#are the 宇 from 宇宙 (universe)

[heymeowmao]

2023.12.17 - Modern Brother's Carnation Music Festival 3.0 - 撞地球 (Earth Collision) by Yu Er Qi [original: ♪♫]

有时我不想活了 但我觉得 该死的另有其人 Sometimes I don't want to live anymore, but then I think that there are others more deserving of death.

这世界扰扰纷纷 我还等着 体会每个清晨与夜深 The world is chaotic and noisy, but I'm still waiting to experience every early morning and late night.

金星木星水星火星土星和黑洞 什么时候撞地球 Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and black holes. When will the Earth collide?

把我厌恶的所有 变成闪耀的火球 照亮一整个宇宙 Take everything I loathe and turn it into a shining fireball, lighting up the whole universe.

小猫小狗煎饼果子亲人和朋友 爱我我爱的所有 Kittens, puppies, Chinese pancakes, loved ones, and friends. (Those who) Love me, and everything I love.

等到世界毁灭咯 我��着你们的手 一起去太空 When the world is destroyed, I'll take your hands, and we'll go to space together.

[yoga-onion]

Heart Sutra ~ A sutra that describes “The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom" (5) 

The Idea of “Prajnaparamita Hridhya Sutra” 

The five skandhas ~ “The Buddha's answer to Who am I?”          

While practising Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Avalokiteshvara understood that everything that exists in this world is composed of five elements that have no substance.  In other words, we name and give conceptual definitions to everything that exists, both in form and in formless. But since all these things are by their very nature insubstantial, all the names given to them and the concepts prescribed for them are merely fictions.

In Buddhism, it refers to the 5 elements that make up human existence. It also refers to the 5 ways of grasping human existence: form, perception, thought, action, and consciousness. The form (rupa) refers to the physical body as a material element. The perception (vedana) is the sensory perception of feelings, sensations, etc. The thought (samjna) is the perception of depictions, concepts, etc. The action (sanskara) is the general term for mental actions, especially will other than perception, thought, and awareness. The insight (vijnana) is the action of recognition, judgment or the subjective mind of perception. 

As they are the elements of the entire universe, constantly coming into being and dying, they have no substance, as they are eternally living and changing. This is one of the Buddhist doctrines.

The five aggregates or heaps of clinging are: 1) form (or material image, impression) (rupa) 2) sensations (or feelings, received from form) (vedana) 3) perceptions (samjna) 4) mental activity or formations or influences of a previous life (sanskara) 5) discernment (vijnana)

The five skandhas, which are the five skandhas accompanied by the five vexations, are also known as the pañcopādāna skandha.

The five skandhas (Pañcupādāna-kkhandhā) are the Buddha's answer to the question, “Who am I?

[Click here to continue]

般若心経 〜「智慧の完成」の精髄を述べる経典 (5)

『般若波羅蜜多心経 (梵: ﾌﾟﾗｼﾞｭﾅｰﾊﾟｰﾗﾐﾀｰ･ﾌﾘﾀﾞﾔ･ｽｰﾄﾗ) 』の思想 

五蓋 (ごうん) 〜 “「私とは何者か？」に対するブッダの答え”      

観自在菩薩は、般若波羅蜜多 (智慧の完成) を実践して���たときには、すべてこの世界に存在するものは、実体をもたない5つの要素から成り立っていることを理解していた。

つまり、形あるもの��形のないものすべての存在に対して、我々は名称をつけ、概念規定をしているが、それらすべてのものは本性上実体のないものであるから、それにつけた名称も規定された概念もみな虚構に過ぎないのである。

五蓋 (ごうん) とは人間存在を構成する要素のことをいう。また人間存在を把握する，色(しき)，受(じゅ)，想(そう)，行(ぎょう)，識(しき)の五つの方法をいう。色蘊は物質要素としての肉体。受蘊は感情，感覚などの感受作用。想蘊は表象，概念などの作用。行蘊は受・想・識以外の心作用の総称で，特に意志。識蘊は認識判断の作用または認識の主観的な心の作用である。また宇宙全体の構成要素ともされ，絶えず生滅変化するものなので，常住不変の実体はないとするのが，仏教の根本教説の一つ。

宇宙全体を構成する5要素は絶えず生滅変化し、常住不変の実体はない。

五蘊、つまり執着の5つの要素とは以下のとおり：

色：物質的存在や形あるもの (ﾙﾊﾟ)

受：感覚器官を通して得られる快、不快、中性的な感覚 (ｳｪｰﾀﾞﾅ)

想：感覚や認識によって形成されるイメージや概念 (ｻﾑｼﾞｬﾅ)

行：行動、意志、習慣、情動などを含む心の活動 (ｻﾝｽｶｰﾗ)

識：物事を認識し、それについて意識すること (ｳﾞｨｼﾞﾅｰﾅ)

五蘊（別称: 五取蘊）とは「私とは何者か」に対する釈迦の答えである。

（ここをクリックして次へ）

[moonbay1cn]

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

liulao animatic again

Here are the lyrics and their translation! The original song is "愿与愁" by Lin Junjie.

岁月在默数三四五六 第六天以后

Time silently counts three, four, five, six; after the sixth day

人们开始存在宇宙 黑夜和白昼

People begin to exist in the universe, night and day

呼吸第一口气的咽喉 最怕命运小偷

The throat of the first breath, most afraid of the thief of fate

坏和美好我用血肉 去感受

The bad and the beautiful, I feel with flesh and blood

问宿命是否 再多久 再持久 再永久

Ask fate if it will be how long, how enduring, how eternal

抵不了不朽

Cannot resist the ultimate immortality

恋人从挥手 到牵手 到放手 到挥手

Lovers from waving to holding hands, to letting go, to waving again

就该足够

Should be enough

对夜的长吼 我胸口 的伤口 随风陈旧

The long roar of the night, the wound in my chest, growing old with the wind

你我终会沦为尘埃漂流

You and I will eventually become drifting dust

等待花季烟雨稠

Waiting for the dense flower season rain

再化降水驻守

Then transform into rain to guard

属于你的愿与愁

Belonging to your wishes and sorrows

时间在倒数你在左右 多想踩碎沙漏

Time is counting down, you are by my side; how I wish to crush the hourglass

但能同时在同个宇宙 就不求滞留

But being in the same universe at the same time, I do not seek to stay

呼吸下一口气的预谋 终究会被没收

The conspiracy of the next breath will ultimately be confiscated

漫天风雪我陪你颤抖 我们别回头

Amidst the snowstorm, I shiver with you; let’s not look back

能爱多久 想多久 是多久 是永久

How long can love last, how long can thoughts remain, is it eternal

爱过就不朽

Love that has been experienced is immortal

那我不走 不分手 不放手 不挥手

Then I will not leave, not break up, not let go, not wave goodbye

十指紧扣

Fingers tightly intertwined

分岔路口 我伤口 贪与渴求

At the crossroads, my wound, greed, and yearning

渺小微弱像尘埃漂流

Tiny and weak like drifting dust

等待花季烟雨稠

Waiting for the dense flower season rain

再化降水驻守

Then transform into rain to guard

属于你的愿与愁

Belonging to your wishes and sorrows

分岔路口 我胸口 的伤口 贪与渴求

At the crossroads, the wound in my chest, greed, and yearning

渺小微弱像尘埃漂流

Tiny and weak like drifting dust

等待花季烟雨稠

Waiting for the dense flower season rain

再化降水驻守

Then transform into rain to guard

只为重逢的时候

Only for the time of reunion

[purplealmonds]

Preview of New Lore Document (And my own extrapolations on it!)👀

To be discussed at length in yet another Youtube interview Director Nakamura and producer Shoji to be released this Saturday!

