“Out of nowhere, the mind comes forth.” So goes a famous Buddhist saying, a Zen koan that aptly describes the feeling of sudden revelation or enlightenment without the effort of pursuit. Cinema has a way of doing things like that; it’s an inherently passive but artistic medium. Sure, it is used to entertain, or to inspire laughter, horror, tears — and everything in between. But sometimes, it inspires deep thought as well, or even more rarely, spiritual inspiration, seemingly out of nowhere.
From the beginning of cinema, writers have commented on the philosophical nature of movies, such as Andre Bazin, who thought that film was able to capture God by capturing the fullness of the present moment uninterrupted. Since then, there has been an interesting question around how movies can communicate philosophical ideas, and the best way for them to do that.
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Since the first Buddhist film The Light of Asia was released in 1928, Buddhism has had its own presentation in movies. Many Buddhist films are about the religion itself, or use that culture and context as a backdrop to other stories, depending on where the film is being made. Films in the west often have different historical and cultural contexts than most eastern movies, and thus present these ideas differently than the way Buddhism and spirituality is communicated, directly and indirectly, in eastern films. Stories that are about monks, or that lifestyle, or take place in countries like Tibet, are clearly Buddhist in nature, and they often have an accompanying message about Buddhism too.
The Buddha is Everywhere
Sony Pictures Releasing
But then there are movies like The Matrix and Groundhog Day, which explore the question, “What is a Buddhist film?” Buddhist film festivals, especially those that take place in western countries, will take a broad view of that question, and may show seemingly off-topic films such as Donnie Darko, interpreting them in a Buddhist way. These movies are not explicitly Buddhist, but they portray very similar teachings in a more subtle way.
It’s also true that many Buddhist themes are just common in all movies by necessity, such as questions about the nature of impermanence, suffering, attachment, and the self. As filmmaker Gaetano Kazuo Maida once said, “It seems that once we start looking for Buddha, he’s everywhere.” Sometimes these films never even intended to touch on Buddhist themes, yet those messages and teachings can be felt by audiences all the same, and those messages seem to land even harder when they are wrapped inside a romantic comedy or an animated movie, for instance, and we aren’t expecting them. They sneak in past our defenses, and the point hits us like the punchline of a joke. For Buddhism, the unexpected surprise of something like a punchline may even be the best way for its teachings to land.
So what are some of the ways that Buddhism is explored in film?
Buddhist Films
Sony Pictures Classics
There are a few western films that are clearly Buddhist, and many of them came out in the 90s, which was a kind of golden age for Buddhism in film. This might be in part because the Dalai Lama (the leader of Tibetan Buddhism) was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, propelling him and his cause (a free Tibet) into the world spotlight. There were many mainstream movies about Buddhism during this time, such as director Martin Scorsese’s retelling of the life of the Dalai Lama in Kundun (1997); the 1993 film Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves as the grown-up Siddhartha Gotama (the founder of Buddhism); and Seven Years in Tibet (1997), which is based on a true story and stars Brad Pitt as a mountaineer who befriends the Dalai Lama.
There were even a few non-western Buddhist films that became somewhat popular in the west too, such as the Tibetan-language movie The Cup (1999), about two young Buddhist monks who are obsessed with soccer and desperately try to find a TV for their rural Himalayan monastery so that they can watch the World Cup. The film explores the nature of attachment as something like passion for a sport, as well interrogating the idea that monks shouldn’t be passionate about such things. It is a quintessential Buddhist movie, and the director, Khyentse Norbu, is considered by some to even be a modern reincarnated lama (spiritual leader).
Buena Vista Pictures
There was also the lovely South Korean film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003), which is another example of a non-western film that gained traction among western Buddhist audiences. It was praised by Roger Ebert, who said, “Rarely has a movie this simple moved me this deeply,” and called it a “story of timelessness, of the transcendence of the eternal.” It is a quiet film that moves through the seasons of a man’s life like the seasons of a year, as we watch him train to be a monk, and grow from childhood into old age.
These movies portray the soft elegance and gentle spirit of Buddhism, as well as historical context and modern relevant issues. The 90s was a time when western familiarity with Buddhism became more common (as yoga, mindfulness, and other eastern influences were appropriated by the west), and it was in many ways due to the prevalence of Buddhism in cultural spaces such as film.
The Covertly Buddhist Groundhog Day
Via: Columbia Pictures
And then there are movies that don’t seem to be about Buddhism at first glance — and interestingly, many of these came out in the 90s as well. Movies like The Matrix, Groundhog Day, or The Big Lebowski might not seem like Buddhist films. These would likely not be self-identified as ‘Buddhist cinema,’ yet there are Buddhism themes, references, and lessons that we can take from them.
Groundhog Day, a spiritual and philosophical masterpiece, is probably the best example of this. When it came out, Groundhog Day wasn’t initially considered a Buddhist film. But today it is one of the most commonly cited western films with Buddhist themes. In the essay titled “What is a ‘Buddhist Film’?”, professor John Whalen-Bridge said that Groundhog Day was “arguably the best cinematic expression of the logic of karma.” In the movie, the bitter main character Phil relives the same day over and over again — a perfect analogy for the cycle of reincarnation that Buddhism teaches.
