Mucha (), more commonly known as Muzha (), is a short form of

Pratimokṣa The Pratimokṣa ( sa, wikt:प्रातिमोक्ष#Sanskrit, प्रातिमोक्ष, prātimokṣa) is a list of rules (contained within the ''vinaya'') governing the behaviour of Buddhist monastics (monks or ''bhikkhu, bhi ...

in Chinese () and also a given name.

Muzha as a Historical Figure

Mucha was a historical figure in Han Buddhism 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 Kingd ...

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 depicted, ...

(

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 ...

), 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 popul ...

'' during the

Great Yuan The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

period. Afterwards, he was further blend with Hui-an as "Mucha Hui-an" () in the Chinese classic novel ''

'' during the Great Ming period.

Footnotes

References

Tang dynasty Buddhist monks Investiture of the Gods characters Journey to the West characters