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recently, a headless storyteller in the action role-playing game "black myth: wukong" has sparked widespread interest and discussion among players around the world. when players challenge the monster huang feng dasheng in the second chapter of the game "wind rises at dusk" to trigger the plot, this headless rapper holding a three-stringed lute will appear and use lyrics to guide players through the levels.

as players gradually delve deeper into the plot, the identity of the headless storyteller will also be revealed. he is the lingji bodhisattva who helped tang monk and his disciples subdue the yellow wind monster in the original journey to the west. this can't help but make people wonder:how did lingji bodhisattva lose his head? and how did he become a "wandering poet of northern shaanxi"?

is lingji bodhisattva a deity from northern shaanxi?

in the mythological setting of "journey to the west", lingji bodhisattva is a mysterious and important buddhist guardian deity. he is one of the eight bodhisattvas, with great magical powers, holding a flying dragon staff and an important magical instrument, the dingfeng pill, given by tathagata.yellow wind monsterall say:apart from lingji bodhisattva, there is nothing to be afraid of!

however, even if we read through all the buddhist scriptures and teachings that have been preserved today, and search for reliable historical documents or archaeological discoveries, we cannot find any records about this bodhisattva, nor can we explain whether lingji bodhisattva spoke northern shaanxi dialect.

in journey to the west, there are a total ofsix gods who can be called "bodhisattvas",infourthey areavalokitesvara bodhisattva of putuo, manjusri bodhisattva of wutai mountain, samantabhadra bodhisattva of emei mountain, ksitigarbha bodhisattvathese four are buddhist gods that have been recognized and circulated among the people from ancient times to the present. the remaining two bodhisattvas are controversial.

one is the one who lives in qianhua cave in ziyun mountain.bodhisattva vimala, using an embroidery needle to help the four masters and apprentices take away the centipede demon, the hundred-eyed demon lord. however, the name "vilanpo" comes from a rakshasa in the buddhist deviants, and calling him a bodhisattva was the creation of wu chengen.

another one islingji bodhisattvain the original novel, under the guidance of taibai jinxing, sun wukong and zhu bajie went to xiaoxumi mountain to find lingji bodhisattva. he possessed great magical powers and helped sun wukong subdue the yellow wind monster. he also gave sun wukong the wind-fixing pill when they were in the flame mountain. so can we find signs of lingji bodhisattva's existence from his residence?

wu cheng'en described the location of mount xumi as follows:

"lingji is in (huangfengling) and goes straight south. there is still 2,000 miles to go. there is a mountain called xiaoxumi mountain. in the mountain there is a temple, which is a zen temple where bodhisattvas give lectures."

to find the small mount xumi, we must first find out the big mount xumi. in fact, the "mount xumi" is actually a concept in the buddhist cosmology. it is considered to be the center of the universe and the axis of the sun, moon and stars. the four continents, eight mountains and seven seas surround mount xumi. it is described by buddhists as a sacred space of thought and the place where enlightenment and buddhahood occur. during the northern wei dynasty, buddhism spread eastward, and the guyuan area of ​​ningxia also excavated caves in the name of mount xumi, which were continuously improved during the tang, ming and qing dynasties.however, small mount sumeru is different from the mount sumeru described in buddhist scriptures, and there is no conclusive evidence to prove its real existence.

it can be seen that both lingji bodhisattva and xiaoxumi mountain were freely created by wu chengen to enrich the plot of the novel. lingji bodhisattva has no clear prototype and is purely fictional. this kind of fictional character is very common in "journey to the west". there are many different opinions about the prototypes of fictional gods such as bodhi patriarch, the teacher of sun wukong, zhenyuanzi, the owner of the ginseng fruit, and wuchao zen master who taught the heart sutra to tang monk. as a literary work, "journey to the west" combines buddhist elements, myths and legends, and the author's imagination, which together give the fictional characters unique life and mission.

why can’t we find the head of the buddha statue?

everyone must have another question. the head is the nerve and sensory center of the human body. it contains key organs such as the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth. it is responsible for important functions such as thinking, perception, expression and protecting the brain. it is essential to maintaining life activities and the interaction between individuals and the outside world.

so the question is: lingji bodhisattva has no head, and naturally no mouth or throat, so how does he rap?

in western myths and legends, the gods soar into the sky, often relying on the flapping of wings and a strong push on the ground. this is a simple imitation of animals flying in the sky by humans, a worship based on bionics. the logic of chinese mythology is more relaxed. flying can be a free expression that transcends the constraints of the flesh. the will and the mind of a person can go wherever the body goes. it is on this cultural soil that the ancient times gave birth to the calm beauty of the dunhuang flying fairy who can fly with just a light touch of the ground, the wonderful imagination of the monkey king flying over 108,000 miles with a somersault cloud, and the romantic legend of kunpeng freely transforming between the forms of fish and birds.

similarly, singing is not just limited to auditory enjoyment, it is also a reflection of deep inner emotions. with such a conception, we can understand why a headless person can become a god.

but how did lingji bodhisattva’s head get lost?

in the game setting of "black myth: wukong", sun wukong gave up his position as a buddha after returning from his pilgrimage. the heavenly court attacked him again. after the great sage died, he turned into six roots and wandered around. the rat demon was originally a disciple of lingji bodhisattva. he obtained one of sun wukong's six roots, but his cultivation was limited and it was difficult to refine it. so he plotted against his master and cut off his head as a magic weapon to store the root and practice evil magic. only then did he occupy the mountain and become the "yellow wind great sage".

