Apr 23, 2022 7:11 AM
Houseki Predictions
Anime Relations:
Houseki no Kuni PV
Before we begin I think understanding the translated title of 'houseki no kuni' into 'land of the lustrous' is extremely important in understanding some of the Buddhist background featured very deeply within the series. The official English title hints at the Buddhist connotations both in the use of "Land" (as in "Pure Land" - instead of country/kingdom), whilst 'lustrous' was used in the reference to lustration, and of course gems being shiny - nice double meanings here. Lustration, (from Latin lustratio, “purification by sacrifice”), simply means a freeing from sin, guilt, or defilement: True enlightenment, this will be heavily touched on in the future.
What makes you you? Such a simple question is surprisingly hard to answer. This blog will bring forward some of the symbolic design choices behind Phosphophyllite and their religious references related to Japanese Buddhism. Many may have already noticed that the Lunarians closely resemble Buddhist statues, but Houseki no Kuni may have much deeper connections with Buddhism than first expected...
The Pure Land
When beings awaken to buddhahood, their realization affects the environment around them. In Mahayana Buddhism, this idea was extended to assert that buddhas exist in a purified sphere of realization that reflects their blissful, enlightened perception of reality. Free of all ignorance, aggression, and attachment, this environment is called a pure land or buddha-realm.All buddhas have such realms, and over time, Buddhists came to seek access to them. It was taught that in this pure, enlightened reality, one could meet with awakened teachers, practice the dharma, and escape from the suffering round of samsaric rebirth.
Rebirth is extremely important. Actions of a person lead to a new existence after death, in an endless cycle [Lunarians]. This cycle is considered to be dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful. The cycle stops only if Enlightenment is achieved; then one moves to the Pure Land.
Midas' Touch
The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice and narrates what happens when true happiness is not recognized. Midas was a man who wished that everything he touched would turn into gold. However, he had not thought that this wish was not actually a blessing, but a curse. His greed invites us to think and realize the consequences that may lead us to become slaves of our own desires. The phrase the Midas touch comes from this myth and is used to say that somebody has a good fortune.
When Midas’ daughter entered the room, she ran over to hug her father, and as she did, tears filled his eyes as he had just turned his daughter into a solid gold statue. Distraught at what he had just done, Midas began to pray to Dionysus to end this curse. Dionysus told Midas to go to the River Pactolus, where everything he placed in the river would revert to normal. Midas washed his hands in the river and felt his newfound power disappeared, leaving a stream of shimmering gold behind him. When he returned home, everything that was once gold had returned to normal. King Midas hugged his daughter, and he left her in charge of his kingdom—he had realized that all the riches in the world would no longer make him happy. He retreated to the forest where he became a follower of the god Pan and where he would live a simple and humble life.
A famous story of a man who sought fortune by having anything he touched become Gold. However, this was not actually a blessing, but a curse. Both characters experience the loss of someone very important (who ultimately do return). With new arms, we start to see her becomes more reckless in fights, resulting in a fatal decapitation. The following events completely flip the story upside-down, resulting in 2 new Philosophies to discus: The Ship of Theseus and 7 Sacred Treasures.
The story of King Midas and his golden touch is a classic case of “be careful what you wish for.” Midas was a greedy king who believed that wealth was the route to happiness, and it wasn’t until he lost his daughter, the one thing that he truly loved, that he realized he no longer needed money and material possessions to live a happy life.
Ship of Theseus
The Ship of Theseus is a classical philosophical puzzle about personal identity. Imagine you have a wooden ship in your backyard and decide that one day you want to take it apart piece by piece. You go about taking it apart, delicately removing each part as if you were going to use those same parts to rebuild it later (should you decide to do so) and storing it in your garage. Now, here’s part of the problem. When you remove each piece, it still seems to be (intuitively) the same Ship. Removing one plank from the floor, for example, doesn’t seem to make it a different ship. However, if you keep up with the process, you will end up with all of the pieces of the Ship in your garage, but it will no longer be the Ship of Theseus, since, by hypothesization, you won’t have a ship – you’ll have a pile of wood that used to be a ship. But at some point in your deconstruction, the Ship had to move from existence to non-existence, unless you want to say all the pieces in the garage is the Ship. At what discrete point did the Ship cease being the Ship?A further wrinkle: suppose that, rather than just tearing the Ship apart, you decide to replace every wooden piece you removed with an aluminium piece of the exact same dimensions. So, when you start, you have a completely wooden Ship, but at the end, you have a completely aluminium Ship. But, at each discrete stage of time, you only have a ship that is one piece different than it was in the previous moment.