Transcript and Google auto translations of the doc, as well as my thoughts are below the cut. @sarahwatchesthings This might be an interesting one for you to sink your teeth into!

📜Transcript

-怪 続編アイデアメモー 3) 蒐我の峰(しゅうがのみね) 【全ての物が、産まれてくる座、全てのものが還るべき座 古代よりさまざまな宗教によって、「神」とあらわされる根源の座 全知がそこにはあり、あまたの聖人たちが「瞑想」などによって「写し世」にいながらにして触れよう、近 づこうとした物、そのもの。 「 心理学者のユングが言うところの「集合的無意識」であり、預言者たちがアクセスする「アカシックレコー ド」であり、仏教でいう彼岸の知恵 「般若」(はんにゃ)ともいわれています。 時間」もたたみ込まれているため、宇宙の始まりから終焉まで、全てがそこにはあります。 「蒐我」を知るということが、人間にとっての「悟り」であり、仏教でいう「明心見性」(みょうしんけん しょう)と同じ意味を成します。 そこには、写し世との距離(実際には距離というものは存在しないが、便宜上わかりやすくそう言われてい )をはかる深さの概念があり、一業目、二業目(いちごうめ、にごうめ)と数えられます。 数が増えるほど、深く業に沈んでいる事となり、人間でいえば、深く死んでいる、より偏在化している状態 となります(正常な状態)。 人は、死を迎えると、ゆっくりと蒐我へと沈んでいく旅にでるのです。

📝Translation

Kai Sequel Idea Memo 3) The Peak of the Collected Self [The seat from which all things are born, the seat to which all things return. The seat of the origin, which has been expressed as "God" by various religions since ancient times. Omniscience resides there, and it is the very thing that many saints have tried to touch and approach while living in the "duplicate world" through "meditation" and other practices. It is what psychologist Jung calls the "collective unconscious," the "Akashic Records" that prophets access, and is also called "Hannya," the wisdom of the other shore in Buddhism. Time is also folded in, so everything from the beginning to the end of the universe is there. Knowing "the self" is "enlightenment" for humans, and has the same meaning as "clearing one's mind and seeing one's true nature" in Buddhism. There is a concept of depth that measures the distance from the world of reflection (in reality there is no such thing as distance, but it is referred to as such for convenience and clarity), and it is counted as the first karma, the second karma (ichigoume, nigoume). The more the number, the deeper one is sunk into karma, which would be like being deeply dead and in a more decentralized state in human terms (the normal state). When a person approaches death, they embark on a journey that slowly sinks them into the self.

🧠My Thoughts

So we finally get some much-needed context as what this realm of Shuuga (蒐我) is like. As a refresher, the previously published lore document says that the medicine seller's headquarters, called the Jyu-Yoku (じゅうよく) resides unevenly between the human world and this Shuuga in a state of perpetual non-existence and existence– Schrödinger's cat is a rather apt metaphor for it.

Based on my (rather sleep deprived) ramblings about the Asian philosophy of the universe which the hexagram paradigm resides in, I believe that Shuuga is part of the broader realm of Mukyoku (無極) which is the primordial zero which all of existence originates from.

From here, I form another hypothesis. Kusuriuri stated in the Umibozu arc that he fears is (according to fan subtitles) "the knowledge that the edge of this world exists without Form, Truth, or Regret." Whether that describes the Shuuga or Mukyoku, I believe this may be a reason why he may be reluctant to make trips to the Jyu-Yoku headquarters.

His journeys in the human world are always driven by the pursuit of knowledge to purify Mononoke from that realm. In a place like Shuuga, where all of existence and non existence and time coalesce into pure omniscience, his purpose for existing, and thus his physical form, would be utterly eradicated.

So he is very human in that he wants to keep his individuality and not become just one small drop in the collective unconsciousness and/or hivemind that I'm beginning to think the Jyu-Yoku "headquarters" is a manifestation of.

There are probably hundreds of other entities similar to medicine sellers residing there, but only the ones who earn the right to wield one of the 64 exorcism swords have the privilege of getting personhood and freedom to roam the mortal realm.

But even then, only a handful of these swords are "on duty" at a time depending on the state of the world. I bet becoming a wielder of one of the 8 the powerful trigram swords is a much coveted position, because they are the most likely weapons to be deployed into the human world, and thus the key to freedom from the Jyu-Yoku.

In the transformation sequences, we see Hyper and Kusu exist in a strange pocket dimension between the grounded human world and fantastical mononoke domain. Thus, I believe the key to entering and exiting the Jyu-Yoku's liminal space is the exorcism sword (though I imagine clever entities that know what to look for can become a stowaways/hitchhikers in the brief window of time when that gateway's opened).

Thus, the existence of all medicine sellers is rather contradictory. While they seek knowledge to eradicate mononoke from the world, their existence in the human realm simultaneously confirms that they are actively running away from an enlightenment which they can easily access should they return to Jyu-Yoku.

This level of enlightenment is embodied by the exorcism sword - how else can it know when to clank its teeth when a medicine seller correctly deduces a Form, Truth, or Regret?

Medicine sellers are the walking embodiments of the individual valuing their sense of self over the more efficient collective. Why else would you do something as impractical as picking off one mononoke at a time, when you can effectively exorcise the lot of them from Jyu-Yoku?

Let's consider this from a different perspective. In the Jyu-Yoku, I imagine it is all-too-easy to fall into the trap of looking at the "bigger picture" and let the "lesser" issues of insignificant individuals fall on the wayside.

Those who become medicine sellers feel compassion for the entities that fall below the notice of the Jyu-Yoku. Although there are much bigger forces at play in the universe, these "trivial" pockets of suffering, left unchecked, can grow into something much more dangerous: mononoke.

If the entire universe is represented by the human body, the Jyu-Yoku could be considered the immune system. It works with the intricate internal workings of the body which goes through the endless cycle of cell death and regeneration. In theory, it should be self-sustaining.

The medicine sellers, by comparison, are quite literally that: the peddlers of medicine that the body consumes or uses to expedite the healing of superficial injuries or illnesses that with time, the Jyu-Yoku could have eventually taken care of.

Or perhaps a better metaphor for the Medicine Seller is vaccines - they collect knowledge of the pathogens (the mononoke) which are rendered mostly inert (purification via exorcism sword) to train the body (Jyu-Yoku) how to better combat it. And like vaccination development in the real world, it's a never ending task ensuring that it is capable combating the evolving sicknesses of the world.

Anyways, thank you for attending yet another one of my Mononoke TED talks!