however, this heated discussion reflects people's concern for the protection of cultural heritage and their dissatisfaction with the loss of historical relics. because although there is no "decapitated lingji bodhisattva" in reality, those national treasures of buddha that were dismembered and forced to drift overseas in the long river of history do exist. they have witnessed a series of cruel histories and also aroused people's cherishment of cultural heritage.

there are many headless buddha statues in china. in addition to theft and looting of cultural relics, there are many other complicated reasons. for example, famous anti-buddhist movements occurred during the reigns of emperor taiwu of the northern wei dynasty, emperor wu of the northern zhou dynasty, emperor wuzong of the tang dynasty, and emperor shizong of the later zhou dynasty. during wartime, such as when an lushan captured luoyang, statues and steles such as the longmen grottoes were not spared. of course, the damage to buddha statues is not entirely man-made. long-term weathering, water erosion and other natural environmental factors may also cause damage or loss of the head of the buddha statue.

the legendary color of the beheading myth

there are many headless gods in chinese mythology. from the myths of the pre-qin period to the strange stories of the ming and qing dynasties, there are records of headless gods with "nipples as eyes and navels as mouths".

the earliest appearance of headless gods in chinese history comes from the "classic of mountains and seas: overseas western classic", which states:

"xingtian and the emperor came here to compete for the throne. the emperor cut off his head and buried it in changyang mountain. he used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, and danced with a halberd."

after xing tian lost the battle for the throne with the emperor of heaven, he was beheaded. but after being beheaded, he revived with the help of his body parts, holding weapons in both hands and continued to fight.

throughout history, countless scholars have conducted textual research on the mythical figure "xingtian". some people believe that the emperor who won the war was the famous yellow emperor in ancient myths and historical legends, and xingtian was naturally the god of war chiyou. regardless of xingtian's identity, he has become the "god who resists gods" in mythology, representing the unswerving spirit of resistance. his unyielding spirit until death has also been praised by scholars of all generations. tao yuanming of the western jin dynasty wrote in a poem, "xingtian dances with a halberd and a shield, and his fierce will remains."

based on xingtian’s spirit of daring to fight, there is no shortage of “secondary creations” of xingtian in later mythological novels.

the grandfather of ji xiaolan, a writer in the qing dynasty, told him such a story: dalmada, a taiji (a kind of title of mongolian nobles) of khorchin, was hunting in the deep mountains of mobei and shot a deer with a bow. he was about to pick it up when a headless man suddenly appeared, speaking from his belly button, saying that he had shot the deer. in the end, dalmada and the headless man shared the deer equally. based on the appearance of the headless man, ji xiaolan's grandfather determined that this was the descendant of xingtian. so ji xiaolan wrote an article "headless man with body", which was included in the book of strange notes "notes from yuewei thatched cottage". he sighed: the world is so big, there is nothing that does not exist!

xingtian in the classic of mountains and seas is a decapitated god, while dijiang is a god born headless, also known as the "god of chaos". he is red all over, has no face, but with six legs and four wings, he can sing and dance, and dance in the sky. there is also such a story recorded in zhuangzi:

the emperor shu of the south sea, the emperor hu of the north sea and the emperor hun dun of the central sea were very good friends. shu and hu often went to hun dun to meet up, and hun dun was also very enthusiastic towards his friends. shu and hu wanted to repay hun dun, but how? hun dun had no eyes, nose or face, so they wanted to chisel seven holes in hun dun so that he could see, hear, eat and breathe like a human. as a result, "one hole was chiseled every day, and hun dun died after seven days." hun dun's death gave birth to the birth of the universe.

the description of "headlessness" in chinese mythology shows the imagination and interpretation of the indomitable nature of life and supernatural power, and also deeply reflects the ancient people's philosophical thinking on the origin of life and the universe. in western mythology, the image of headlessness is often associated with death or a terrible fate.

the most famous headless god in the west is the one created by washington irving, a famous american writer in the 19th century and known as the father of american literature.the headless horseman from the legend of sleepy hollow.

the legend of sleepy hollow is a short story conceived and written by irving during his stay in england from 1819 to 1820. set in a small town called sleepy hollow in new york state, the novel tells the story of a rural teacher named crane and the legendary headless horseman. it is said that the headless horseman was a hessian mercenary who was killed by a cannonball in the war of independence. his ghost lingers in sleepy hollow looking for his lost head. whenever he sees someone who looks like him when he was alive, he will cut off their head and bring it back. on a halloween night, the headless horseman and crane started a thrilling chase.

the headless horseman in irving's works comes from the celtic mythology circulated among the irish people. the god of fertility in the myth brings a good harvest to mankind, but at the same time requires mankind to sacrifice their lives in exchange. therefore, the headless horseman symbolizes the messenger of the prophecy of death, and this image has also become a frequent character in games related to western myths and legends. in 1999, the united states also adapted the story of the headless horseman into the movie "sleepy hollow".

the myth of the headless horseman also influences the shaping of the image of warriors in contemporary art works. audiences who have watched harry potter must be familiar with the ghost of gryffindor college——"nearly headless nick"he was sentenced to beheading for a magical accident, and the executioner took forty-five strokes to separate his head from his body, but there was still a part of skin and tendons connected, so he was not completely dead, but became the resident ghost of hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. almost headless nick wanted to join the"headless hunters", a group of decapitated ghosts, but only accepting ghosts whose heads are completely separated from their bodies as members. during the battle of hogwarts, the headless huntsmen rode by on horseback, fighting with heads tucked under their arms to protect hogwarts.

in the legendary colors of these beheading myths, it is not difficult to find that whether it is the tenacity and nature of the east or the horror and death of the west, they all deeply reflect the human understanding and awe of life, death and the indomitable spirit. these myths are not only human fantasies about mysterious powers, but also explorations and expressions of the essence of life and the meaning of death.