An even further problem: suppose that you decide to use the wooden planks you removed in the case above to build another Ship which is materially identical to the original ship. At the end of that project, you’ll have two Ships, one aluminium and one wooden, that each have a claim to being the Ship of Theseus. They can’t both be THE Ship of Theseus, but it could be true that they both could NOT be the Ship of Theseus, but the problem becomes, when was the Ship of Theseus destroyed?
The Ship of Theseus is what it is by the individual parts that make it up. In this case, the second you removed the first wooden plank from the Ship, it ceased to be. But the individual atoms in the wood are forever changing, with the result that the Ship is never itself.
Is it because of our parts — i.e. the individual matter that makes us up? Breathe, and you’re no longer the same you.
Is it because of our structure? Lose a limb or cut your hair and you’re no longer the same person.
Is it because of our history in the world? Were you to be duplicated, you’d either have a existential twin, or you’d cease to be.
Is it because of our thoughts, feelings, and all the other stuff that goes on in our heads? Lose your memories, and you’re no longer you. Have a radical change of heart, and the person you were once before is gone.
Houseki no Kuni says NOPE when Lapis steps into the story.
7 Sacred Treasures
Precious substances mentioned in the sutras. The list differs among the Buddhist scriptures. According to the Lotus Sutra, the seven are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, pearl, and carnelian. In the “Treasure Tower” chapter of the sutra, the treasure tower adorned with these seven kinds of treasures appears from beneath the earth. In a letter known as On the Treasure Tower, Nichiren associates the seven kinds of treasures that adorn the treasure tower with the seven elements of practice, writing: “It is the treasure tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures—hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself” (299).
Agate and Seashell: When Phos loses their legs, they are replaced with broken parts of a large shell, with agate inside. This is the first part of Phos to be replaced, and he becomes 'stronger' than he was before. With his legs altered, he becomes more motivated and driven to do what he wants. You can see here that his legs are striped with a mixture of Agate and Seashell.
Gold and Silver: As Phos' arms are a mixture of Gold and Platinum, I believe it refers to two of the treasures. While something else may happen and a silver element revealed, I believe it's purposeful that Phos' arms ended up being an alloy of a gold and silver metal. As his arms are replaced with Gold and Platinum, he becomes more serious and not the same as his old self. He dedicates more time to strategy and ability than fun.
Lapis Lazuli: It's pretty obvious where this one comes in: the head of Lapis Lazuli. When Phos' head is taken by the Lunarians, Cairngorm offers to use the head of his long fallen comrade, Lapis. Sensei agrees and they attach the head of Lapis. Phos' personality undergoes a drastic change and he begins to understand things very differently.
Pearl: Pearl refers to the eye the prince puts inside Phos in order to make sure he follows the plan he agreed to on the moon. His left eye is replaced with a pearl. This is later noted again when Phos returns to the school in order to convince others to come with him. I argue that his personality is altered further by this. After the pearl replaced his eye, Phos is absolutely convinced his method is the only one and becomes what I would uncaring or unsympathetic towards Sensei.
Mercury (A red gem):
Withered Away...
Lotus flowers play a vital role in Buddhist symbolism representing spiritual awakening, purity, and faithfulness. This belief roots from the fact that lotus flowers emerge from muddy waters. For Buddhism, that means the act of rising above despite the challenges and moving towards the light of wisdom. It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower’s first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment. This combination of Flower and Water links back to Phos wanting to be something greater and a ripple appearing in the water, symbolising a massive change in the future
The second meaning, which is related to the first is purification. It resembles the purifying of the spirit which is born into murkiness. The third meaning refers to faithfulness. Those who are working to rise above the muddy waters will need to be faithful followers. The colour bears importance in the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhism, the gold lotus flower represents all achievement of all enlightenment, especially in the Buddha.