[maodun]

they dont even know about 词

Mandarin has 22 initials, 36 finals, and 5 tones. This means there are 3960 phonetically (and tonetically) distinct words. But the List Of Commonly Used Chinese Characters lists 8,105 different characters (most of which are distinct words) in common use. This means that the majority of mandarin words are homophones. That sounds somewhat annoying to deal with

It would be if your assertion that they're mostly distinct words were true, but semantically and practically, in Mandarin, it is Far from being so. Except for verbs almost all words in Mandarin are 2 characters precisely for this reason; sinitic languages that have lost fewer of the phonemes of middle Chinese, such as Cantonese, have more monosyllabic words but even then not many. Most newly coined words in literary Chinese beginning in the mid-Zhou dynasty have been multi-syllabic, multi-character words. In modern parlance, especially in Mandarin, the notion of 1 character=1 word is only salient in recitation of classical poetry

[yetiwang2000]

Vrelnir's QA about Bailey & Eden

2024.6.30

We loved the recent Great Hawk pregnancy update! Might Eden's pregnancy storyline involve taking their child from the orphanage?

我们都很喜欢最近的巨鹰怀孕更新！伊甸的怀孕剧情有可能饱含他们从孤儿院带走自己的孩子吗？

I'm glad you loved it! Eden would indeed prefer for their child to remain in the cabin.

我很高兴你喜欢！伊甸确实更偏好他们的孩子留在小屋里。

Since the PC was sold to Eden and Bailey doesn't come to collect debts, this might hint at a unique relationship between Eden and Bailey. Might Eden's pregnancy storyline involve Bailey, possibly with Eden taking their child from the orphanage?

考虑到 PC 被卖到伊甸小屋，贝利不会上门收债，这可能暗示着伊甸和贝利之间特殊的关系。伊甸的怀孕剧情可能会涉及到贝利吗？或许是在伊甸从孤儿院带走他们的孩子的时候？

Aye.

可能会的。

If the PC and Eden's child is placed in the orphanage, would Bailey give special attention to Eden's child or prefer not to be noticed?

假如 PC 和伊甸的孩子暂时放在孤儿院里养育，贝利会给伊甸的孩子特殊关照吗？还是倾向于不被其他人发现？

Bailey would give special attention, though they wouldn't plan to.

贝利会给予特殊照顾，尽管他们并不打算（并没有计划）这样做。

Might PC discover the special connection between Bailey and Eden in future updates, uncovering Bailey's hidden past?

在未来的更新中， PC 有可能发掘伊甸和贝利的特殊联系，揭开贝利不为人知的过去吗？

Aye.

有可能。

You mentioned Bailey and Eden once went fishing together, and Bailey is better at it. If Bailey caught several big fish that day while Eden caught none, how would they react?

你说过贝利和伊甸曾经一起钓鱼，贝利的钓鱼水平更好。假如那一天贝利钓到了几条大鱼，而伊甸空手而归，他们会有什么反应？

Eden would be envious.

伊甸会感到嫉妒。

Bailey's Christmas gift is so mysterious! They're almost not close to anyone. Who sent it? I've been wondering for so long! Bailey examined it like they were trying to recognize the handwriting. Is it from someone they know, or can we learn more about it?

贝利的圣诞礼物太神秘了！他们几乎跟任何人关系都不太亲近。谁送的？我真的思考了好久！贝利检查礼物就好像他们试图认出笔迹。礼物是贝利认识的人送的吗？我们能知道更多吗？

I shan't say!

我不能说！

In Eden and PC's Christmas event, Eden brought out a bottle of whiskey. If they truly didn't know it was Christmas (which I doubt), how did they have whiskey ready? Did Eden buy it in town, or did someone else give it to them?

在 PC 和伊甸的圣诞事件中，伊甸拿出了一瓶威士忌。如果他们真的不知道那天是圣诞节（我很怀疑），为什么他们早就准备好了威士忌？伊甸在小镇上买的，还是别人送的？

Eden bought it in town to save for a special occasion.

伊甸在小镇上买地，以备不时之需。

Would female Bailey breastfeed her child (assuming she accidentally has one), or ask someone else to help?

女性贝利会母乳喂养自己的孩子吗（假设她意外生下孩子）？或者​叫其他人帮忙？

Female Bailey would prefer someone else to help.

女性贝利会更喜欢别人来帮忙。

You once said female Bailey wears perfume. What scent does she like?

你曾经说过女贝利会喷香水。她喜欢喷什么气味的香水？

I fear I don't know enough about perfume to have a good answer!

我恐怕我对于香水知道的不够多，��能很好地回答这个！

What animals does Bailey's crush think Bailey and Eden resemble?

贝利的暗恋对象认为贝利和伊甸分别像什么动物？

Wolves.

狼。

What animal does Eden think Bailey's crush resembles? What animal does Bailey think Bailey's crush resembles?

伊甸认为贝利的暗恋对象像什么动物？贝利认为贝利的暗恋对象像什么动物？

Eden thinks Bailey's crush resembles a mouse. Bailey thinks they resemble a robin.

伊甸认为贝利的暗恋对象像老鼠。贝利认为自己的暗恋对象像一只知更鸟。

What animals do Bailey and Eden think each other resemble?

贝利和伊甸认为彼此像什么动物？

Wolves.

狼。

What animal does Bailey think they resemble? What animal does Eden think they resemble?

贝利认为自己像什么动物？伊甸认为自己像什么动物？

Bailey thinks they resemble a snake. Eden thinks they resemble a bear.

贝利觉得自己像一条蛇。伊甸觉得自己像一头熊。

How would Eden judge Bailey's morality?

伊甸会怎样评价贝利的道德？

They'd judge it as flawed.

他们认为贝利的道德有缺陷。

In a parallel universe—just fantasy, not in the canon—if Bailey and Eden had sex, would Bailey prefer topping Eden or letting Eden top them?

假如有一个平行宇宙，我是说假如，不是原作，只是一个平行世界…贝利和伊甸做爱，贝利更倾向于自己做伊甸的攻，还是做伊甸的受？

Bailey would prefer topping.

贝利会想要做攻。

[melliae]

Regarding the last Arcana in Persona 3

For those that are curious, this post serves as a clarification on the somewhat misunderstood final battle and all that happened in there… as well as a revision of the atrociously written imgur I created some years ago. It also contains some minor spoilers from other gamers, but hopefully nothing major.

Now, with that said, let’s begin with the first mention of the Universe in P3: Edogawa’s explanation of the major arcanas.

“この“愚者”から始まり“宇宙”で終わる22枚の大アルカナは... 番号順に一つの連続した物語になっていて、 それ自身が人間の成長過程を表しています。人間の苦難や、変節、成功... 文字通り、 人生の線図があります。カードがそれぞれ、人が人になるため、必要な要素をあらわしてんですねえ。大事ですから、22枚のカードを一つ一つ見てみましょうか。 [...] そして最後の“宇宙”。やがてたどりつく、あなた自身の場所です。”

“Beginning with the 'Fool' and ending with the “Universe”, the 22 major arcanas are one continuous story in numerical order, which itself represents the process of human development. The hardships, betrayals and successes of humans… Literally, they are a diagram of life. Each card represents the necessary elements for a person to become an individual. Since they’re that important, let's look at each of the 22 cards, shall we? [...] At last, it’s the Universe. It’s your own place that you’ll eventually reach.”

As you can see, the explanation in japanese is somewhat different from the one we got in the english version of both FES and Portable:

“Beginning with "The Fool" and ending with "The World"... they tell a story in numerical order that is a metaphor of an individual's journey through life. Each Major Arcana represents a stage on that journey... an experience that the individual must incorporate to realize his oneness. They are all important, so let's take a look at each of the 22 cards, one by one. [...] The final card is The World, which represents the individual's full awareness of his place in the world.”

