![]() The symbol itself doesn’t correlate with any modern Chinese characters. Then comes the infamous symbol that Ronan directs audiences to memorize. This extreme practice is not found in Tantric Buddhism. We can see vestiges of this idea in Incantation: a sacramental young girl is covered in writing, used in ritualistic practices to appease Mother Buddha. ![]() Tantra religions do share a commonality: sacraments or rituals are used to conjure divine energies. The “Hou ho xiu yi, si sei wu ma” mantra bears no relation to any of Tantric Buddhism’s spiritual practices. So it’s not impossible that Minnan could have made its way there, especially if the monk is from the Minnan region. Yunnan lies southwest of the language’s influence. Min Chinese is practiced along the coastal regions of eastern China, spanning from lower Zhejiang down to the island province of Hainan. Min Chinese spans across a broad range of Sinitic dialects, which are spoken mainly in Fujian and much of Taiwan. The Minnan language originated in Fujian province. He is told the incantation comes from a Minnan dialect, meaning: “Misfortune and blessing depend on one another, death and life lies in the name.” There is a twist, which I will not reveal for fear of spoiling it. His findings eventually lead him to a secluded monk practicing Tantric Buddhism in Yunnan - one of few who can translate the incantation. Ming (Kao Ying-hsuan ), Dodo’s caretaker from her brief stint in foster care, does some online digging to find the origins. She tells us that reciting this incantation will stop the curse from escalating in the moment. Throughout the movie, Ronan begs the audience to chant “Hou ho xiu yi, si sei wu ma” (as rendered in the English subtitles in Chinese, it is 火佛修一,心薩嘸哞). There is a clear disconnect from fact here, but the artistic choice to position and dress the Mother Buddha statues adds to the movie’s creepiness. In the film, Dahei is turned away from onlookers. In fact, traditionally Buddhist statues should face a door or window for clarity. There is no Tantric Buddhist practice of covering a deity’s face. (My deepest condolences for any viewers with trypophobia.) It isn’t until the end of the film that we the audience see the deity’s face. Ronan’s two friends unveil the face of Mother Buddha in a forbidden tunnel, and frightening chaos ensues. ![]() It’s implied that Dahei’s real power rests in her face - and if anyone removes the cloth and looks, they are destined for a gruesome death. In the film, statues of Dahei have her face covered with a cloth. This draws an eerie parallel to a subplot in the movie: Ronan visits a temple to seek help for her dying daughter Dodo, where a priest orders Dodo to not eat for seven days. ![]() Tradition says she died soon after giving birth to Buddha, returning to life after seven days. In Chinese, she is known as Móyé Fūrén 摩耶夫人. In India, Māyā, the Mother of Gautama Buddha, laid the foundations for the teachings of Buddhism. We see similar sacrifices in Incantation, where a young girl cuts off her ear to appease Dahei. In 2016, a woman cut off her tongue in worship of Kali in the hope that the goddess would fulfill her wishes. In ancient Brahmanism, a version of Dahei exists as “Kali.” There was a real-life case where a cult worshipper of Kali subjected herself to blood sacrifice. This ties back to a part of the film’s curse backstory: that misfortune and blessing are intertwined. Specifically, Daheitian was sent to share blessings among poor people. Instead, its inspiration likely comes from Tantric Buddhist figures Dàhēitiān 大黑天 and Dàhēinǚ 大黑女. This is a fictitious deity that isn’t present in any religious mythology. The curse and religion in Incantation revolve around the worship of Dàhēi Fúmǔ 大黑佛母. They become wrapped up in a local ritual, unknowingly binding themselves to Dahei Mother Buddha.ĭahei Mother Buddha statue (via Taipei Times) Ronan and her two friends visit a remote village practicing an extreme form of Buddhism. The movie is set around Ronan’s curse after she breaks a religious taboo while ghost-hunting in Yunnan province. By the end of the movie, you feel like you’ve been tricked. The protagonist, Ronan (Tsai Hsuan-yen ), leads the audience through mind exercises, directing chants to be spoken. Directed by Kevin Ko, the movie interacts with its viewers. Something feels different with Incantation. The ultimate consensus: not that scary, but still worth watching. The hashtag “Is Incantation scary?” (咒吓人吗 zhòu xiàrén ma) has garnered millions of views. Incantation also finds itself at the center of a debate on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Since its premiere in March, the movie has become the highest grossing Taiwanese horror film of all time, and Taiwan’s highest grossing film of 2022.
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