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> The most obvious one is as always the idea of stagnant water at the bottom that becomes corrupted, which from what I understand comes mostly from the asian re

> The most obvious one is as always the idea of stagnant water at the bottom that becomes corrupted, which from what I understand comes mostly from the asian religious ideas about impurity. I'm not sure if it's coming from Shinto or Buddhism, or something else, but there's always something about stagnant water/stagnation being "bad", and water at the bottom "washing away" impurities on the way and being the "worst". That's where the usual poison lake comes from. It's also a strong idea in Sekiro, with immortality coming from the heavens (with the divine dragon) and being corrupted on the way down (with the centipedes). Hi, friendly neighbourhood hackernews buddhist here. That's not from us. Washing away your 'impurities' seems like a foolish idea, since there's no you to have them. Also, we don't really get along with anything like immortality or heavens either. Impermanence is kinda..... obvious?. Either way, as a (very) casual gamer with kids and not enough time as it is, I'll probably skip these. :}

giraffe_lady 5y ago
I'm not a buddhist so in no position to refute but there is a temple near me that I have been to several times for non-religious reasons. There is a water basin by the entrance that people use to wash their hands and faces as they enter. I understand theologically this must not be a "ritual purification" but as an outsider I definitely can't tell the difference.
Trasmatta 5y ago
I'm not a Buddhist, but one of the themes in many of Miyazaki's games is suffering caused by an endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. There's a major focus on breaking that curse, and accepting death in many of his games. My completely naive, outsiders perspective is that this might possibly be analogous to samsara and nirvana. I think this theme is particularly present in Sekiro, which has explicit Buddhist themes and imagery, and where the main character is constantly reborn, and seeks to end that cycle. But yeah, I'm not a Buddhist, so I would absolutely be interested in a Buddhist's interpretation of the games. Miyazaki pulls from many sources and inspirations, and I think Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism are both present in there (as well as a myriad of inspirations from Western culture and history as well). The games are honestly an amazing example of the immense creativity that can come from a melting pot of ideas from many different cultures.

giraffe_lady 5y ago

I'm not a buddhist so in no position to refute but there is a temple near me that I have been to several times for non-religious reasons. There is a water basin by the entrance that people use to wash their hands and faces as they enter. I understand theologically this must not be a "ritual purification" but as an outsider I definitely can't tell the difference.

Trasmatta 5y ago

I'm not a Buddhist, but one of the themes in many of Miyazaki's games is suffering caused by an endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. There's a major focus on breaking that curse, and accepting death in many of his games. My completely naive, outsiders perspective is that this might possibly be analogous to samsara and nirvana. I think this theme is particularly present in Sekiro, which has explicit Buddhist themes and imagery, and where the main character is constantly reborn, and seeks to end that cycle. But yeah, I'm not a Buddhist, so I would absolutely be interested in a Buddhist's interpretation of the games. Miyazaki pulls from many sources and inspirations, and I think Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism are both present in there (as well as a myriad of inspirations from Western culture and history as well). The games are honestly an amazing example of the immense creativity that can come from a melting pot of ideas from many different cultures.