Though, despite being worded differently, both explanations refer to the same fundamental process: the journey of individuation. This concept belongs to the branch of psychology founded by Carl Jung, analytical psychology, from which almost all ideas of the series come from (i.e., Shadow, Persona, Demons, etc. I recommend watching Edogawa’s extras on P4G), and it's defined as the “development of consciousness out of the original state of identity”, integrating the contents of the personal and collective unconscious with the goal of attaining psychological healing and unity, thus achieving or at least getting close to the archetype known as the Self, which is nothing but the totality of the psychic contents and processes of an individual – everything.

It’s no brainer to compare such process with the Fool’s journey used in the modern trilogy, with several of Jung’s students and scholars establishing the relation:

“Like paintings, these Trumps are so-called projections holders, meaning simply that they are hooks to catch the imagination. Speaking psychologically, projection is an unconscious, autonomous process whereby we first see in the persons, objects, and happenings in our environments those tendencies, characteristics, potentials and shortcomings that really belong to us. We people the exterior world with the witches and princesses, devils and heroes of the drama buried in our own depths.” - Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey, Sallie Nichols.

Such is one example, and there are many more if you look at the section of literature regarding Jung’s theory and tarot, which fits wonderfully with the japanese explanation. However, the english one isn’t wrong by any means, since such a description still fits with how Jung explained the process of individuation:

“The unio mentalis, then, in psychological as well as in alchemical language, means knowledge of oneself. In contradistinction to the modern prejudice that self-knowledge is nothing but a knowledge of the ego, the alchemists regarded the self as a substance incommensurable with the ego, hidden in the body, and identical with the image of God. This view fully accords with the Indian idea of purusha-atman. The psychic preparation of the magisterium as described by Dorn is therefore an attempt, uninfluenced by the East, to bring about a union of opposites in accordance with the great Eastern philosophies, and to establish for this purpose a principle freed from the opposites and similar to the atman or tao. Dorn called this the substantia coelestis, which today we would describe as a transcendental principle. This “unum” is nirdvandva (free from the opposites), like the atman (self).” - Mysterium Coniunctionis

The process of individuation, due to its integration of the collective unconscious or collective memory of all life, it’s equal to the mythological process of cosmic union or henosis: becoming one with the cosmos’ underlying nature. This means the Universe, as the end point of the Fool’s journey, is the embodiment of the universe as a whole, which is referenced in-game

“Hmm... I see nothing in you... It seems you no longer need your fortune told... All potentials are within you... You can go anywhere, become anything... The universe is within you... And you are within the universe... You and the universe are one and the same... That is my belief…” - Fortune Teller, P3

It’s important to note the same Fortune Teller, in a previous prediction, also identified the World as an equivalent to the Universe, meaning the english translation isn’t entirely wrong (and that all I’ve written applies to the World too). Furthermore, we have this explanation on Edogawa’s part:

“Now, one of the most important ideas of Kabbalah is the Tree of Life, formed of the ten Sefirot. Most illustrations depict it as a chart shaped like a tree. The 10 stages represented by the Sefirot… and the 22 paths connecting them represent the stages of Creation God formed from his own self, as well as the direction in which humanity should evolve. Where did we come from? Where are we going? These answers lie in the Sefirot. [...] By the way, did you all notice that I said there were 22 paths? Yes, that's right. The same number as the Major Arcana I spoke about earlier.”

The tree of life is one of the most common symbols of western (and jewish) mysticism, commonly syncretized with the 22 major arcanas to create a sort of system that allows people to rejoin the ineffable godhead – called Ein Sof (funnily enough) – at the root of everything. That’s to say, it’s another symbol of individuation, with even Jung interpreting the tree itself, with no connection to tarot, as such:

“The figure of Tifereth belongs to the Sefiroth system, which is conceived to be a tree. Tifereth occupies the middle position. Adam Kadmon is either the whole tree or is thought of as the mediator between the supreme authority, En Soph, and the Sefiroth. The black Shulamite in our text corresponds to Malchuth as a widow, who awaits union with Tifereth and hence the restoration of the original wholeness. [...] In the Cabalistic view Adam Kadmon is not merely the universal soul or, psychologically, the “self,” but is himself the process of transformation, its division into three or four parts (trimeria or tetrameria).” - Mysterium Coniunctionis.

This means that, in jungian terms, the tree of life (which is equal to the archetypal man in jewish esoteric thought) is both a symbol of the process and of the result at the same time, strengthening the cosmic and personal nature of the major arcanas within the series, being symbols of the individual soul’s journey and of aspects of the world at large. Naturally, the Universe, as the culmination and integration of all arcanas, is nothing but the very own archetypal tree and man embodied, the potentiality of life realized as Aleister Crowley described it, the founder of Thelema and creator of the Thoth Tarot from where the Universe comes:

“In the card itself there is consequently a glyph of the completion of the Great Work in its highest sense, exactly as the Atu of the Fool symbolizes its beginning. The Fool is the negative issuing into manifestation; the Universe is that manifestation, its purpose accomplished, ready to return. The twenty cards that lie between these two exhibit the Great Work and its agents in various stages. The image of the Universe in this sense is accordingly that of a maiden, the final letter of Tetragrammaton.” - Book of Thoth.

As the final arcana, the Universe is also the end of existence and its meaning. It’s the full realization of the primordial nothingness that the Ein Sof is, not through being anything in particular but through being everything that has existed and exists, thus truly being nothing. Naturally, this aspect of the Universe is also referenced in P3, though in the movies this time:

“You have acquired the answer, I presume? [...] Right now, you just might arrive at the Answer to Life. [...] Are you aware? An arcana is an entity that reveals one’s entire life. Those who have taken possession of them, and said to have truly lived, are able to arrive at the Answer.” - Elizabeth

It’s very obvious the answer that Makoto and Kotone arrived at is the meaning of life and existence itself, of the unconscious godhead that created the world (i.e., the arcanas and humanity) from its essence. Such an understanding can only be born from the full integration of the archetypes that compose the universe (i.e., the human experience), which means becoming one with it – the individual soul merging with the anima mundi.

“As a result of the complete detachment of all affective ties to the object, there is necessarily formed in the inner self an equivalent of objective reality, or a complete identity of inside and outside, which is technically described as tat tvam asi (that art thou). The fusion of the self with its relations to the object produces the identity of the self (atman) with the essence of the world (i.e., with the relations of subject to object).” - Psychological Types.

This is also mentioned by Igor during the Universe’s scene, though it was mistranslated as “space” when the original was “宇宙”, which was used by Edogawa to refer to the thelemite Universe. In that scene, Igor also described the card as “全ての始まりの力であり、そして、全てを終える力でもあります”, or “the power of the beginning of all, and the power the will end it all”, referencing the nature of the Universe as the embodiment of the ineffable creator and its final realization – the union of opposites that characterizes the Self.

“The archetype of the self has, functionally, the significance of a ruler of the inner world, i.e., of the collective unconscious. The self, as a symbol of wholeness, is a coincidentia oppositorum, and therefore contains light and darkness simultaneously.” - Symbols of Transformation.

