's eyes the hostility of the Inu Protoss towards humans.
First Encounter with Princess Mononoke
Under the leadership of the forest elf, Asitaka passed through the forest of the mountain animal god with the wounded cattleman on his back, although he raised cattle along the way People shouted that these elves would take them to Huangquan, but Ashitaka knew that these elves were a symbol of the vitality of the forest. The reaction of the cattle-raiser alluded to the fact that human beings who stood on the opposite side of nature not only lost their understanding of nature, but also feared the unknown parts of nature.
Asitaka carrying a cattleman through the forest
In the depths of the forest, Asitaka found the footprints of the mountain beast god, when he found the mountain in the gap between the woods When the beast god was in the figure, the curse on his arm suddenly broke out, as if the spirit of the wild boar god wanted to appeal his grievance the moment he saw the mountain beast god. The painful Asitaka stretched his arms into the spring water to calm the curse. He fed the spring water to the cattle-raiser to drink. The magical thing was that Asitaka's body became lighter, and the cattle-raiser's injuries improved.
Arrived in Tatara City
When Asitaka arrived in the smoky city of Tatara,Finally revealed the truth that the wild boar god turned into an evil god: the people of Tatara City led by the black hat depend on the iron smelter for their livelihoods. In order to mine iron ore, they cut down the forest in large numbers, and in order to remove the obstacles to mining, they attacked the mountains with fire blunders. The lord wild boar god Nage. When the people of Tatara City excitedly described the "victory" scene of the black hat leading the firecrackers to drive away the wild boar god, what Asitaka saw was a scene of a group of people rushing to other people’s homes to set fire, rob, and kill. He deeply felt the sorrow and pain of the wild boar god.
Asitaka who learned the truth about the demonization of the Boar God
The black hat told Asitaka that he shot the Boar God stupidly by himself and mocked the Boar God The cursed object. She showed Asitaka the new style of firecrackers that was being developed, and she bluntly wanted the women in the city to be fully armed. At this time, the anger in Asitaka's heart was ignited, and he asked Black Hat whether it was not enough to snatch the forest of the wild boar god, but also to snatch the forest of the mountain beast god. The cursed arm attacked again and wanted to draw a knife to kill, but was stopped by Asitaka's reason.
Asitaka with the arm curse
Asitaka did not let anger occupy his mind. He came to the iron smelter and felt the hardship of the female workers stepping on the bellows day and night. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? He learned the other side of the black hat from everyone: kindness, bravery, taking in the betrayed women, and taking care of the wounded cursed by demons. In the hearts of the people in Tatara City, black hats are righteous, and it is the black hat that allows them to live a life without worrying about food and clothing, and not afraid of being bullied by the samurai. It can be seen that no matter how good a person is, if he does not have a broad sense of equality, his justice is very limited. The justice of one group often means damage to another group.
Tatara City Chief Black Hat
This night, in order to avenge the White Wolf God, Sang came to Tatara City alone to assassinate the Black Hat. In order to save the outnumbered Sang, Ashitaka was hit by a firecracker.Life is at stake. The rescued Sang finally put down his hostility and took him to the forest of the mountain beast god. Ashitaka saw in the dream that the mountain beast god healed her gunshot wound. He woke up to find that the gunshot wound had indeed disappeared, but the curse on his arm was still visible.
At this time, the leader of the wild boar god B, in order to avenge Nagge, led the wild boar gods on various hills and determined to fight humans desperately. Although the dog gods knew that the wild boar's rash attack would lead to the destruction of the entire army, they decided to fight alongside them. As a member of the Inu Protoss, Sang decided to assist Subject B and go into battle.
Princess Mononoke who is determined to go into battle
On the other hand, the black hats and the fake monks form an army, but their ultimate goal is not to destroy the wild boars, but to use them For the bait, find the mountain beast god and take down its head.
At this time, it is not only the forest that is facing a crisis, but the city of Tatara is also at risk. The local warriors coveted the iron ore resources occupied by the city of Tatara. When the black hats led the men in the city to hunt down the mountain beast gods, the warriors took the opportunity to attack the city of Tatara, and the women defending the city were almost unable to resist. live.
