The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

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Śūnyatā
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Śūnyatā »

alan... wrote:i've been interested in this movie but wary as from the trailer i don't see dhamma. can you specify what is dhamma in it?
"Whether a tree, a mountain or an animal (or the movie Samsara), it's all Dhamma, everything is Dhamma." — Ajahn Chah (with a slight remix by Sun). :)

A potent movie, in my humble opinion. Not as strong as Baraka... but powerful nonetheless. My personal favorite part was watching the Tibetan monks mindfully work on a sand mandala... and then wipe it all away.

Image

With warmth :
Sun
[color=#0000FF]Live in joy, In love, Even among those who hate. Live in joy, In health, Even among the afflicted. Live in joy, In peace, Even among the troubled. Look within. Be still.[/color] — Dhammapada

[color=#0000FF]Being a human being is not an end in itself. It’s only a transition. It can never be a perfect state in itself. It’s merely a convention.[/color] — Luang Por Sumedho

[color=#0000FF]Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.[/color] — Euripides
beeblebrox
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by beeblebrox »

Hi,

The Guan Yin dancers in the trailer are deaf themselves. They've been doing tours of that from China, for a long while (though I think the dancers change). Many people seem to really like it, but I've seen some people say that they think it's creepy. Why? Beats me... seems like it's the nature of Samsara. People view things in different ways.

To me, this dance seems to nearly transcend the samsara itself, becoming nirvana. For something like that to be possible, there has to be a freedom from greed (for the conditions that are desired), aversion (to the conditions which is undesired), and possibly delusion (trying to exist apart from the conditions). Of course, that is just my view... conditioned by a regular practice within the Triple Jewels.

Is that Dhammic enough for you, Alan? :tongue:

:anjali:
alan...
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by alan... »

Śūnyatā wrote:
alan... wrote:i've been interested in this movie but wary as from the trailer i don't see dhamma. can you specify what is dhamma in it?
"Whether a tree, a mountain or an animal (or the movie Samsara), it's all Dhamma, everything is Dhamma." — Ajahn Chah (with a slight remix by Sun). :)

A potent movie, in my humble opinion. Not as strong as Baraka... but powerful nonetheless. My personal favorite part was watching the Tibetan monks mindfully work on a sand mandala... and then wipe it all away.

Image

With warmth :
Sun
ah. i see, the trailer i saw had a couple of dhamma related things but mainly showed random things from other traditions or just human experience. so it seemed to be just a movie about life without any specific focus on a particular spiritual tradition. is it leaning toward buddhism or is it just a broad movie about life?
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Benjamin
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Benjamin »

alan... wrote: It seemed to be just a movie about life without any specific focus on a particular spiritual tradition. is it leaning toward buddhism or is it just a broad movie about life?
It is a broad movie about life, not just Buddhism, but life and the dhamma are of course inseparably linked. This movie by no means makes it hard to find either (lots of contrasts between cultures and ideals to be seen and analyzed).
:candle: :buddha1: :candle:
alan...
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by alan... »

Benjamin wrote:
alan... wrote: It seemed to be just a movie about life without any specific focus on a particular spiritual tradition. is it leaning toward buddhism or is it just a broad movie about life?
It is a broad movie about life, not just Buddhism, but life and the dhamma are of course inseparably linked. This movie by no means makes it hard to find either (lots of contrasts between cultures and ideals to be seen and analyzed).
oh okay cool that's enough for me. thanks.
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FatDaddy
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by FatDaddy »

lilawheel wrote:The Big Lebowski is subject of a new book--it's more Mahayana. 'The Dude Abides'
I have not read the book yet but after years of being obsessed with this movie, I finally see an authentic dhammic connection: in spite of his complete lack of classical discipline, The Dude does not create kamma. With violence, greed and nihilism surrounding him, he remains unaffected. It's something to aspire to, regardless of your path.
Happy, at rest,
may all beings be happy at heart.
Whatever beings there may be,
weak or strong, without exception,
long, large,
middling, short,
subtle, blatant,
seen & unseen,
near & far, born & seeking birth: May all beings be happy at heart.

Let no one deceive another
or despise anyone anywhere,
or through anger or irritation
wish for another to suffer.
— Sn 1.8
alan...
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by alan... »

FatDaddy wrote:
lilawheel wrote:The Big Lebowski is subject of a new book--it's more Mahayana. 'The Dude Abides'
I have not read the book yet but after years of being obsessed with this movie, I finally see an authentic dhammic connection: in spite of his complete lack of classical discipline, The Dude does not create kamma. With violence, greed and nihilism surrounding him, he remains unaffected. It's something to aspire to, regardless of your path.
the dude and the zen master

i'm intrigued. seems more interesting and somewhat serious as opposed to mostly silly dude de ching, which is still really cool and i like that as well but this book seems a little more for real.

EDIT: apparently jeff bridges is a buddhist of sorts, so even more reason to think this book may be a good read:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/natural?page=0,0
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Doshin
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Doshin »

Cloud Atlas:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. "

_/\_
Knowing about dhamma, does not imply knowing dhamma
makarasilapin
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by makarasilapin »

Hanzze wrote:


Anybody have seen this film? Looks somehow very tibetan.
i own it. it's OK. i can send it to you if you want to pay for shipping :P
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Mindstar
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Mindstar »

A documentary well worth to watch:


Higher than lordship over all earth,
Higher than sojourning in heavens supreme,
Higher than empire over all the worlds,
Is Fruit of Entrance to the Dhamma Stream.
—Dhammapada
binocular
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by binocular »

tiltbillings wrote:I forgot to add: I :heart: Huckabees. And Bee Season.
Bee Season? You'll have to explain that one.


I'll add The Last Samurai.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
Fluke
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Fluke »

I'd add the movie "Revolver" to the list.

It's very violent in parts, but the main theme of the movie is the ego, and conquering it.

At least that was my understanding of it; it's quite a weird movie.

Peace
Fluke
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Peace
Fluke
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tiltbillings
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by tiltbillings »

binocular wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:I forgot to add: I :heart: Huckabees. And Bee Season.
Bee Season? You'll have to explain that one.


I'll add The Last Samurai.
You choose Last Samurai, but you do not understand Bee Season?
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
daverupa
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by daverupa »

Fluke wrote:I'd add the movie "Revolver" to the list.

It's very violent in parts, but the main theme of the movie is the ego, and conquering it.
I got a one-off feel from "Revolver" - as though the exploration got close but was never quite on target. I earlier suggested that it took place in an Asuran realm, to account for the violence.

:tongue:

Probably this 'one-off' feeling is because movies with Kabbala themes seem to contain out-of-focus, Buddh-esque themes as a side effect, in my experience. "Bee Season" is one example, but I could mention "Pi", "The Fountain", & "Life of Pi" as well.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
binocular
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by binocular »

tiltbillings wrote:You choose Last Samurai, but you do not understand Bee Season?
I own a copy of "Last Samurai" and have seen it many times. [ah, no suitable emoticon]

But what does "Bee Season" have to do with Buddhism? It has to do with some forms of theism for sure, notably Jewish and Hare Krishna theism. But I don't see the Buddhist connection or theme in it, other than in some meta sense in which pretty much any film can be viewed as Buddhist.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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