“When it represents a complexio oppositorum, a union of opposites, it can also appear as a united duality, [...] Empirically, therefore, the self appears as a play of light and shadow, although conceived as a totality and unity in which the opposites are united” - Psychological Types

“Hmm... I feel a strange aura around you... In my mind, I see visions... People's past, present, and future... For most people, I see clearly, and far ahead... But you are different... Your future is filled with both blinding light and stagnant shadow... I can see but a small portion... What lies beyond that is shrouded in mystery.” - Fortune Teller, P3

By nature then, the power of the Universe may not necessarily refer to only the physical one, but to its psychological analogous as well: the collective unconscious. This is supported by Elizabeth’s route in Arena, where the japanese version refers to the collective unconscious as “内なる宇宙” or “inner universe”, a term both used in the P3 Club Book, in the protagonist’s profile, and in the very own description of the Great Seal: “内なる宇宙を開放し、死の母星ニュクスを封印する力” (“Release the inner universe, the power to seal the mother planet of Death, Nyx”).

However, calling the collective unconscious an “(inner) universe” isn’t exclusive to P3, because P2 did it as well. Firstly, the party in IS collectively confused the Sea with “宇宙” in the japanese version (I wouldn’t say it’s mistranslated in english however, just that the nuance is lost), and then Virochana came in Tatsuya’s Scenario saying the following:

“Thy reflection on the water’s surface: that is thy Brahman, the truth of the universe, which is in turn thine Atman. Thou thyself art the universe, and thine self is itself the light that illuminates the soul.”

Due to his nature as an archetype, Virochana is speaking purely symbolically here, referencing only a psychological reality and not a physical one, and since Jung understood the Atman and Brahman as symbols of the Self, further explanation is not needed. And by that matter, the following section, the one with the archetype of Buddha, doesn’t contradict that conclusion, since Jung also acknowledges buddhahood as another symbol of the Self.

“Hence in its scientific usage the term “self” refers neither to Christ nor to the Buddha but to the totality of the figures that are its equivalent, and each of these figures is a symbol of the self.” - Psychology and Alchemy.

And I don’t think I’ve to delve into Philemon’s whole schtick about humanity understanding its “purpose” or, in japanese, “存在意義” – the “meaning of [its] existence”. Tatsuya’s Scenario doubles down on that, with Philemon’s avatar, Nodens, literally saying humanity should try to understand the meaning of why life exists, with the option of denying the meaning of life giving you Death cards. The writers aren’t really that subtle in trying to say Makoto’s/Kotone’s “answer to life” is the “meaning of existence” stated by Philemon.

So all in all, this means the Universe is the collective unconscious itself. Not a fragment of it, or just holding a part of its power, but ALL of it. And at the same time, it’s also the full realization of it, the dispersal of all unconsciousness and primitiveness into an harmonic whole that knows itself, equal in every sense to the incarnation and realization of the Ein Sof within the tree of life. It’s the archetype of all humanity (i.e., the source of the previously mentioned Adam Kadmon) and life, their potentiality and meaning, their purpose.

“Not only do things appear personified as human beings, but the macrocosm personifies itself as a man too. ‘The whole of nature converges in man as in a centre, and one participates in the other, and man has not unjustly concluded that the material of the philosophical stone may be found everywhere.’”- Alchemical Studies

“This place called Kadath Mandala is constructed in the shape of a hexagram, containing an older pentagram emblem. The hexagram represents the vast macrocosm of space and the pentagram is a symbol of the microcosm known as humanity.” - Cat Lieutenant General Zula, Gone Without Trace, Tatsuya’s Scenario.

That’s why Igor was so surprised at someone achieving the Universe. That’s why he said that “nothing is beyond your reach”. Because the Universe is the “godhead”, the collective and unconscious soul of life, finally realized. The manifestation of what once created a future out of a certain death… out of what can be better described as the primordial nothingness that precedes creation

“I see nothing... No... What I see is nothingness... It is the void... But do not lose heart... Emptiness is not necessarily the end... The void is infinite... As is the universe... Whether this marks an end to all things, or a beginning... It is in your hands…” – Fortune Teller, P3

If the Universe is the full realization of life and the collective unconscious, then “Nyx” can be understood as its origin, as pure unconsciousness, neither stagnant nor chaotic, but both at the same time. Such universality is actually supported by the developers themselves, with Soejiro even stating the following in regards to Tartarus:

“This was drawn with the notion that the higher you climb in Tartarus, the deeper you delve into the subconscious. It also reflects the fact that Tartarus and the Shadows are one in the same since they both represent the human psyche.” - Art of Persona 3

And it’s important to keep in mind Tartarus has seven blocks: Thebel, Arqa, Yabbashah, Tziah, Harabah, Adamah… and Eretz, its rooftop. Each name is derived from one of the seven earths Adam wandered after being expelled from the Garden according to jewish folklore, meaning each block represents a more primitive and ancient layer of the unconscious until the origin of humanity, the Garden of Eden, beyond Eretz is reached... Beyond the first earth and upmost floor of Tartarus, within Nyx’s own body. And I genuinely don’t think I’ve to explain the significance of the Star Eater’s core being a golden egg in this context, when such an object is common through a majority of creation myths.

Even more, returning to the tree of life, we have to look at the P3 x P4 World Analyze (transcriptions kindly uploaded by Elle-P), which states that every block of Tartarus also symbolizes the different sephirot of the tree, with the whole tower representing the body of the godhead being hanged upside-down. In particular, Eretz is said to represent Binah, Chokmah and Kether, the three highest sephirot, meaning that Nyx’s body exists beyond the tree of life itself, and only the Ein Sof exists beyond it…

(Well, the Ain and Ain Soph Aur exist beyond as well, but they aren’t that important)

Now, I could go on about the symbolism of Nyx and the protagonists, but that would only keep supporting what I’ve written so far, that the Star Eater may indeed be the most primitive, oldest form of the collective unconscious, being the anima mundi or “light” that shattered at the beginning of time to allow the creation of the universe (i.e., life and consciousness). “She” is the Sophia turned into demiurge that must be rescued by its own creation – by itself.

Then, the final confrontation between the protagonists and Nyx isn’t only for the sake of present life, but also for all that has existed previously and its legacy, even Nyx itself. It’s the affirmation of life’s meaning and purpose against what once was and wishes to return to… and what must be ultimately confronted. It’s both the separation from everything that has happened, and its acceptance and forgiveness. That’s why the Universe can’t really go against Nyx, because they are the same, and thus the arcana must accept it.

In a certain way, it would explain the protagonists’ sacrifices and improve even more their development: after a life of repressing (and likely yearning for many things), when they confront what essentially is what everyone yearns for at some level… they let it go. They let themselves be filled by everyone’s wishes and hopes, and finally understand their relation to all of it, their value and meaning. They understand what they have in front of them and what it wishes for, and they accept it as well, for that’s what they are too - it’s a complete mirror for them and all of humanity.

The protagonists understand everything and how it bonds with itself - they understand themselves.

[keingakobold]

look up / reach down

一世遨人間 一世晚天漆 市燈光燦爛 僅關注每日

悠遠眨一眼 雲端暫稀幼 瞬間瞰無限 瞬間近宇宙

[a lifetime wandering the mundane a lifetime of empty night skies the harsh urban glow ordains your focus on an everyday guise

a glimpse at a distance tremendous through a break in the clouds you peer for a moment - a peek at the endless for a moment - the universe draws near]

(got melancholy/inspired by seeing a starry night sky on a transcontinental flight)

(also bonus points if you can ID all the buildings/cities they're from!)

