Work Text:
Lan Wangji and Crazy Cloud
Parallels between Hanguang Jun and the Japanese Zen-Master Ikkyu (1394-1481)
- Parallels of the life path
Ikkyu and Lan Wangji both lost or were permanently separated from their mother at the age of five. Both mourn their mother deeply. Both women were on wish of their children’s father separated from their children and condemned to life in a remoted and secluded place. Ikkyu was then a acolyte in a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monasty, where he was educated in Chinese art, literature and poetry. Lan Wangji is well versed in calligraphy (an Chinese form of art) and highly learned in literature and poetry (Lan Ans poems).
Both men practised Zazen as the supremancy form of their Zen practise. For both men music played a important role to make progress on their personal developement. Ikkyu was able to finally solve the koan, which his master gave him to ponder, when he heared some blind singers passing by. Furthermore he reached enlightenment, when he heared the call of a crow during a meditation session on lake Biwa. Both events laid the foundation to become a master himself.
Lan Wangji is a master musician. His instrument shares the same name as him: Wangji. Composing and singing Wangxian/Wuji for Wei Ying is one of the most important markers for Lan Wangjis character developement.
After Ikkyu achieved satori, he was recognized by his master as a master of Zen (he was granted inka). Ikkyu earned a reputation as a troublemaker. His master then appointed his rival as his heir, whereupon Ikkyu left the temple to live as a vagabond for many years. During these years, he tried to live true Zen outside of a monastic, institutionalized organization.
During this time, he also met the blind musician Mori, who became the love of his life. With her he practised zen even when making love. One of Ikkyu´s believes was, that true enlightenment was found everywhere, everytime, even when making passionate love. After his home temple Daitokuji was burned down during the Onin War, Ikkyu became abbot of one of the most important Zen lineages. A role he took on only very reluctantly.
Lan Wangji was punished for his transgressions to the Gusu-Lan-Clan. After the three year period of his forced seclusion ended, he decided to travel a lot and help the common folks. This years, in which he strongen his body, mind and cultivation again can be seen similar as Ikkyu´s vagabond years.
After the fall of the Guayin Temple, Lan Wangji enters a new phase in his life. In the book, he and Wei Wuxian bow three times and become cultivation partners, after which they travel and nighthunt for several months. Their very regular, passionate love life also begins during this time. They then return to Gusu together to teach and help run the clan.
In the live-action series, Lan Wanji is appointed Chief Cultivator, a role he is presumably reluctant to take on. In addition, he serves the Gusu Lan clan as acting clan leader while his brother is in indefinite seclusion. Wei Wuxian decides to travel as a rogue cultivator, but it is strongly hinted that the two will eventually meet again to begin a life together
Parallels in character and in practizing Zen
- Purity of spirit:
Both men are like "lotus and mud" at the same time (Messer/Smith 2018). Although both deal with worldly things, the dust of the world does not stick to them. Since both possess an enlightened mind (unborn wisdom mind), they cannot be tainted by death and life, sex and alcohol, purity and impurity. Rather, they simply exist as good people with great wisdom, regardless of their circumstances. Even if they deeply mingled and coated in the dust oft he world, it is their way (the only way) to enlightenment. If you think about this, the names Wangji and Bichen are kind of a joke or maybe a heartfelt wish, because Hanguang Jun is quite the opposite.
"[...] Ikkyu's closest kin are those who devote themself so completely to God or Love or Emptiness that all reference points become irrelevant. (Messer/Schmith 2018, p.5)
In Lan Wangji's case, his devotion to Wei Wuxian is love. More forms of love are known in Asian concepts than in European contexts. One of them is samartha or true love. Such love is free of self. You simply love with all your heart, without caring about what you get. This love places the other above the self and has been ideologized as the purest form of love that man is capable of.