Phil only becomes free of this cycle when he starts living for others, instead of himself. He finally learns at the end that helping others is the true purpose in life, no matter what kind of cycle of existence we find ourselves in. Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin, who co-wrote the screenplay, both had interests in religion. Rubin expressed interest in Buddhism specifically, while Ramis discussed religious themes of Groundhog Day in general during the movie’s DVD commentary.
The Matrix and the Star Wars Sutras
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Matrix, already a very philosophical movie, is another classic example. While references to the city of Zion or Neo as the “Chosen One” may seem more Christian than Buddhist, there are a few core themes that are very Buddhist. The central idea of the Matrix as a mental prison that humanity is trapped in is a poignant metaphor for the illusory world of samsara from which Buddhists seek to be free. The main antagonist, Agent Smith, even says at one point, “I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery.” And the way to be free of this existence in the Matrix, according to the movie, is to free your mind - a central Buddhist concept.
Star Wars is another great example, with Jedi shown to be meditating, and themes around the destruction of anger and the freedom of acceptance. The Empire Strikes Back has the most Buddhist wisdom among all the Star Wars films, with the first appearance of Yoda. The director, Irvin Kershner, was a Buddhist and wanted to communicate those ideas specifically, so that kids wouldn’t walk away from the movie “just thinking that everything is a shoot-’em-up.”
The Dude’s Noble Truths in The Big Lebowski
Gramercy Pictures
The Big Lebowski, one of the best Coen brothers films, is another movie that has more Christian than Buddhist themes, and the Coen brothers never mentioned Buddhism as an inspiration in their writing of the film. But the character of “The Dude,” played by Jeff Bridges, has since become a theorized Zen Buddhist master. It is even Jeff Bridges’ favorite Buddhist movie. He doesn’t exactly follow precepts that Buddhist monks might take, such as refraining from drinking alcohol. But what seems most “zen” about The Dude is his very relaxed response to the increasing chaos around him. His laissez-faire attitude even birthed a modern philosophical movement called “Dudeism” (officially called the Church of the Latter-Day Dude), which has been variously described as a philosophy, a religion, and a lifestyle.
American Zen Master Bernie Glassman proposes that much of what The Dude says can be interpreted as modern zen “koans”. Koans are Zen stories or short questions that often come across as riddles, and their purpose is to inspire revelations about the nature of the mind or reality. Some examples of the koans in this movie are “The Dude abides,” “The Dude is not in,” and “That rug really tied the room together.” Glassman and Bridges even wrote a book together called The Dude and the Zen Master, addressing this point as well.
Movies like Finding Nemo, Donnie Darko, and Jacob’s Ladder have been shown at Buddhist film festivals too. Jacob’s Ladder was directly inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the director spent time in Buddhist monasteries.
The Art of Jokes and Koans
A24
The real trick about movies with a message is that the last thing most people want during a movie is to feel like they’re being taught anything. The more you know that the purpose of a film is to convey a meaningful message, the more the audience is prepared for that; often, they brace themselves against it, putting up walls of skepticism or analysis between them and the experience. The way films work against those presuppositions and attachments is almost akin to how a koan works.
In Zen Buddhism, the point of koans or other Zen teachings is to inspire a moment of revelation. It often hits the student in a way that subverts their expectations — much like a joke. For instance, a quick and easy joke is, “A guy walks into a bar and says, ‘Ow! Who put this bar here?’” The play on the word “bar” sets up and then plays upon the expectation of which kind of bar, in the reader’s mind. Similarly, Zen teachers will figure out what the student expects to hear, and play upon it. Zen Master Joshu had two students ask him if a dog had Buddha nature; he replied “No” to one and “Yes” to the other. Not because there was any definitive answer, but because he was trying to shake the student out of the answer they were expecting.
When a movie does this, it can be a wonderful experience. Viewers who watch Kung Fu Panda might not be expecting any philosophical wisdom from a kid’s movie, or at least, nothing very profound. Yet when the panda Po finally reads the coveted dragon scroll at the end of the film, he expects to discover a secret to becoming the best warrior ever. Instead, the scroll is empty — reflecting his own face back to him.
The Sound of One Film Clapping
Warner Bros.
Again, in Groundhog Day, the concept about trying to be free of an endless cycle of the same day, over and over again, might seem like a simple enough plot (with a time-loop narrative that’s been used numerous times since) — until Bill Murray’s character Phil asks a powerful question: “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” The barfly Ralph replies, “That about sums it up for me.” Suddenly we see Phil’s struggle not just as an interesting plot device, but as something we can apply to our own lives.
When we aren’t expecting a movie to be serious, it can surprise us and catch us with our guard down, so that the message it conveys (and sometimes, even a moment of enlightenment) can hit us like the spontaneous, genuine laughter that bursts forth at the punchline of a joke. And of all the ways to communicate something like Buddhist principles, perhaps this subtle, unexpected way might be the best.