After learning about the dangers facing Tatara City and the forest, Ashitaka went to the depths of the forest again to stop the black hat from hunting down the mountain beast god. In the battle between the black hat and the wild boar group, victim B's wild boar warriors were wiped out. Sang leads the scarred victim B to the island of the mountain beast god to seek rescue. The army of black hats and false monks followed in wild boar skins. They smeared wild boar blood to cover up the smell of humans. The dying victim B saw the wild boar disguised by humans and thought it was his warrior who had returned from Huangquan. Was besieged by fake wild boars. The desperate victim B also turned into a demon in his anger, and the White Wolf God sacrificed himself in order to rescue Sang who was about to be swallowed by the demon. At this time, the mountain beast god appeared, absorbed the anger of victim B, and put it to rest.
Black Hat saw this scene, thinking that the mountain beast god is a god specializing in death, she shouted to let everyone see how she killed the god, and the mountain beast god faced the muzzle,Just smiled at her, and a lot of green leaves grew on her gun. However, the red-eyed black hat did not understand the meaning of the mountain beast god. She ignored Asitaka's stop and pulled the trigger to knock down the mountain beast god's head.
The black hat shoots the unicorn beast
Seeing this, the white wolf god uses his last life to bite off an arm of the black hat. The mountain beast god who lost his head ejected black venom from his body, and life disappeared wherever it flowed, and the earth became a piece of scorched earth. Ashitaka knew that only by returning his head to the mountain beast god could save it. He and Shan snatched their heads from the fake monk and returned them to the mountain beast god. The mountain beast god who regained its head stopped the spread of the venom. The moment it fell down, the ground grew grass and the forest regained its vitality.
The scorched earth took out new buds, and the elf reappeared
Sang looked green, and the sentimental mountain beast god exchanged his death for the rebirth of the earth. But Asitaka said that the mountain beast god was not dead because it was the god of life. Life has a living side and a dead side. He watched the curse on his hand disappear, knowing that the mountain beast god would let himself live.
The earth is back to life, Asitaka and Sang say goodbye for the things they want to protect
At the end of the film, Black Hat realizes his mistake. Sang could not forgive the humans and returned to the forest. Asitaka stayed in Tatara City. He said that he would visit Sang in the forest from time to time. This ending indicates that Asitaka will become a bridge that maintains harmony between Tatara City and the forest.
Looking back at this story, I think the city of Tatara is a microcosm of modern Western industrial civilization: men and women are working conscientiously, and people have lived a well-fed life, but the sense of crisis and dissatisfaction prompted the status quo They are still working hard day and night. They admire technological progress and continuously strengthen their ability to conquer nature.Unscrupulously plundering nature for immediate benefit. They seem to be unable to see the moaning of nature: pieces of virgin forest disappear, the owner of the forest has lost their shelter, and the extinction of species continues to be staged... They don’t realize that destroying nature is hurting themselves, until the force of nature eats them back and lets They almost lost their homes and lives.
Asitaka and the hard-working women of Tatara City
In the Oriental Village where Asitaka was born, the tribe retains ancient traditions. They respect nature and live a kind Life without competition. Asitaka, who inherited this Eastern wisdom, finally saved the people in the forest and Tatara City. Let's analyze the ancient oriental wisdom in "Mononoke Hime".
1. The wisdom of Buddhism to dissolve hatred
Buddhism originated from India has this doctrine: hatred cannot overcome hatred, hatred can only be conquered by love. In the film, the leader of the wild boar god B, in order to avenge the wild boar god who was shot by the black hat, launched a general attack on the black hat. But doing so only expanded hatred and sacrifice, and eventually he was eroded by hatred and turned into a demon.
Asitaka who "persuades"
And Asitaka resolves the hatred in a completely opposite way. After he learned the truth about the murder of Nagko, he felt the pain of Nagko and forgave the black hat who was obsessed with it. He had the same compassion and care for the people of Tatara City and the beast gods in the forest, and he was determined to help both parties. Find the way to coexist. He did not favor or abandon any party, he guarded and blessed both parties. It is precisely because he has no hatred or paranoia in his heart, so in the most dangerous moment, he is the only sober and the only one who knows what to do. He has the same sincere love for mankind and nature, so he can save Tatara city and the forest, and finally lift the curse on himself.
2. The thought that everything is anim
The elf in the unicorn beast forest
Remember the elf in the forest? When Asitaka asked them to lead the way,Not only did they gladly accept it, but when Ashitaka was weak, they empathically imitated him with the wounded on his back to show encouragement.
Yak's deer stayed on guard when Asitaka was injured and unconscious. This feeling is not only a heartfelt to the owner, but also makes people feel a kind of friendship towards old friends.