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪ -QUARTET NIGHT Ver.- (Lyrics + Translation)

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

Kanji:

【All】 歌で一つになる世界が

プリンスのLOVEなのさ

時代、世代越えちゃってさ

キスの答えLet's探しに行こう

(Forever)

PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【Ra】 「ついてきてくれてる」って

【Rj】 ごめん…わかっているのにね

【Ai】 不器用なボクらはいつだって

【Ca】 「信じてついてこい」しかない

【Rj・Ai】 「ありがとう」なんかでは　らしくないから

背中を合わせてる4人でいたい

【Ra・Ca】 誰一人見たことない景色の先の

未来の光

【All】 絶対魅せると誓わせて

I want you to be part of my life

【All】 歌で一つになる奇跡-QUARTET NIGHT-

この声で教えよう

黙って恋をすればいい

大人のMusic感じたいのならば

(Kiss me)

PRI LOVE UNIVERSE

【Ra・Ai】 この現在(しゅんかん)は二度と

【Rj・Ca】 ないからこそ大事に

【Ra・Ai】 この想い

【Rj・Ca】 この想い

【Ra・Ai】 この願い

【Rj・Ca】 この願い

【Ra・Ai】 君と

【Rj・Ca】 君と

【Ra・Ai】 ぎゅっと

【All】 抱きしめながら

「ずーーっと愛してる」

【All】 そしてこのLOVEは

重力なんて引きちぎって☆(スター)に

キラキラと輝くんだ

銀河のような夢に

さあLet's 'SONG'

【All】 歌で一つになる世界が

プリンスのLOVEなのさ

地球、宇宙超えちゃってさ

キスの答えまた探して

【Rj・Ca】 PRI☆LOVE

【Ra・Ai】 ∞UNIVERSE♪

【Rj・Ca】 みんな歌おう

【Ra・Ai】 音を楽しく

【All】 PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【All】 Lalala...

Rōmaji:

【All】 Uta de hitotsu ni naru sekai ga

Purinsu no LOVE na no sa

Jidai, sedai koe chatte sa

Kisu no kotae Let’s sagashi ni ikou

(Forever)

PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【Ra】 “Tsuitekite kureteru” tte

【Rj】 Gomen… wakatte iru no ni ne

【Ai】 Bukiyō na bokura wa itsu datte

【Ca】 “Shinjite tsuite koi” shika nai

【Rj・Ai】 “Arigatō” nanka de wa rashikunai kara

Senaka o awase teru yon’nin de itai

【Ra・Ca】 Dare hitori mita koto nai keshiki no saki no

Mirai no hikari

【All】 Zettai miseru to chikawasete

I want you to be part of my life

【All】 Uta de hitotsu ni naru -karunai-

Kono koe de oshieyou

Damatte koi o sureba ī

Otona no myūjikku kanjitai no naraba

(Kiss me)

PRI LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【Ra・Ai】 Kono shunkan wa nidoto

【Rj・Ca】 Nai kara koso daiji ni

【Ra・Ai】 Kono omoi

【Rj・Ca】 Kono omoi

【Ra・Ai】 Kono negai

【Rj・Ca】 Kono negai

【Ra・Ai】 Kimi to

【Rj・Ca】 Kimi to

【Ra・Ai】 Gyutto

【All】 Dakishime nagara

“Zutto aishiteru”

【All】 Soshite kono LOVE wa

Jūryoku nante hikichigitte sutā ni

Kirakira to kagayaku nda

Ginga no yōna yume ni

Sā Let’s ‘SONG’

【All】 Uta de hitotsu ni naru sekai ga

Purinsu no LOVE na no sa

Chikyū, uchū koe chatte sa

Kisu no kotae mata sagashite

【Rj・Ca】 PRI☆LOVE

【Ra・Ai】 ∞UNIVERSE♪

【Rj・Ca】 Min'na utaou

【Ra・Ai】 Oto o tanoshiku

【All】 PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【All】 Lalala...

Translation:

【All】 A world united through song

That is a Prince’s love

It transcends eras and generations

Let’s go find the answer to this kiss

(Forever)

PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【Ra】 We’re sorry that even though

【Rj】 You’ve been following us,

【Ai】 We're clumsy and all we can say is

【Ca】 “Trust us and follow us”

【Rj・Ai】 A “thank you” doesn’t feel quite right

So we want to stand back to back

【Ra・Ca】 And promise to show you the

Light of the future

【All】 Beyond a scenery nobody has seen before

I want you to be part of my life

【All】 A miracle united through song

We’ll teach you about it with our voices

Just be quiet and fall in love

If you want to feel the music of adults

(Kiss me)

PRI LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【Ra・Ai】 This moment will never happen again

【Rj・Ca】 So let’s cherish it

【Ra・Ai】 This feeling

【Rj・Ca】 This feeling

【Ra・Ai】 This wish

【Rj・Ca】 This wish

【Ra・Ai】 With you

【Rj・Ca】 With you

【Ra・Ai】 While

【All】 Holding each other tight

“I will always love you”

【All】 And this LOVE

Will break away from gravity and

Sparkle in the stars

In a dream that resembles a galaxy

Come on, Let’s ‘SONG’

【All】 A world united through song

That is a Prince’s love

It transcends the Earth and the universe

Let’s search for the answer to the kiss again

【Rj・Ca】 PRI☆LOVE

【Ra・Ai】 ∞UNIVERSE♪

【Rj・Ca】 Let’s all sing

【Ra・Ai】 Enjoy the sound

【All】 PRI☆LOVE∞UNIVERSE♪

【All】 Lalala...

[luyi]

"站在人间烟火里，眺望宇宙苍穹/Among people's ordinary lives, gazing from afar at the firmament of the universe" - Yu Hewei, talking about Three-Body at the Gala of High-Quality-Product in Radio and Television of China, 2024/10/11

"守人间烟火，望宇宙阑珊/By the side of people's ordinary lives, gazing at the waning of the universe" - Zhang Luyi, from his three handwritten letters to say goodbye to Three-Body, 2023/02/14

Bear with my uncultured translation, but you should still get the idea. Cnetizens are pretty sure that YHW referred to the famous ending line from one of ZLY's letters.

Lol @ whatever mysterious force in the universe that's preventing them from promoting/representing Three-Body together. It was even funnier this time since they both went to the same event, but on different days. That's why I have photos of both of them, but to be fair, ZLY went for a different drama. However, I won't complain too much considering the spinoff show is going to start shooting in about half a year.

[treasuremoon25]

The Curious Case of 'Ninjaboys: Quest for the Cosmic Front'

Note: I’m not an industry insider. Some of the information is purely speculative and may not be fully accurate to what goes on behind closed doors, since specific licensing and distribution information isn't made public.