- Rebels and Reformers
What they both have in common is that they deeply trusted the conventions they were taught. In Ikkyu's case, these were the Rinzai Buddhist teachings. The Buddhist monasteries of Ikkyu's time were places of politics. They were often very rich or dependent on influential and wealthy patrons, owned a lot of land or were involved in the trade of luxury goods. They even maintained relationships with warlords. As the Buddhist teachings often did not hold water, Ikkyu decided to give up temple life and seek out Buddhist masters to practise Zen. He never doubted the value of the Buddhist teachings themselves.
Lan Zhan decided to uphold the teachings of his clan: helping ordinary people, fighting against evil, living a righteous life and teaching others (learning comes first). But he found that his clan fell a little short. His clan was deeply involved in the political affairs of the cultivation world and participated in the first siege of the burial mounds and before that, the accident in Qiongqi Dao. They were also part of the Wen Clan's genocide. After Wei Wuxian's death and the end of his seclusion, Lan Wangji traveled extensively to uphold his promise (to and with Wei Wuxian) and the values of his clan, which had previously been severely violated. In this way, he lived up to his title of Lightbearing Lord.
- Living space
For both their place of residence was so important to them, that it formed part of their self-image. Both lived times of their life in a house or hut, which was situated in a bamboo forest. Bamboo is one of the four gentlemen and one of the most important plants in chinese symbolism. There is a whole chinese bamboo culture. Beauty, elegange and loneliness are associated with this plant as well as moral integrity, resistance, modesty, honesty and loyalty. These virtues matches both men very well.
The Jingshi in The Untamed was the former residence of Lan Wangjis mother and is surronded by a bamboo forest and a fence made of bamboo. Wall paintings in the Jingshi take up the theme again.
For Ikkyu his hut was so important, that dying he was carried to this place in a bamboo forest by his disciples.
- Meditation as main praxis
Zazen is practiced sitting upright, with the main focus on breathing and awareness of the conscious flow of the mind. The aim is to release attachment to one's own emotions and thoughts and to calm the mind.
- Parallels in love life
Ikkyu and Mori met late in his life. They lived happily together ten years until Ikkyu met his end. They also took the three-lifes vow to be reborn and become husband and wife again in the past, present and future lifes.
Ikkyu and Mori loved each other with extreme devotion and were very often involved in compassionate love, which was later praised by Ikkyu in his own poems. In a very explicit way and free of shame. It is clear that both were enthusiastic about their lovemaking and wanted to satisfy the other. Mori and Ikkyu were equals in bed.
The live-action series ends slightly differently from the book version of the story, but the final scene strongly suggests that the two men are finally starting a life together. So it's perfectly justified to use the book material to shed light on the subject. In the book version, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian become lovers after the Guayin Temple. Lan Wangji chooses Wei Wuxian over the opinion of his sect and uncle and takes time to travel with the man he loves. They bow to each other and begin a happy and compassionate life as husbands and lovers. Every day means every day love with each other. Their actions are explicitly described and experienced as satisfying by both. What's more, both partners focus on satisfying each other's needs. The relationship is equal. Sexual practices are not experienced as shameful, but as something natural and pleasurable (if the kinks are not yours, that doesn’t change a thing!).
Conclusion:
Both men share a lot of similarities:
- loss of mother at age five
- noble heritance
- monastic life
- similar education: training in chinese poetry, chinese literature and chinese art
- music
- confronted with competitors who share the same education and sell their values (Su She, Yoso)
- considered troublemakers
- loosing some of their reputation
- vagabond years
- trying to live and uphold their beliefs (Zen, Oath/Gusu Lan Rules)
- trying to reform corrupted systems (Zen, Gusu-Lan Rules)
- great teachers
- lived through war
- their home was burned in war
- relationship with alcohol
- both where partial described as crazy
- both men share main characteristics and principles
- later in life, they were given leadership
- both continue important lineages
- had a love of their live (Mori, Wei Ying)
- both fell in love with disabled partners (blindness, removed golden core)
- both lovers were significantely younger
- Ikkyu and Lan Wangji living their lives out at the side of their lovers
- very passionate in making love