The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

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tiltbillings
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by tiltbillings »

binocular wrote:
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.
As for Bee Season, a nice little film, I'll take "some meta sense" in Eliza's compassionate act for her family as having more to do with acting in accordance with Dhamma over Nathan's very directly -- hands on -- assisting with the self-killing of Katsumoto for Katsumoto's honor.
>> 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
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by binocular »

tiltbillings wrote:As for Bee Season, a nice little film, I'll take "some meta sense" in Eliza's compassionate act for her family as having more to do with acting in accordance with Dhamma over Nathan's very directly -- hands on -- assisting with the self-killing of Katsumoto for Katsumoto's honor.
There's samurai culture and there's the Dhamma, and I'm not sure how much the two really have in common. There are some fierce claimants that the samurai culture is Buddhist. I'm not so sure about it.

There seems to be a similar problem as in Hinduism: according to the varnashrama system, there is the warrior caste, and yet they belong to a religion that is principally non-violent. There's that famous story of Arjuna having a conversation with God, and God encouraging Arjuna to act in line with his duty as a warrior - and kill people.
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Spiny Norman »

I like the film "Dances with wolves" and will try to think of a Dhamma connection.. :tongue:
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by DNS »

Spiny Norman wrote:I like the film "Dances with wolves" and will try to think of a Dhamma connection.. :tongue:
I'll give it a shot.

Lt. Dunbar (played by Costner) chose to go to the vast wilderness of the West for his assignment / post. He was all alone and enjoyed the solitude. He kept a journal. (meditation simile)

After encountering the nearby Native American tribe, he gradually grew fond of them, ignoring the orders and rules of his post. (rejecting the authority of the Vedas simile)

When first meeting the tribe, he shows his bravery, which is admired by the tribe leaders. (simile for ascetic meditation persistence and determination)

He eventually assimilates into his newly adopted culture of the tribe. (simile for not accepting something simply because of the ethnicity to which you were born; Kalama Sutta)
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by binocular »

David N. Snyder wrote:
Spiny Norman wrote:I like the film "Dances with wolves" and will try to think of a Dhamma connection.. :tongue:
I'll give it a shot.
Ah, he goes to live among the Indians, that's the Dharma connection. :shock:
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Kim OHara
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Kim OHara »

Lots more here, on the Tricycle BuddhaFest Online Film Festival.
Guide: http://www.tricycle.com/buddhafest/festival-guide

:popcorn:
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Modus.Ponens
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Modus.Ponens »

I don't know if this was added before, but "The Straight Story", by David Lynch, is a wonderful film. Probably the most beautiful film I saw in my life. It's a very simple story (not encrypted like Muholand Drive), yet so beautiful and profound. It has some good lessons, among them the importance of being kind and have a non-conflituous life of friendly love towards others, especialy family. You won't regret watching it.
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tiltbillings
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by tiltbillings »

Modus.Ponens wrote:I don't know if this was added before, but "The Straight Story", by David Lynch, is a wonderful film. Probably the most beautiful film I saw in my life. It's a very simple story (not encrypted like Muholand Drive), yet so beautiful and profound. It has some good lessons, among them the importance of being kind and have a non-conflituous life of friendly love towards others, especialy family. You won't regret watching it.
It is, indeed, a lovely bit of story telling.
>> 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
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by purple planet »

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nekete
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by nekete »

You can't take it with you.

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BlackBird
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by BlackBird »

I dunno if anyone's mentioned it, but
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/amour_2013/

Very existential, deals with old age, brilliant film.
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'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

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Taijitu
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by Taijitu »

Three films I remember well that had an impact on me:

LA Story (1991)
True Romance (1993)
One Day (2011)

All romances! Must show where my interests are. :embarassed:
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suttametta
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by suttametta »

The Wolf of Wall Street. Theme is the unreality of samsara. The story starts off with Leonardo getting schooled on the unreal nature of Wall Street by Matthew McConaughey. Then it becomes a kaleidoscope of the visions of greed and ignorance. This is a reflection on the suffering of samsara.
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by JeffR »

makarasilapin wrote:
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


I really like this one, it's more documentary than plot based. Not Tibetan; it's Thai. Phra Kru ba is still taking in orphans to my knowledge.
-Jeff
Therein what are 'six (types of) disrespect'? One dwells without respect, without deference for the Teacher; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Teaching; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Order; one dwells without respect, without deference for the precepts; one dwells without respect, without deference for heedfulness; one dwells without respect, without deference for hospitality. These are six (types of) disrespect.
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kirtu
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Re: The obligatory Dhamma themed movie thread

Post by kirtu »

Harp of Burma, 1956, directed by Kon Ichikawa. Ichikawa remade this classic in color in 1985 but I haven't seen that version.

The Burmese Harp, Biruma no tategoto, Harp of Burma: at the end of WW2 in Burma, a Japanese soldier, Private Mizushima, who can "pass for a Burmese" and who plays a harp, is tasked by Australian forces to convince a Japanese garrison on a mountain to surrender. If they do not, the Australians will destroy the garrison with artillery fire. Mizushima is unable to convince the garrison that the war is over but Mizushima does not abandon the attempt and is the only survivor of the artillery barrage. Stunned, he begins to make his way to the internment camp in Rangoon where is unit is. However he is unable to get far. A Buddhist monk nurses him back to health, telling him, it doesn't matter who comes and occupies Burma, British, Japanese, Burma is Buddha's country. Mizushima leaves and travels disguised as a monk. Along the way he encounters many dead bodies, mostly soldiers and beings to bury them. Later stymied by a river, the monk again shows up in a boat, gets out, and praises Mizushima. Mizushima finally arrives in Rangoon and is given lodging in a temple where it is commented that he must have undergone very difficult training. His unit in the meantime bought a parrot and trained it to call out to him, as his comrades believe Mizushima is still trying to rejoin the unit. Once in Rangoon, seen as a monk, Mizushima begins living as a monk. There is still the question of whether he will rejoin his unit and reveal himself to his comrades ....

Primarily an antiwar film, but the theme of taking the task of burying the now helpless dead is an act of metta. Mizushima also explicitly engages the task of alleviating the suffering of the world to whatever extent he can.

I just realized that this version is not subtitled in English, which will make his letter and the words in the final scene not understandable:
As I climbed mountains and crossed streams, burying the bodies left in the grasses and streams, my heart was wracked with questions. Why must the world suffer such misery? Why must there be such inexplicable pain? As the days passed, I came to understand. I realized that, in the end, the answers were not for human beings to know, that our work is simply to ease the great suffering of the world. To have the courage to face suffering, senselessness and irrationality without fear, to find the strength to create peace by one's own example. I will undergo whatever training is necessary for this to become my unshakable conviction.
"The soil of Burma is red, and so are its rocks!"


Kirt
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