Subtle Buddhist Agenda in the Movies

[Mark Johnson]

You know how when you buy a car or somebody you know is pregnant and all of a sudden you start seeing the car you bought everywhere or the world seems to suddenly be filled with pregnant women. I think I might be experiencing that with Buddhism. Anyway, I have watched a string of movies and I noticed that images of Buddhas or references to Buddhism keep popping up in the background. Often it seems that a Buddha appears on the screen at a pivotal moment in the film. I'm sure I'm just making more out of this than there really is but this is what I've noticed:

Crash: this is a story about "Karma" one of the main characters is a Buddhist. There's a scense where a cop pulls a couple over asks if the driver's been drinking and the passenger says, "He doesn't drink. He's a Buddhist for Christ's sake" (screenplay pg. 19). The line seems amazingly obscure to me.

Office Space: The two main characters' (who are "awakened") favorite tv show is Kung Fu (about the Shaoline Buddhist Monk) - this one is probably a stretch....

Knocked Up: when the main character must make a descision between doing the "right" thing or continue on a path of immaturity there is a Buddha in the background. He does choose the right thing it everything turns out swell.

Click: this is a story about "Precious Human Birth" and being present within the moment. When the main character is conflicted about choosing to use his power for good there is a HUGE Buddha statue behind him. He chooses poorly and things go badly.

Iron Man: this is a story about "Right Livelihood." I noticed this theme them right off the bat, so I started looking for a Buddha to show up. Sure enough, in the middle of the film when the real villain is revealed a Buddha shows up behind him ever so sublte in the background.

It's freaky-deaky....

Anyway, just wondering if anybody else has noticed anything similar....

[Leslie Ellestad]

I agree. I have also been noticing buddhist references(I notice the words) coming from Hollywood. It's not surprising because buddhism is now part of our culture and influencing the creative work of many, even if they are not practicing buddhism. Good work on noticing those buddhas .Are you a visual person?

[Mark Johnson]

I'm was a literature major with a great interest in mythology and other symbolism. So I kind of have a habit of over analyzing everything I watch and read.

[Valerie Brewster]

I thought it was the result of Ken teaching (and coaching) in LA . . .

[Sister Logchain of the Short Path]

Speaking as a stiff-upper-lip Englishman, it all sounds very Pacific coast to me!

Over here, Buddha images are used to sell everything from ladies knickers to doner kebabs.

[Rebecca Swanson]

Mark,
I just watched "Stay" starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Bryan Gosling. A line in the movie is (loosely): Maybe the Buddhists have it right and it's all illusion.

Related in idea is the older movie, "Jacob's Ladder," starring Tim Robbins. Where is all this "reality" happening?

From "Office Space," this line reminds me of the concept of sitting quietly; doing nothing: Ron Livingston says (loosely) "yesterday I did nothing and it was all I hoped" (except one could drop hope too.) Also his statement (loosely) "I'm not lazy, I just don't care" could be approaching not having an opinion.
Hybrid Vehicle of Intensity

[Mark Johnson]

Jacob's Ladder is one of my favorites -- it's packed full with good quotes... The movie reminds me kind of what one might experience as the bardo. Obviously, it's about purgatory. I haven't watched it in many years; I should watch it again and see what I can spot. I think Tim Robbins is Buddhist but I don't know for sure.

My thought is that these filmakers and actors realize that they must be very careful and they are probably not actually interested in portraying "Buddhism" but telling the story of "Samsara" and the path to "Nirvana".

But like I said, I can't tell if I'm reading too much into this....

[Rebecca Swanson]

Dear Mark,

Have you seen the movie, THE FEVER? It doesn't have a Buddhist flavor, but it is very concerned with the lies we tell ourselves. I'd like to hear how you think it resolves itself, if you see or have seen it, because I'm not sure I know!

It is taken from a play by Wallace Shawn, starred in by Vanessa Redgrave, directed by (I believe) her son.

