There is no beginning and no end.
Nothing is immutable, everything changes. That thing which does not come...
...into being, does not die.
Sell your old objects,
Sell your obligations.
I buy old T.V. Sets, old watches...
At the bottom of the mountain, there is a big temple?
And lower, what is there?
The World...
The World?
You came from the world?
Of course!
You too, Haejin, You came from the world...
And the Master?
Him too.
Why have we all left the world?
It's because in the world, there is no peace or freedom of the heart...
Why?
Because people...
...haven't enough heart to put in all things of the world.
In fact, they have enough heart...
...but it's full of the idea of Self.
Are there orphans like me in the world?
Sure!
Do you remember your mother?
Are you sad to have no mother? - No.
I don't remember...
How can I be sad since I don't even remember?
Worldly feelings cause ties and passions.
In the end you lose what you love. That's how you feel pain.
You, Haejin, you don't have any pain because you have no ties?
You must empty your heart to overcome passions...
Give me some thread.
Owe! It hurts!
If you don't take out the milkteeth...
...you will have the tusks of a boar.
You want that?
You feel nothing. It's over.
Go on, open your mouth!
What is that?
Haejin! Do you feel better?
You have to throw it on the roof, don't you?
Is that customary? - Yes, that's right!
Is that you!
You should have sheltered yourself from the rain.
I was destined to take care of my family...
Did I commit an immoral act...
...by freeing myself of that fate, going my own way?
But I was thirsting to liberate my soul.
I couldn't do two things at the same time.
I had to leave the narrow path where, like dust, suffering was piling up...
...only to find myself again in an open field.
When I decided to leave the world...
...morality and family love seemed to me
...like links which I had to break...
...as well as worldly desires and pleasures.
I must reach Enlightenment...
...and follow the way of absolute freedom.
A letter came to the temple.
To understand that Worthlessness...
...is worthless leads to the Buddha.
Now, be silent.
I'll introduce you to a master armed with the power of the Law...
...who will open your eyes and show you the way.
You will follow the valley, go around Mount Chonan...
...and arrive at an old hermitage.
It is guarded by an old monk who practices Zen.
Nobody goes there.
His name is Hyegok.
Although he is far away in the mountains...
...he is like the beacon from a Lighthouse.
To be effective...
...mustn't be a beacon be situated high and far?
This monk settled there, unshakable...
...and will never come down...
...until he has discovered the roots of the Way.
I haven't seen him for five years...
...and it was only by chance that I saw him then.
He was giving himself to meditation days and nights.
To overcome sleep...
...he was seated against a wall of ice...
...that resulted in deep chilblains.
He had to come down...
...to take care of his illness.
I wanted to pay the hospital bills.
But he wouldn't let me.
He told me his illness came...
...from his lack of fervor.
For one month he begged in the villages...
...to raise money to cover the bills.
He laughed, saying it was only A pound of flesh cut out.
He returned with a child on his back.
When I asked him...
...he said the child was abandoned...
...and he had to look after him.
A monk carrying a small child on his back was amusing sight...
...for people of the world to see.
According to the man...
...who provides them with rice...
...the child is now nearly fully grown.
But the monk still suffers from the chilblains.
At his age...
...he needs someone to look after him.
I'm afraid!
If you succeed in freeing the moon hidden inside you...
...it will light up the shy and the earth...
...and its light will chase away all shadows of the universe.
If you understand that One thing, you will understand everything.
If you achieve this...
...the good news will echo through the universe.
If you know that, you will become one with all.
You will inherit a universe where there is a fusion of day and night.
It will be perfection. Everything will be accomplished.
It will be free of obstacles...
...and total freedom will prevail.
Here there is a log of wood...
...with a crane's head, a dragon's head...
...and a lizard's breast engraved.
It has no name. It's your face before your birth.
It's your body before the birth of your parents.
With that you must solve...
...the mystery of birth and death.
When the moon takes over in your heart...
...where does the Master of my being go?
Kibong, I give you this Koan (Question).
You must be ardent and persevering to understand it...
...and show it to me.
If you think about this Koan day and night...
...if you concentrate on meditating...
...you will understand and come to Enlightenment.
The Koan is a tool to cross the sea of passion and illusion...
...so as to discover the roots of the true Self.
What are you doing?
Haejin, my poor boy!
This is separate from your body,
But you still feel attached to this tooth...
...because it was formally a part of you?
In fact there is no difference between this tooth...
...and pebbles on the road.
What is the connection with the non-difference between birth and death...
...and the non-difference between self and Other?
You ought to rest for a while.
I can take care of the field.
You must exercise to keep in shape.
Who would have the nerve to eat without working?
This old man still hasn't got one foot in the grave.
But you are in poor health.
I know your health even though you never mention it...
...you have to be cured, if not the wound will become deeper.
If my heart and body are in bad shape...
...it is because I don't have enough fervor!
I have a favor to ask of you. You must grant it.
I want to get some medicine.
You will waste your time.
It is time to get rid myself of this body. It's done me well.
You're back already, Yong Nan?
So soon?
Yong Nan!
Not yet...
Is it you, Yong Nan?
No, no...
He left the royal palace and went alone into the forest.
