Try Revolver, a fairly decent movie talking directly about the elimination of the Self (in an Asura realm, if you like).
"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.
The old "Kung Fu" series from the 1970s with David Carradine holds up very well.
Each episode is a morality play or a story with a positive, educational theme. The protagonist, the Shaolin Buddhist monk who is a fugitive conveys that there is nothing finer than meditation and being free from desire, but he also has tremendous strength within worldly terms but is restrained in its use. Good lessons and interesting stories.
In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:
One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.
The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.
hello, are there any good buddhist movies besides the hollywood buddhist movies like seven years in tibet. ive seen spring summer fall winter spring or whatever it is i forgot what its like. any recommedations? that are theravadan? metta, befriend
Take care of mindfulness and mindfulness will take care of you.
I haven't seen any movies that really address Theravada issues, though Nang Nak does include Leung Por Toh http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217680/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
As far as actually addressing Buddhist issues I think that Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?: A Zen Fablehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097195/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is truly excellent. Not so easy to watch as Samsara, or Spring ...since there's little action, no sex, no attempt at being entertaining, but it's well worth the effort.
Watched a few flix over the "holidays," thought I'd share.
Horrible Bosses was funnier than I thought it would be and I'd recommend it for a good laugh.
Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger was surprisingly good too (even has a "re-incarnation" sub-plot of sorts).
And the HBO series Bored To Death is almost as good as Curb Your Enthusiasm.
May you all grow fat with unbounded friendliness.
DanieLion
I watched Pasolini's Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom at a friend's house on Christmas, of all things. Nothing I would've picked myself, but it wasn't my choice what we watched after dinner. And while the film itself is pretty difficult to watch, I found it surprisingly thought-provoking and well-made. (I wrote some of my thoughts about it here, if anyone's interested).