The White Wolf God's view of Sang as his own is also touching. Before the decisive battle between humans and beast gods, the white wolf god told San that apart from sacrificing for the forest, he still had the option to survive with the human teenager Asitaka. When Sang was about to be swallowed by the second victim who had become a demon, the White Wolf God sacrificed himself to rescue Sang. This was in sharp contrast to the human parents who threw the baby Sang to the mountain dog in order to escape.
The mountain dog tribe knows that wild boars are not enemies, but they retreat together with the wild boars. This kind of loyalty is also in sharp contrast with the human beings who are allied for profit in the film but have their own thoughts...
The canine protoss who are advancing and retreating with the wild boar
In this film, the animals appear more affectionate and righteous. They also understand family and friendship, and they also have love and hatred. You can see from it The world view of "everything is anim" in Japanese traditional culture.
Japan is a polytheist. They believe in many gods. This is supported by their Shinto tradition. Shintoism in Japan has eight million gods. In the theory of animism, animals or natural phenomena, even things that we don’t think are alive today, such as rocks, mountains, and rivers, have souls. Everything around humans is conscious just like humans. This is the idea that everything is anim in Japan. This tradition originates from the ancient Japanese people's sense of sacred power from various natural phenomena and the awe of natural power.
We know that there are many shrines in Japan, from all kinds of animals to ancestral gods, can be the object of worship. Even today, the Japanese tradition of reverence for nature has not disappeared.According to reports, today there is even an air shrine in Asahi Town in Yamagata Prefecture, , in northeastern Japan. Thanks to nature and clean air. Local people hold sacrificial ceremonies every year on World Environment Day.
Ceremony at the Air Shrine in Japan
Speaking of the animism, when the ancient Japanese discarded things, they would take the discarded things to temples or ancestral halls for solemn Rituals to appease the soul of these items and express gratitude. Japan still retains this way of thinking. Marie Kondo, a Japanese treasurer who once appeared in Time Magazine, is known as the representative figure of Japan's resignation. She told everyone to say goodbye to the items to be discarded with gratitude.
Japanese storage expert Marie Kondo
Also, we saw Japanese people put their hands together and say "いただきます) before eating." This sentence contains gratitude for receiving natural gifts and respect for food.
Japanese kids with folded hands before eating
If you eat with Japanese people, you will find that they order only what they can eat and they will eat very cleanly. , I think this also comes from their awe of natural resources.
Of course, in addition to Shintoism in Japan, many other religions and cultures in the world also have the idea that everything has anims and must respect nature.
For example, Buddhism advocates that everything has Buddha nature. As small as mosquitoes and ants, as large as lions, wolfs, tigers and leopards, they all have the same consciousness, and they have become parents and brothers of each other countless times in the six reincarnations. Therefore, the lives of other animals cannot be harmed. Moreover, Buddhism believes that the lives we encounter are related to us in the past lives.It's probably our relatives in past lives, but they just meet and don't know each other now.
Indians also has a tradition of worshiping all things with animism, so they don't ask too much from nature. The famous " Seattle reply" in history is a strong evidence of Indians' respect for nature. In 1852, the U.S. government requested the purchase and development of the Indian tribal land where Washington State is located today. The chief of the local tribe, Seattle, wrote in his famous "Seattle Reply" that "The river is our brother" and "The fragrance of flowers is ours." "Sister", "The earth is our mother; all the misfortunes that the earth suffers will fall on all her sons." Forty years after the "Seattle Reply", profit-seeking crowds poured into this land, the bushes gradually disappeared, and the eagles lost their traces... The views in the letter that were once regarded as "ridiculous" by the Americans are deeply felt today. Praised by environmental philosophers.
Indians also believe in all things and spirits
Why are these simple ancient thoughts of awe of nature less and less affecting us today? Just like the people in Tatara City represented by the black hats in the movie, they are keen on the use of new technologies and new weapons. They feel that they are stronger and stand on the opposite side of nature, so their perception of nature has gradually become dull. They insinuate that modern people who are deeply influenced by Western industrial civilization are overly pursuing material progress, and gradually weaken the connection between themselves and nature, eroding the mind's perception of life and all things.
3. Equality of life
In this movie, humans and animals are equal. We see that Asitaka and Jacques deer, Princess Mononoke and Canine Protoss are equal, and animals are also emotional. The god of life, the mountain beast god, treats humans and beasts equally, which also embodies the equality of life.
