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For www.TheDailyEnlightenment.com from www.moonpointer.com/movies Dharma Movie Review: Infernal Affairs I & II The Path to Continuous Hell 《 间道 1,2 》
 The opening and closing sutra sequences in Infernal Affaris I & II are grim warnings and reminders of the karmic destinies of many of the characters in the trilogy, telling of the hellish lives they lead through self and mutual deceit, fear and hatred, leaving us to speculate how much more hellish it will be in their afterlife. "Infernal" in the title relates to the fiendish and diabolical punishment of burning- in the hell of guilt. It links with the Chinese title which refers to Avici Hell, where those born there suffer the torture of burning. This parallels the two key characters' lives, as they live with unbearable pressure in the dark.   "Whoever earns by this means (crime and gangsterism) will one day have to pay back some day." This was uttered by the drug kingpin, Ngiam Kwun, whose face we do not see, murdered by the wife of a trusted partner in crime. This ominous statement of karma echoes throughout the show. His assassination triggers a new era of power-struggle between the triads and the police, increasing each's suspicion of the other's moves and intentions, day in and out. The supposed status, wealth and power coveted through bloodbaths are never truly enjoyed by the gangsters as they face the constant threat of being killed by enemies and traitors. With bodyguards always hovering around, these "human-asuras" (demi-gods) live lives of jealousy, hatred and tension, seemingly only anxiously bracing for the moment karmic payback catches up. Unknowingly, they further trap themselves with their evil deeds, circling deeper into living hell. Thus does Mary (Carina Lau), wife of triad boss Sam (Eric Tsang), say to Ming (Edison Chen), "Ever since Ngiam Hao (Francis Ng- sucessor of the late kingpin) has been in power for these 4 years, not a single night have I had a good rest."   The law-enforcers themselves were not innocent of scheming, going to the extent of breaking the law to uphold the law. Their job was to make the streets safe from the overwhelming triads. With this in mind, Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) tries all means to tame the triads. His aspiration may be noble but as he masterminds the assassination of the late kingpin in hope of gaining an upper hand, he unwittingly caused more deaths, including that of his best friend, SP Luk (Hu Jun). The idea of killing one to save many might be noble, but the consequences was hell unleashed. Being unenlightened, we do not possess perfect judgement of the workings of the complicated law of cause and effect- every little thing we do leads to chain reactions- for better or for worse. Inspector Wong was blinded by the 3 poisons- ignorant of the consequences of his action, thinking he could control the gangsters. He was possibly greedy of the power to manipulate them, yet guilty of hatred of the evil done by them and himself. In fighting monsters, he had become one. Hell is afterall, self-inflicted. The demons that torment oneself both in this life and the next are always one's own.   At the end of the first instalment, Ming experiences further entry into continous living hell after the sudden death of Yan. He has to live alone with the guilt of his dark past. This is personal hell indeed- a burden of the conscience only he can experience and bear. We see the rise and fall of the underground powers, clearly demonstrating the impermanent (anicca) volatile nature of gain and loss. Delusion led to greed for power, leading to hatred and bloodshed. If Sam's laughter and celebration after the bloody feuds in the second instalment have secret tears of loss and guilt behind the door, where is the real joy? Seeing the two shows reminded me of the curious question of why anyone should choose the life of a gangster. There's nothing cool or gamourous at all below the surface. Indeed, what's the point of living dangerously when it IS hell? Life on the edge is horrendous, hell already- one can fall any time into deeper hell. In not unleashing hell in this life for others, we spare ourselves of hell in our next life. May all the world's criminals walk the Middle Path instead. zlyrica@netscape.net | shian@TheDailyEnlightenment.com | stills from opuszine.com More About
Avici Hell
"Secondly, one person can fill it completely, and many people also can fill it completely. Thus Avici. "Thirdly, there is punishment using such devices as forks, clubs, hawks, serpents, jackals, hounds, mills, grinders, saws, chisels, files, choppers, boiling pots, iron nets and cords, and iron mules and horses. Other hideous tortures and punishments force these miserable beings to cover their heads with their own skin after being flayed alive, after which hot molten iron is poured onto their bodies; and when they are hungry they are forced to swallow chunks of iron and drink molten iron when thirsty. This unimaginably horrible torture goes on and continues throughout years and kalpas numbering in nayutas. In this manner they suffer continuously with no cessation whatsoever. Thus Avici. "Fourthly, irrespective of whether these sinners are male or female, barbarian or civilized, whether young or old, noble or mean, whether nagas or gods, devas or ghosts-all will receive the retribution of sinful karma. Thus Avici. "Fifthly, if a person falls into this hell, he will die myriads of times and be revived myriads of times each day and each night from the time of his initial entrance unto hundreds of thousands of future kalpas, and he will never have any relief or rest whatsoever from his suffering and torture even for one instant. It is only with the exhaustion of his sinful karma that he will finally be able to gain rebirth. Owing to such continuity of suffering and torture, this hell is, therefore, known as Avici." Then Ksitigarbha addressed the Holy Mother, saying, "Avici Hell, roughly speaking, is just as I have described it to you. To completely and exhaustively describe the torture devices, the punishment and the hideous suffering there could not be done even if one were to talk as long as one kalpa." Having heard this, Queen Lady Maya was saddened. She made
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