On February 11, 2016, a collaboration spin-off series between Nintama Rantaro and Cosmic Front NEXT, entitled Nintama Rantaro no Uchuu Daibouken with Cosmic Front NEXT (忍たま乱太郎の宇宙大冒険 with コズミックフロント☆NEXT, "Nintama Rantaro's Great Space Adventure with Cosmic Front NEXT"), premiered on NHK General TV in Japan with the episode, “Taiyoukei no Otomodachi no Dan” (太陽系のお友だちの段, “The ‘Friends in the Solar System’ Stage”). New episodes air sporadically with the latest one, "Hayabusa 2 Shouwakusei de Mission! No Dan" (はやぶさ2 小惑星でミッション！の段, "The 'Hayabusa 2 Asteroid Mission!' Stage), on NHK Educational TV on March 18, 2020. The series consists of self-contained episodes centered around the main characters of Nintama (Rantaro, Kirimaru, and Shinbei) learning about space through strange and colorful characters, such as the Moon Rabbit. 

Nintama Rantaro is a kids and family ninja comedy anime that has aired on NHK since April 1993. Based on the Rakudai Ninja Rantaro manga by Soubei Amako, it's about an ensemble cast of ninjas at the Ninjutsu Academy. Rantaro, the bespectacled protagonist and audience surrogate, is a 10-year-old boy who attends the school to become an elite ninja like his parents. He is mainly joined by money-hungry Kirimaru and gluttonous Shinbei in misadventures around the school and occasional outside missions. 

Cosmic Front NEXT is a scientific series dealing with the topics of space, astronomy, debunking myths, and answering questions related to the galaxy. Running on NHK from 2015 to 2020, it's a revamp of Cosmic Front ~Hakken! Kyoui no Daiuchuu! (コズミック　フロント～発見！驚異の大宇宙, "Cosmic Front ~Discover the Amazing Universe!") which ran from 2011 to 2014.

On July 17, 2017, Anime News Network reported that William Winckler Productions had recorded 2 English-dubbed pilot episodes of the spin-off, under the new title, Ninjaboys: Quest for the Cosmic Front. “Ninjaboys” comes from the regular series’ official English title, Ninjaboy Rantaro. WOWMAX Next was in charge of marketing and distributing the pilots to potential distribution platforms for release. The English dub cast consists of Elyse Bertani as Rantaro, Kelsey Kummerl as Shinbei, Kory Getman as Kirimaru, Frank Garish as Yamada, and Paul Stanko as Doi and the Moon Rabbit. 

On July 29 that same year, Old Clapperboard Productions uploaded a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube, offering a glimpse into William Winckler’s role in the ADR dubbing process. The video showcases his guidance of the voice actors’ performances, along with a brief look at the dub script. Viewers are treated to hearing the English voices of the characters– a rare opportunity, considering that Nintama has yet to receive an official release in the Anglosphere. As of 2025, this video remains the only available footage of the dub online. 

Was Quest for the Cosmic Front ever licensed? Yes…but not in the way you might expect. While most anime is licensed by major media companies like Crunchyroll, Netflix, Viz Media, and Discotek Media, it remains unclear if the pilots were ever solicited to these outlets. Based on the international publicity surrounding film festivals and science-focused distribution (e.g. planetariums), it’s highly likely that NHK and WOWMAX Next prioritized Quest for the Cosmic Front as an educational series rather than a commercial one. It was likely intended for a very specific market–festivals, schools, museums, and planetariums–where educational content takes precedence over entertainment. This aligns with how it’s marketed in Japan and NHK’s broader mission to promote educational programming and cultural preservation. 

K2 Studios acquired non-exclusive territory/rights restrictions to Quest for the Cosmic Front, meaning they could distribute the series under specific conditions but were not the sole distributor and were limited to certain regions or platforms. The studio specializes in producing and distributing science-focused content to specialty venues worldwide (e.g. fulldome), which could explain why they pursued the series. While there’s no confirmation online, it’s possible that the dubbed episodes were released in regions with large Japanese populations, such as Southern California and Hawaii. These areas have historically received niche Japanese content that doesn’t see a wide release elsewhere, or at least not for a long time (e.g. KIKU TV’s subtitled broadcasts of Crayon Shin-chan and the 1985 GeGeGe no Kitaro series). It appears the studio no longer holds the rights, as the series is no longer listed in their updated catalog.

It’s unfortunate that the English dub of Quest for the Cosmic Front has not received a wide release. If it had been released on platforms like NHK World or Netflix, it could have marked Nintama’s official English debut in the West. However, considering that these were just pilots–many of which never go beyond that stage–it's clear that they were likely intended for educational distribution rather than a large-scale rollout of the Nintama series. All we can do at this point is hope that NHK will consider expanding the series to Western markets in the future, whether with select episodes from the regular TV series or another entry. Who knows, they may already be planning it.

[yoga-onion]

[Image above: Head of the Buddha, 4th CE-5th CE, V&A]

Buddha to his disciples, mini-series (22)

Bodhi (disambiguation) - Enlightenment and the perfection of the Buddha's Way

The 8th of December is the day, the Buddha attained enlightenment, and is celebrated every year in Buddhist communities as 'Bodhi Day'. Bodhi means enlightenment and the perfection of the Buddha's Way.

At the age of 35, Gautama Buddha (Ref) attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree (Ref2) in Bodh Gaya and became a Buddha (the awakened one).

The nature of that realisation is “the truth of the universe”. When we speak of truth, most of the time it tends to be only the truth of a certain time and a certain region. We must not forget that, in addition to such truths, there are truths that transcend time and space, that is, the truth of the universe.

This concludes the 'Buddha to his disciples, a mini-series' for now. Thank you very much. From the next issue, we will focus on 'Legendary creatures and humanoids on anthropomorphism'.

ブッダから弟子たちへ、ミニシリーズ (22) 

成道 〜 悟りを開き、仏道を完成すること

12月8日は釈迦が悟りを開いた日として仏教徒の地域では、毎年「成道会」が行われている。「成道」とは悟りを開き、仏道を完成することである。釈迦釈迦（参照）は35歳のとき、ブッダガヤーの菩提樹（参照2）の下で悟りを開いてブッダ（目覚めた人）となった。

その悟りの内容は「宇宙の真理」だ。真理というと、たいていの場合、ある時間、ある地域の真理にすぎない。そのような真理に加えて、時間と空間を超越した真理、すなわち宇宙の真理があることを忘れてはならない。

「ブッダから弟子たちへ、ミニシリーズ」は今回で終了致します。ありがとうござ��ました。次回からは擬人化された伝説の生物とヒューマノイド」を特集する予定ですので、お楽しみに。

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

"Three Pavilions Prelude"/"兰亭集序"

Genre: Calligraphy, Poetry

Author: Wang Xizhi

Details:

In Zayne's "Moonlit Dream" memory story, a book merchant is overheard advertising two texts he has for sale. The second text mentioned is called "Three Pavilions Prelude" in the English version of the game (left). But in the Chinese version (right), it is shown as "兰亭集序"("Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion Gathering").

"兰亭集序"("Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion Gathering") (left) is a famous calligraphy piece by Wang Xizhi (right). Wang was a politician and writer from the Jin Dynasty who is often regarded as the greatest calligrapher in Chinese history. This particular piece was written by Wang at the end of the Spring Purification Ceremony in 353 CE. At the end of the day, twenty-six literati composed a total of thirty-seven poems. "兰亭集序" was then composed by Wang on the spot and served as a preface to this collection of poems. I've included the Chinese transcription as well as an English translation at the end of this post.