Sang who became friends with Jacques Deer
This reminds people of the Buddhist concept of equality of life.Buddhism believes that beings show different forms of life due to different karma. The Buddhist scriptures say that sentient beings have viviparous, oviparous, wet birth, metamorphosis, etc., although they have different forms, they are all beings that can feel pain and happiness. Every sentient being in the six paths of reincarnation goes up to heaven and down to hell. In between, asuras, people, bystanders, and hungry ghosts, all beings hope to be far away from pain and get happiness. No matter how small animals are, they are aware, looking for the sun when they are cold, and looking for water when they are thirsty, pursuing happiness and avoiding pain. For most living beings, the greatest fear and pain is nothing more than death, and nothing more cherish than life. Humans and animals are exactly the same, but animals cannot express it in human language.
Animals can also express emotions
Some people say that humans are the spirit of all things, and they believe that humans are more advanced than other animals and have the right to deprive other lives for appetite or economic gain. But the Buddhist concept of equality of life believes that animals are also aware and afraid of pain and death, and advocates that we should compare our hearts to our hearts.
Mother squirrel caring for babies
The awareness of animals can be felt from the struggle when animals are killed. Some larger animals, such as cows, would kneel down and beg for mercy and weep when they are killed. Let's try to think in another way: If we were caught brutally, imprisoned in a cage that could not turn around, and then we were cut, bleed, cut, chopped, and fried, how would we feel? ? When I think that when I splash a drop of oil during cooking, I feel painful. Naturally, these pains are unbearable and I don't want to bear it.
The little fox smelling flowers
Some people may say, well, larger animals are sensory, but mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches are pests and should be eliminated. In fact, from their point of view, they are just trying to survive, they have no defensive ability, and they don't know that they have violated our human territory. Although they have only a short lifespan,But in the face of our culling, they will also struggle to escape, which shows that they cherish their lives as much as we do. In fact, they do not threaten our safety. The so-called "pests" are also defined unilaterally by us humans. If the animal world meets to vote, humans, a species that threatens all animal life and has super destructive power to nature, will undoubtedly be elected the number one "pest".
Some people feel that they are rich and can afford to eat precious animals, and they look decent. But Buddhism believes that it is decent and noble to save sentient beings with one's own wealth and ability and help them out of suffering. Many people have heard the story of Buddha Shakyamuni's life as a prince and sacrificed himself to feed a tiger. In the history of Buddhism, there are also many eminent monks who donate their bodies and even their lives to sentient beings. These great deeds all originated from an equal heart among all beings.
The realm of sages and sages may not be achieved yet, but Buddhism’s view of equality of life does have its truth. Humans and other animals are both children of nature. Humans are only part of nature, not higher than nature. The presence. The high-tech civilization Atlantis died because some people have forgotten this and tried to override nature and change the basic elements that make up nature. Today we must take a warning.
represents the guardian of nature Princess Mononoke Sang
Well, the oriental wisdom in "Princess Mononoke" is analyzed here. As the successors of Eastern civilization, I think we have a mission to reflect on and make changes in this era of over-emphasis on materials and excessive demand from nature. I hope we can all be more responsible and grateful for the natural environment on which we live, and can treat all life on earth with a soft heart.
represents the young man of Eastern wisdom "Asitaka"
Finally, I would like to end this article with a passage from the "Tibetan Book of Life and Death": "Today, if we want to save this world,To prevent it from being threatened by internal and external dangers, most humans must find a way to wisdom. In the current era of violence and disintegration, spiritual vision is no longer the luxury of elites, but is related to our survival. There is nothing more urgent and difficult to follow the path of wisdom than at present. Our society is almost entirely dedicated to praising ourselves, with all kinds of sad fantasies about success and power; in addition, it also extols the greed and foolish forces that are destroying the earth. In the history of mankind, it is the most difficult to hear the voice of truth that is not flattering. Once heard to follow it, it is even more difficult: because the world around does not support our choice, the society in which we live seems to be also They are denying every idea that has a sacred or eternal meaning. Therefore, at a time when the current crisis is full and we do not know where to go in the future, as human beings, we find ourselves most confused and fall into the nightmare we have created. However, in this tragic situation, there is another important source of hope, that is, all the great mystical traditions and their spiritual teachings still exist. ”
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