The stage of growth the lotus flower is in represents a different stage of enlightenment. A closed lotus flower represents the time before a Buddhist follower found Buddha or enlightenment. A lotus flower fully bloomed and open represents full enlightenment and self-awareness.
Finally, the lotus flower represents rebirth, both in a figurative and a literal sense. The rebirth can be a change of ideas, an acceptance of Buddha where there once was none, the dawn after one’s darkest day, a renaissance of beliefs or the ability to see past wrongs. In a literal sense, the meaning of the lotus flower in Buddhism represents rebirth as a reincarnation, such as in the Buddhist religion, when a soul leaves this world in its present form to be reborn in another.
Bodhi Leaf
The heart-shaped Buddhi Leaf (or Bodhi Leaf) comes from the Tree (now called the Buddhi or Bodhi Tree) in Bodh Gaya, wherein Siddhartha Gautama sat under to meditate, thereby reaching enlightenment. It is said that this tree was a very large fig tree. Buddha then spent one entire week in front of the tree, staring at it with unblinking eyes after his Enlightenment (possible reference to Chapter 94??). Its a reach, but the eye also has a similar curvature to the leaf shown within text.
The Buddhi Leaf is also considered a sacred symbol for diligence and as a reminder and inspiration that indicate the paths to enlightenment. Its shape alone gives deep and mystical power that can lead to peace and help one in the search for inner awakening and awareness. It can also be a reminder of the innocence and openness that one must achieve or maintain in his mind, in order to walk the path to enlightenment.
5 Stages of Grief
A theory developed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross suggests that we go through five distinct stages of grief after the loss of a loved one: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance.
- Denial: The first stage in this theory, denial helps us minimize the overwhelming pain of loss. As we process the reality of our loss, we are also trying to survive emotional pain. It can be hard to believe we have lost an important person in our lives, especially when we may have just spoken with this person the previous week or even the previous day. Our reality has shifted completely in this moment of loss. It can take our minds some time to adjust to this new reality. We are reflecting on the experiences we have shared with the person we lost, and we might find ourselves wondering how to move forward in life without this person. This is a lot of information to explore and a lot of painful imagery to process. Denial attempts to slow this process down and take us through it one step at a time, rather than risk the potential of feeling overwhelmed by our emotions.
- Anger: It is common to experience anger after the loss of a loved one. We are trying to adjust to a new reality and we are likely experiencing extreme emotional discomfort. There is so much to process that anger may feel like it allows us an emotional outlet. Keep in mind that anger does not require us to be very vulnerable. However, it tends to be more socially acceptable than admitting we are scared. Anger allows us to express emotion with less fear of judgment or rejection. Unfortunately, anger tends to be the first thing we feel when we start to release emotions related to loss. This can leave you feeling isolated in your experience and perceived as unapproachable by others in moments when we could benefit from comfort, connection, and reassurance.
- Bargaining: When coping with loss, it isn't unusual to feel so desperate that you are willing to do almost anything to alleviate or minimize the pain. Losing a loved one can cause us to consider any way we can avoid the current pain or the pain we are anticipating from loss. There are many ways we may try to bargain. When bargaining starts to take place, we are often directing our requests to a higher power, or something bigger than we are that may be able to influence a different outcome. There is an acute awareness of our humanness in these moments when we realize there is nothing we can do to influence change or a better end result.
This feeling of helplessness can cause us to react in protest by bargaining, which gives us a perceived sense of control over something that feels so out of control. While bargaining we also tend to focus on our personal faults or regrets. We might look back at our interactions with the person we are losing and note all of the times we felt disconnected or may have caused them pain. It is common to recall times when we may have said things we did not mean, and wish we could go back and behave differently. We also tend to make the drastic assumption that if things had played out differently, we would not be in such an emotionally painful place in our lives.
