For a promiscuous woman to seduce a monk must be an important step on the path to self-realization. For the monk to resist her, on the other hand, must be a failure. Desires must be dissolved, not resisted. If a wooden statue can transcend its temporal existence and become an emanation of the divine, then so can human flesh be transformed with the power of the mind. It may appear that Jisan's story arc is bleak, for he keeps slipping into the same cycle of indulgences, which he had earlier confessed to be leading back to the futility. At one point he even mentions that everything is a cycle, even after becoming a Buddha there is an overwhelming futility. But it's important to note the symbolism between the wooden Buddha statue and Jisan's frozen body. There is a scene where Beobwun is mentally scolding Jisan, while looking at his little wooden Buddha figurine. When Jisan freezes to death, his body becomes similar to an object, and is placed within a temple in the end, in the pose similar to that of a Buddha, like the statue in the temple earlier. I believe, it is implied that Jisan has found a sort of enlightenment in the futility. They say a wiser, higher-ranking priest must anoint the eyes of a wooden Buddha. For Jisan it essentially happens to be Beobwun. By placing him in this position, I believe, Jisan elevates him. The example of such perceptionism is given earlier with the staff. Another monk also mentions that Avalokiteshvara said she wouldn't become a Buddha until everyone is saved. I think, by being unable to attain enlightenment, Jisan saves Beobwun. The fact that Beobwun is saved, I think, is signified by the way he treats his mother in the end. Perhaps, Beobwun recognizes the importance of suffering, as his mother begs him to save her. The fact that she is suffering (and thus wishing to be saved) comforts him.