If you haven’t yet seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica / Mahou Shoujo Madoka Majika you should do so before reading this post or the posts I link to. Don’t let me spoil what is probably the best anime of the year.
Yi has written a very extensive post called Birth of a Goddess, Madoka’s Path to Nirvana – A Study of Buddhism. You might also find my general notes on Buddhism and anime helpful.
I have only a few minor points to add to Yi’s analysis. One concerns the symbolism of Homura. Her name means “blaze” or “flame”, which in Buddhist terms immediately suggest Acala (Fudou Myou-ou) the greatest of the Wisdom Kings, who is always depicted with a flaming aura. Wisdom Kings are spiritually advanced beings who have not fully attained enlightenment. Their attachments and aversions consist of a total devotion to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and a fierce enmity toward all forms of ignorance and delusion. Homura is notable for her unwavering devotion to Madoka (the future bodhisattva) and her fierce opposition to Kyuubee’s deceptions.
Yi and most of her commenters seem to feel that Madoka becomes a bodhisattva but then goes on to enter Nirvana and become a buddha. That doesn’t sound right to me. A bodhisattva is supposed to be an enlightened being who has the option of escaping Samsara (suffering) and entering Nirvana, but who makes a vow to remain in Samsara until all sentient beings can attain enlightenment. The bodhisattva voluntarily chooses to continue to suffer in order to help those left behind to escape from their suffering. (Being enlightened, the bodhisattva is motivated by boundless compassion, not attachments.)
Madoka is repeatedly described as becoming a “goddess.” In traditional Buddhist terms a “god” is an inhabitant of the realm of Deva (Heaven) which is still part of Samsara. Even the gods suffer. A bodhisattva can certainly take the form of a goddess, but a buddha is never described in such terms.
Incidentally the place full of stars and planets where Madoka has her final interview with Homura seems based on traditional Chinese descriptions of Heaven.
On her way to becoming a goddess Madoka meets with Mami and Kyouko in Mami’s apartment. These are the two magical girls who died without becoming witches. It is a common belief among East-Asian Buddhists that the spirits of the dead wander the Earth for 49 days before going on to their next life. Since only a couple of weeks have passed since their deaths their spirits are available to have tea and cake with Madoka, and to be reborn in her reconstructed world where they are presumably destined to have longer lives.
Some people have suggested that Walpurgisnacht was actually Homura as a witch, using her time-travel powers to come back and bedevil Homura and her friends on all time lines. (See the comments to Kurogane’s post.) I think this is probably correct. Note that Walpurgisnacht is suspended from a giant pair of gears, resembling the gears in Homura’s time-controlling shield.
Also note that when Madoka destroys the witches she approaches each witch, then confronts the original magical girl at the moment of her death, purifying her Soul Gem. When she approaches Walpurgisnacht the one she confronts is Homura. Due to the time travel aspect, Homura never actually became the witch, thus she survives the encounter.
Thanks for critiquing my post. ^ ^
I love the additional point on Homura. It’s a very nice parallel.
As for Madoka-Bodhisattva-Buddha transition, I’d like to add a few more clarifying points. My post doesn’t quite distinguish between the various modern branches, but more than anything, it draws primarily on what I consider to be the most core ideas of Buddhism. The distinction between Buddhism as a religion and its conception as a worldview is minor, but somewhat important. The salvation aspect of Bodhisattva, for example, evolved out of a need for the religion to introduce hope and morals. Bodhisattva in its very original meaning is simply one close to/ achieves enlightenment, but they are not precluded from reaching Buddhahood or leaving samsara at any point. In fact, “Bodhisattva” is the name the Buddha used to refer to his unenlightened state in the Pali Canon.
As such, I argue that Madoka is, for a little while when she flies to all the magical girls, a bodhisattva, but does eventually ascend to be without form or self. And whatever salvation she extends to the others along the way is simply kind gestures that are not core to her ascension.
Further, I personally think that “goddess” as used in Madoka is purely rhetorical, and does not really refer to a particular deity or being.
But I think all this comes down to how we interpret Madoka and Buddhism.
Also, the point on Walpurgisnacht totally blew my mind!
Anyway, thank you so much for the wonderful, well-written discussion. ^ ^