#why it revolves around the conceit of investigation. why llh is anti-politics and anti-institution.
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it still shocks me, even now. that a mainstream drama from the most (?) sanitized and bastardized age of c-dramas would be this real, true exploration of mahayana buddhism. of the pure land buddhist school 净土宗 specifically. my school of buddhism i was raised on, in real life! that in chinese buddhism, different schools are formed around sutras of choice. sanlun & the 3 treatise, tiantai & the lotus sutra, etc. and at the core of pure land buddhism is the heart sutra. which we explicitly see in the show when lxy needs guidance most, lxy renaming himself in reference to it and to the recitation mantra - recitation/chanting 念佛 being the primary practice pure land buddhism revolves around. it goes through all the main concepts with authenticity. it is truly unreal that this show exists and hits so close to home.
#莲花楼#me is mark#even beyond the buddhist theory#it's socio-politically relevant to mahayana buddhist history too in the buddhist vs. confucianism sense of things#why it revolves around the conceit of investigation. why llh is anti-politics and anti-institution.#why the story is about having multiple selves and the shedding/adoption of new ones. obsessing around what separates those versions.#a niche and serious historical drama with a sophisticated archaic screenwriter.... i understand#but a 2023 mainstream drama being a gem like this is surreal
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