Hybrid Vehicle of Intensity

[Mark Johnson]

I haven't seen it but I'll put in on my netflix list and I'll let you know...

[John Guillory]

I enjoy looking for allegorical pointers or parallels in pop culture about spiritual matters generally---they actually help me keep my mind in the domain of being aware. I'm watching a lot of recent Doctor Who for example and have noticed these parallels, mainly about Western approaches to spiritual matters. The Doctor represents intellectus (or buddi) higher mind (manus), and might be modeled after early gnostic doctors like Paracelcus. Rose his companion, represents the heart, the 'right' purpose of suffering, love. The TARDIS (the Doctor's ship) means Time And Relative Dimension In Space, and, we learn, is a living being. The TARDIS is larger on the inside than on the outside and represents consciousness. A human being, like the TARDIS, is bigger on the inside than on the outside as in 'the world appears in you'. In many episodes, the Doctor appears ex nihilo and 'saves' the day, dropping strong hints about how to guard one's mind from believing everything the characters think and feel as if absolutely true and real. The Doctor as scientist is actually one who simply investigates everything for himself including his own thoughts and feelings.

The Matrix is another movie that is multi-leveled, and enjoy watching many times. I'm convinced that watching in this way is reflecting on spiritual principles that one can take into a meditation. When doing so, I remind myself that none of those 'meanings' or 'interpretations' are 'in' the movie, but are generated by myself. These reflections grow more powerful and deeper until the movie I started with is no longer the center of the meditation.

[Mark Johnson]

Wow! I need to start watching Doctor Who -- that's really fantastic! I love this kind of mulitfacetedness in movies and books...

Definitely, the Matrix (especially the first one) is heavy with Buddhist imagery. There is tons of stuff on the web analyzing the film in this way. I found this quote on the atheist.about.com web: "the Wachowski brothers did deliberately incorporate aspects of Buddhism into their story because they believe that Buddhism has something to say to us about our world and how we conduct our lives."

You say: "When doing so, I remind myself that none of those 'meanings' or 'interpretations' are 'in' the movie, but are generated by myself." and I think this is accurate, too, in one sense. I think that when an artist is very adept he or she can create a piece of art (movie, book, poem, painting, whatever) in such a way that it allows the audience member to find and generate some depth of meaning and experience from the work. In a way, you could say that the higher the quality of art the art exhibits a greater the degree of sunyata. I think this is the "That's It!" feeling we get when we discover art that really moves us. So yes, none of those 'meanings' or 'interpretations' are in the movie, but really 'all' of that stuff is really in the movie waiting to be discovered.

[Rebecca Swanson]

I agree, Mark. We are always generating the meanings or interpretations.

I have recently watched two more movies that contain (what I interpret as) Buddhist elements.

One is SLIDING DOORS with Gwyneth Paltrow in which at one point, the catching (or not catching) of a subway car leads the main character on two parallel lives with very different events. Plot spoiler: the resolution in each life is the same; they dovetail into one life/one character.

My take on it was related to a point made by Ken in the second Heart Sutra lecture, (loosely)1.) I make decisions about things and act, and 2.) things resolve in certain ways, but my action may not have affected the resolution.

The second movie is YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS (Catherine Keener) about three couples and two singles and interactions between them as relationships form, shift, end, begin. What I saw was that each person took her problem with her, regardless of her being alone, with one person or another . . . or another!

I interpreted this: my world is the result of my perception. I can perceive those around me as loving and supporting or as the source of my suffering. Applying Buddhism: watching how I cause myself to suffer is the beginning of understanding.

Has anyone else seen these movies, and if so, did you find Buddhism lurking within?

Hybrid Vehicle of Intensity

[Mark Johnson]

I haven't seen those movies either, but I'll add them to the list. I have just receieved The Fever and will try to watch that this weekend hopefully...

Samsara provides so much material to work with, doesn't it!?!