Gonna throw this out there, Daemos: you’re flat wrong on this one
Oro is ill-defined and not the end of Ryu’s journey. He has never been stated to be an all-powerful guru. He’s just powerful. That doesn’t even mean he’s right. He’s also a character introduced a full decade before Gouken was retcon’d to being alive.
The universe is harmonious. This is the fundamental foundation of the ENTIRETY of the martial arts and religious and cultural traditions that act as the basis of Street Fighter.
“Balance is a human concept”. Short-sighted. Concept is a human concept. The concept of balance is a human concept but the nature of balance is inherent to the universe and is beyond human conceptualization. That inherently contradictory nature is a cornerstone of the very nature of what enlightenment is about.
Mu and SnH are not positive and negative. Mu is universal harmoniousness and SnH is selfishness. IT is inward facing destructive desire. Mu touches that universal harmony while the Buddha EMBODIES IT. That is the path beyond. One does not achieve that by “balancing” universal consciousness with selfish, destructive desires. Those are what must be rejected but rejection of the self is, again, an inherently contradictory thing because rejecting the self requires awareness of the self therefore you cannot reject the self without acknowledging the self.
It requires understanding and enlightenment
You CANNOT harness the SnH without utilizing destructive qualities that are selfish and WRONG. Inherently. Wanting to harm others is WRONG. Full stop. Period.
What does Mu do as defense? Nothing. It remains utterly peaceful and tranquil. Why can the attacker not harm one that harnesses Mu? How do you attack the idea of something? It is impossible. It’s worse than even trying to defeat the tide of the ocean. At least you could run to the shore and slap at the waves with futility. Now try to defeat the IDEA of an ocean. An idea that persists and exists regardless of its physical existence or the existence of anyone observing it. It’s impossible. It’s contradictory. When you attack a user of Mu, as explicitly shown in SF4, NOTHING happens. You can’t even touch them because they are both there and everywhere. They are enlightened.
The greatest martial artists, like Gouken and Gen, can only briefly touch that state. An enlightened one becomes it. They reach the state of a Buddha.
Ryu doesn’t reach that state then beat Gouki because he makes an OMG SUPER UBER MU SHINKU MESSATUS HADOSHORYUTATSUKEN…
He reaches that state, Gouki observes it and then breaks down to his knees realizing his inequities…and then Ryu offers to teach him…because that is the Buddha-nature…to help and to guide and to be guided in doing so.
Gouki, polluted by SnH, can only EVER be an Asura…a force of destruction. A god of violence. The Buddha stands ABOVE gods in the cosmic pecking order. That is why being reborn as an Asura, though ABSURDLY powerful, is an undesirable rebirth…even worse than being born a human. A human can become enlightened. An Asura NEVER will be. That is the path Gouki remains on.
Ryu is a human. The true martial artist doesn’t harm others. SnH requires harming others. It requires the DESIRE to hurt others. That is not Buddhist nature.
In fact, we’ve ALREADY seen this all play out. We’ve seen the foolish human, the wandering Fool, reach enlightenment while battling the Asura who can destroy any man…just not in Street Fighter.
The Beast fights with Sing and is able to get the best of him…until when? Sing is sent to the heavens and views the Buddha. He centers himself and returns to the Beast…and attacks him. Does he win? No. He STILL doesn’t win…even though the Beast claims surrender. That doesn’t defeat the Beast…instead the Beast still attacks and can still fight. When does he stop? When Sing chooses NOT to attack the Beast. He purposefully does not strike another person…but he has all the power a human being could ever wield (and more) at his fingertips. Destroying the Beast would be trivial…such is the power of enlightenment…but the nature of enlightenment means you DON’T do that.
Though it doesn’t show it in this video, after the second Buddhist palm, Sing offers to show the Beast HOW TO DO WHAT HE CAN DO. Again: Sing offers to The Beast, the most fearsome and murderous martial artist in the entire setting of Kung-Fu Hustle, how to be as powerful as he is. He does it honestly, genuinely and as a friend. He extends his hand instead of an attack.
The result? The Beast drops to his knees, weeping, and recognizes Sing as “master”.
That is the nature of the path of the true martial artist. Not improving the self…but improving the whole world and everything in it.
That is the end of the journey between Gouki and Ryu. Ryu as a man that NEVER wields his fist against someone because it is not necessary…and, best case scenario for Gouki, a man redeemed by throwing away every single step he’s ever taken in his life because they’ve been all wrong all along.
The universe isn’t sewage. It isn’t the desire to hurt others. Buddhist nature is harmony, love and peace. It is an open palm offered to all.
It is not stupid anime bullshit where people combine 5 chakra natures to create a REALLY BIG EXPLOSION NO JUTSU because right does not make right.
Might comes with ***right***eousness.