Transcription and Translation:

Chinese:

"永和九年，歲在癸丑，暮春之初, 會于會稽山陰之蘭亭，修禊事也。 群賢畢至，少長咸集。

此地有崇山峻嶺，茂林修竹； 又有清流激湍，映帶左右。 引以為流觴曲水，列坐其次； 雖無絲竹管絃之盛，一觴一詠，亦足以暢敘幽情。

是日也，天朗氣清，惠風和暢。 仰觀宇宙之大， 俯察品類之盛； 所以遊目騁懷，足以極視聽之娛，信可樂也。 夫人之相與，俯仰一世，

或取諸懷抱，晤言一室之內； 或因寄所託，放浪形骸之外。 雖趣舍萬殊，靜躁不同； 當其欣於所遇，暫得於己，怏然自足， 不知老之將至。 及其所之既倦，情隨事遷，感慨係之矣。

向之所欣，俛仰之間，已為陳跡， 猶不能不以之興懷； 況修短隨化，終期於盡。 古人云： 「死生亦大矣。」 豈不痛哉！

每覽昔人興感之由，若合一契； 未嘗不臨文嗟悼，不能喻之於懷。 固知一死生為虛誕，齊彭殤為妄作。 後之視今， 亦猶今之視昔， 悲夫！

故列敘時人，錄其所述； 雖世殊事異， 所以興懷，其致一也。 後之覽者，亦將有感於斯文。"

English:

"In the ninth year of Yonghe, at the onset of late spring, we have gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the North of Kuaiji Mountain for the purification ritual. All the literati, the young and the aged, have congregated.

This location has high mountains and steep hills, dense woods, and tall bamboo, as well as a clear, limpid stream reflecting the surroundings. We sit by a redirected stream, allowing the wine goblets to float beside us on its winding course. Although without the accompaniment of music, the wine and poem reciting are sufficient for us to exchange our feelings.

On this day, the sky is clear, the air is fresh, and a gentle breeze is blowing. Looking up, we admire the vastness of the universe; looking down, we see the myriad works of poetry. Letting the gaze wander and the mind roam, one can fully enjoy the pleasures of sight and sound, truly a delight. People's interactions with each other quickly pass through a lifetime.

Some would share their ambitions in a chamber; others may freely indulge in diverse interests and pursuits. The choices are plenty and our temperaments vary. We enjoy the momentary satisfaction of pleasures that regale us, yet we hardly realize how swiftly we age. As desires fade and circumstances change, grief arises.

What previously gratified us will soon be a relic, we cannot help but mourn. Whether life is long or short, there is always an end. As the ancients said, "Death and birth are momentous." How agonizing!

Reading the past compositions reveals a consistent melancholy from the ancients. One may find themselves lamenting in response to their words, unable to articulate their feelings. It is absurd to equate life with death, and it is equally foolish to think that longevity is the same as the short-lived. The future generations will look upon us, just like we look upon our past. How sad!

Hence, we record the people presented here today and their works; Even though time and circumstances will be different, the feelings expressed will remain unchanged. Future readers shall find the same empathy through this collection of poems."

[thisonelikesaliens]

i have the full lyrics now so might as well just post this for the sake of completion (i had most of the chinese lyrics in my draft since 3/31, typed out word by word before they released the official lyrics). the official english subs in ep7 were top notch, so using them here with my tweaks in blue (just to provide a more direct translation for reference), plus new verses in green (less literal translation, going more for vibe):

山間小鎮的夜色依舊深刻 I still vividly remember, the nights of the small town in the mountains 回家的樓梯上 我們哼著歌 Humming on the stairway home 我想一生有此刻就足夠了 Having this moment is enough to sustain me for the rest of my life 微風卻吹散愛情腳印 不留痕 But a gentle breeze scatters love's footprints, leaving no trace

漸遠的距離堆成隔閡 The growing distance piles up, forming a wall 我們不再擁抱著 像斷線風箏 We don't hold each other anymore, like kites with broken strings 時間並沒有沖淡依依不捨 Time did nothing to lessen this longing 我想你了 無論是醒著或睡著 I miss you, whether awake or asleep

我想你的時候 世界停止轉動 When I think of you, the world seems to stop 剩回憶在心中不斷輪播 And the memories keep playing in my heart 吹過耳際的風 是否也有你捎來的問候 Does the wind brushing past my ears carry messages from you?

我想你的時候 全宇宙都沉默 When I think of you, the whole universe falls silent 那思念喧鬧著不肯放手 Thoughts, so loud, won't let go 說完再見以後 才明白再也不見的溫柔 就叫做寂寞 Only after saying goodbye did I know the kindness of never seeing you again is called "loneliness"

緣分讓距離不再隔閡 Fate makes the distance between us irrelevant 我們重新擁抱著 愛失而復得 We are holding each other once again, regaining our love that was once lost 你是我心中最眷戀的星辰 You are the star that my heart holds most dear 我想你了 無論是醒著或睡著 I miss you, whether awake or asleep

我想你的時候 世界��止轉動 When I think of you, the world seems to stop 剩回憶在心中不斷輪播 And the memories keep playing in my heart 吹過耳際的風 是否也有你捎來的問候 Does the wind brushing past my ears carry messages from you?

我想你的時候 全宇宙都沉默 When I think of you, the whole universe falls silent 那思念喧鬧著不肯放手 Longing, so loud, won't let go 說完再見以後 才明白從未消失的溫柔 就叫做守候 Only after saying goodbye did I realize the tenderness that has never disappeared means I'm still here waiting

我想你的時候 全宇宙都沉默 When I think of you, the whole universe falls silent 你是否也一樣想念著我 Are you also thinking of me? 仰望同一片星空 才明白我們曾經的溫柔 永不會錯過 Looking up at the same starlit sky, we know what this is between us and we will never let go

[the-monkey-ruler]

Journey to the West (2021) 宇宙探索编辑部

Director: Kong Dashan Screenwriter: Kong Dashan / Wang Yitong Starring: Yang Haoyu / Ai Liya / Wang Yitong / Jiang Qiming / Sheng Chenchen / Guo Fan / Gong Geer / Luo Yiyun / Luo Juan / Guan Yuntong / Wang Xueyi / Lang Wumei / Cui Lishu / Wang Yu / Liu Qi / Sun Xiaochen / Chen Ping / Song Jingdong / Tan Tian / He Li / Xian Zhibin / Li Di / Fu Chunyang / Tang Ying / Deng Haorong / Li Danni / Zhang Yaluo / Wang Yaogang Genre: Comedy / Science Fiction Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2023-04-01 (Mainland China) / 2021-10-17 (Pingyao International Film Festival) Duration: 118 minutes Also known as: The Story of the Universe Editorial Department/Journey to the West IMDb: tt15072612 Type: Reimanging

Summary:

Tang Zhijun (played by Yang Haoyu) is the editor-in-chief of the editorial department of "Cosmic Exploration", a science fiction magazine born in the 1980s. Today's magazine is declining, and Tang Zhijun has become a down-and-out, lonely man. But he is still obsessed with finding extraterrestrial civilizations for decades. Finally one day, he received an abnormal signal that seemed to come from the depths of the universe, so he summoned his fellow wanderers, and with the question that puzzled him all his life, he once again embarked on a journey to find aliens.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/34941536/

Link: N/A