- Depression:During our experience of processing grief, there comes a time when our imaginations calm down and we slowly start to look at the reality of our present situation. Bargaining no longer feels like an option and we are faced with what is happening. We start to feel the loss of our loved one more abundantly. As our panic begins to subside, the emotional fog begins to clear and the loss feels more present and unavoidable. In those moments, we tend to pull inward as the sadness grows. We might find ourselves retreating, being less sociable, and reaching out less to others about what we are going through. Although this is a very natural stage of grief, dealing with depression after the loss of a loved one can be extremely isolating.
- Acceptance When we come to a place of acceptance, it is not that we no longer feel the pain of loss. However, we are no longer resisting the reality of our situation, and we are not struggling to make it something different. Sadness and regret can still be present in this phase, but the emotional survival tactics of denial, bargaining, and anger are less likely to be present.
What Next?
Chapter 95, after full authorization granted and the 7 treasures complete, what will happen next? The Invasion seems to be the climax of the story, however things could carry on for much longer for all we know... Now we know already that Lunarians hate existing, they are so bored of being immortal they want to break the cycle of life and move upwards to the Pure Land. This is their ultimate goal, but who exactly is Achmea?
Enma - God of Hell
From Protag to Antag, Moon and Earth, Lunarians and Gems - we have had constant links between the two, and now with hints at a higher power, especially making Phos into a psuedo-thing, we have more contextualisation for the two. Enma Daiō in Buddhist mythology is said to be both the ruler of the underworld, and the one who judges the souls of the dead on whether they go to Heaven or Hell.
And who exactly will Assist? Phosphophyllite.
Enma was the first person in the world to die. He lived in paradise and his job was looking after the dead [lunarians]. His job later changed from looking after the dead to judging them [post hiatus content]
Kannon - God of Mercy
The goddess of compassion and mercy. One who has earned to leave the world of suffering and is destined to become a Buddha, but has forgone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of god. Their appearance ranges from Masculine to Feminine, since a Bodhisattva, in accordance with the Lotus Sutra, has the magical power to transform the body in any form required to relieve suffering, therefore making Kannon neither woman nor man, genderless like the Gems! In Shingon Buddhism, she is said to reside in Fudaraku, an island paradise from which she descends to welcome those who seek her salvation, hmmm.
On top of her assistance of people having distress in Earthly Realm, she also has a key role in all Six Realms of Karmic Rebirth.
And who is constantly reincarnating for all eternity, stuck in this cycle within the '6 realms'?
One legend presents Kannon as vowing to never rest until they had freed all sentient beings from samsara (reincarnation). Despite strenuous effort, she realized that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend, their head split into eleven pieces. Upon hearing the cries and comprehending them, Kannon attempted to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that her two arms shattered into pieces. Later receiving 1000 arms to aid the many.
I wouldn't be surprised if something like this happened, I don't think we will be seeing a "endless cycle" scenario where Phos raises their own Gems, its too predictable. It was also stated before the invasion that there were no recordings of any living activity on the Cord Shore.
(2) ［七財・七聖財］ ( shichi-zai or shichi-shōzai): Seven indispensable elements of Buddhist practice, which are compared to treasures. They are hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself.
Kannon (観音) is the goddess of compassion and mercy, the keeper of peace and reliever of troubles. The most popular bodhisattva in Japan, she also relieves drought, helps women to conceive, and makes good wishes for the world.
Kannon’s appearance varies across Asia, but in almost all contexts she is feminine. In Japan, she is commonly shown holding a magic jewel, a nyoihoju, on which she makes wishes for the world. At times she has a multi-armed form, holding many symbols of Buddhism, including weapons, and is depicted with as many as eleven heads, drawing on imagery of naga (mythical serpent beings).
In Shingon Buddhism, she is one of the Thirteen Buddhas. She is said to reside in Fudaraku, a mountainous island paradise from which she descends to welcome those who seek her salvation.
Phos’ story isn’t over yet (and frankly I’m quaking in my boots even trying to imagine what conclusion Land of the Lustrous might come to but hey, we can weave that into the allegory too. The ship is always sailing, and people are always changing as they learn new things in each new port they dock in. It doesn’t mean what’s left in your wake doesn’t matter.
Posted by
Weebookey
| Apr 23, 2022 7:11 AM |
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