Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

The orphaned boy Hae-jin accidentally harms a bird while bathing by a stream. Its mate remains nearby, watching to see what will happen next. He takes the injured bird to heal it, but the bird dies later in the film.

An ox charges through a confining fence and escapes into the forest, symbolizing a break from restraint. The incident underscores the remote, untamed setting of the monastery. It foreshadows the loosening of boundaries that will occur for the characters.

The abbot sends Ki-bong, a young monk, to assist a Zen master living alone in the mountains. Ki-bong has renounced hardship in search of peace, but this assignment will test that quest. He begins a difficult but transformative apprenticeship with the master.

The elderly master lives as a recluse and uses hwadu, riddles without absolute answers, to teach. The first hwadu asks, 'What was my original face before my father and mother were conceived?' He tells Ki-bong to hold the hwadu between his teeth and search for its meaning. The master promises that solving them will bring unshakeable peace.

Ki-bong travels to town to buy medicine for the master using alms money and also visits his blind mother, who struggles to tend to herself. The trip exposes his own selfishness and the limits of renunciation. He returns to the monastery with a heavier sense of responsibility.

Disillusioned, Ki-bong expresses a desire to return to human society and embrace the 'filth' of humanity. The master rebukes him but does not physically stop his departure, signaling a test of his resolve. This moment marks a crucial turning point in his spiritual journey.

As Ki-bong attempts to leave, a flash flood sweeps him toward danger. Hae-jin finds him and the master rescues him, reinforcing their bond and the fragility of life. The rescue deepens Ki-bong's awareness of interdependence and mercy.

Upon recovery, Ki-bong learns that the master has traded his own life to save him, revealing a deep act of self-sacrifice. This revelation cements Ki-bong’s devotion to the master and to the practice. He resolves to honor the master’s gift through his actions.

The dying master asks Ki-bong to perform his last rites and to burn his body atop the hill so his essence can return to its original place. Ki-bong accepts this duty, understanding the paradox of life, death, and impermanence. The promise foreshadows the climactic ritual ahead.

At a festival on the approach of a full moon, Ki-bong and Hae-jin witness a mesmerizing dance. It is revealed that the dancer is none other than the elderly monk in disguise. The moment blends celebration with a return of the master's presence in a living form.

Returning to the monastery, they discover that the master has died. Ki-bong carries the corpse up a hillside in a wooden chest and prepares the burial, seeking the right time and means to honor him. He also makes arrangements to obtain paraffin for the cremation.

A drizzle initially prevents the fire from starting, but Ki-bong recalls the master’s instruction about paraffin and retrieves it. He lights the coffin and spends the night by the burning body, confronting the reality of death. By dawn, he discovers the bones of his master among the ashes.

The young monk grinds the bones to powder and scatters them over water, earth, trees, and plants, returning the master to his original place. This ritual embodies the hwadu’s acceptance of impermanence and marks Ki-bong’s decisive transformation. The act completes the master’s instruction to restore his essence to origin.

Having solved the hwadu, Ki-bong attains unshakeable peace. He returns to the monastery and tells Hae-jin to handle the master’s remaining possessions before he leaves. This marks a turning point toward enlightenment rather than attachment to material remnants.

In a play-like sequence, Hae-jin reenacts the night’s events by burning the master’s remaining effects. The boy learns the nature of impermanence and completes his education. The film closes with the bird’s mate and the wandering ox reappearing in sunlight, symbolizing liberation.