This departure took place...
...more than 2,500 years ago.
Was that flight an abandonment of the world?
No, the departure was simply...
...the process of returning.
In fact he never left. He came back inside us all.
You know the reason for his departure was to come back totally within us?
I became a hermit...
...to free myself from the dust and the dirt of the world...
...looking for perfection.
But I realized that it was impossible without loving...
...the garbage and the dust of the world, even life's passions.
One has to embrace all manner of things.
If it's easy to fight Against reality and fate...
...it is difficult to love them.
What a beautiful world when you know how to love it!
The world is not imperfect.
I think imperfection is in our language...
...our knowledge, our consciousness.
Isn't Enlightenment a dream?
Since I believed in Enlightenment, I left the world.
But when I look at the things I sacrificed...
...I seem to be full of bitterness...
...and I was afraid I would fall into a hell of remorse.
"Saving humanity"?
What does it mean to those...
...who left father, mother, wife and children...
...for Enlightenment?
Who is Buddha? Who isn't he?
Is it not said that there is no Buddha and no creature unenlightened?
I'm going back to the world...
...to the turbulations of life.
Why do you stay in these mountains?
You, Oh swallow from the south...
...what is the way to your homeland?
Have the yellow narcisses opened their petals...
...for the grain of rice you were carrying?
Far away, the stars balance the sky.
Idiot! I have to be here...
...for fools like you who are looking for me!
You must keep the Koan between your teeth...
...even if you fall into a furnace.
The one who has decided to solve the Koan must go to the end.
When you reach Enlightenment, you will find freedom...
...like the breeze on the mountain top...
...and a peace unshakable like a rock in a storm.
The place where you stood today can be the Land of Perfect Bliss itself.
So what are you going to do?
Seen through bloodshot eyes troubled by the world...
...are Hell and Heaven different?
Answer! Answer me!
When the moon takes over in your heart...
...where does the Master of my being go?
Brother!
Master?
He is in meditation room.
He is very sick.
He wanted to save you...
You must be suffering very much from your wounds?
It's from my lack of prudence.
Take it easy.
It's not your fault.
It is that the time has come.
When the time has come...
...the body without substance goes its own way.
Don't say such things.
You must stay longer with us.
I do not yet understand about Reality.
You must show me the Way...
...before leaving us.
Who else will be able...
...to teach me the way to follow?
Mountains, rivers, plants...
...universe. Here and there everything is in the same enclosure.
To leave...
...is to arrive.
To arrive is to leave.
Doesn't the wind blow as it wants?
My body returns to its original condition.
Blood and pus from my wounds...
...will fall as dew from the night sky.
I am insubstantial in the universe.
But in the universe, there is nothing which is not me.
Listen to me carefully!
You ought to do what I'm going to tell you.
When I pass away...
...you will receive my corpse.
You must put it...
...in its original place.
Master!
Hear me out!
Don't warn the temple monks.
That will disturb them.
You should do everything yourself. Don't make a fuss.
Leave me dressed as I will be.
You know the chest which is in the back?
It is a ready made coffin!
Try not to cause a fire in the mountains.
Kibong!
It must be done...
...in a day and a half.
You must...
...make sure of that.
Consider this work...
...as another Koan I give you.
You must carry out this task as soon as I am dead.
When the ties which hold the body together...
...weaken...
When the body get scattered...
...to be earth, water and wind...
Where does the master of my being go?
The sound of the bell
overcomes passions.
It increases wisdom
and gives birth to Enlightenment.
It will release from Hell those
who make the vows to seek
for Enlightenment and save people.
The magic formula
which destroys Hell is:
Om karajya
svaha.
Om karajya
svaha.
Om karajya
svaha.
Kibong! Can you do me a favor?
You see my hair?
It is not so long.
But since you are a bit better...
...let's go to the rivulet.
This evening apparently there is a ceremony in the lower temple.
What? Will they dance to the sounds of cymbals?
Did the wind bring you the news?
How do you know!
I found out the other day when I went down.
I thought Haejin would like to go there.
Very good idea!
And a very good alibi!
In the court of harmony of sounds and colors...
...bodies called back to nothing dance like bubbles.
Is it dream or reality?
Originally...
...this court was empty.
The dream gone signifies Enlightenment.
It is full moon and it will be light enough.
Nevertheless be careful not to get lost.
How will you take your medicine?
Don't worry about that, I can take it by myself.
I'm going to put the pot on the coals.
Bring me enough kerosene.
Don't forget!
There's a full moon tonight.
The moon rises over the dark mountains.
Why do we have to wait so long?
The universe is deep in the shadows.
Light the fuse in your heart...
...to light the way.
Come quickly!
There is a smell of burned medecine.
Brother!
The medecine is completely burned.
The Master has gone. I stay.
Winter advances through the dense forest...
...and summer approaches the naked branches.
In the cycle without beginning or end...
...to live or die are the same thing.
But life is for those who stay.
In the everlasting stream...
...there is no birth, no death.
For those who stay, death is an insoluable problem.
These are the Master's effects.
I'm entrusting them to you.
I will send someone from the temple to replace me.
Brother!
Where are you going?
Subtitles rip and correction: iago