Mucha (), more commonly known as Muzha (), is a short form of
Pratimokṣa
The Pratimokṣa ( sa, प्रातिमोक्ष, prātimokṣa) is a list of rules (contained within the ''vinaya'') governing the behaviour of Buddhist monastics (monks or '' bhikṣus'' and nuns or '' bhikṣuṇīs''). ''Prati'' mea ...
in Chinese ()
and also a given name.
Muzha as a Historical Figure
Mucha was a historical figure in
Han Buddhism
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
during the era of
Tang Empire
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
and he was an apprentice of , along with Hui-an and Hui-yen.
[
As Master Sangha was seen as an avatar of ]Avalokiteśvara
In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara ( Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicte ...
(Kuan Yin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...
), Mucha was later fictionalized as Kuan Yin's apprentice in the Zajü ''Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most po ...
'' during the Great Yuan period. Afterwards, he was further blend with Hui-an as "Mucha Hui-an" () in the Chinese classic novel ''Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most po ...
'' during the Great Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
period.
Footnotes
References
Tang dynasty Buddhist monks
Investiture of the Gods characters
Journey to the West characters