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May 7, 2006 · In an interview with GQ.com’s Ben Phelan, George Saunders and photographer Jeff Riedel talk about capturing the Buddha Boy on film.
The Incredible Buddha Boy “A legend is growing in Nepal, where people say a meditating boy hasn’t eaten or drunk in seven months. He barely moves, just sits under a tree, still as a stone.
Sep 10, 2015 · Now, according to Buddha we have all been in Samsara for an indefinite period of time, continuously suffering, dying, and getting born, only to suffer and die again. The moment when one arrives at the peak of Nirvana, is when one is released from this eternal circle of birth and death.
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) – Kim Ki-duk. On a floating monastery in a beautiful lake, a young Buddhist monk and his master live their austere, simple lives in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring.
- Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989) – Bae Yong-kyun. It’s difficult to think of a film that more completely embodies the spirit of Buddhism in content and style than this unique classic.
- Kundun (1997) – Martin Scorsese. Martin Scorsese’s epic film is a straightforward but inspired telling of the life of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.
- The Burmese Harp (1956) – Kon Ichikawa. Mizushima, the protagonist of this Japanese film, is no coward; he has proven his bravery in battle, but circumstances have forced him apart from his unit.
- By Krista Tippett
- By David Grubin
- By Jeff Bridges
- By Naima Mora
- By Peter Coyote
- By Bell Hooks
- By Jessica Pimentel
- By Mickey Lemle
- By Seth Greenland
- By Michael Imperioli
I actually watch more television than films these days, but one film that came quickly to mind is Perfect Sense. It premiered at Sundance a few years ago but never got much attention. I found it exquisite. Ewan McGregor and Eva Green star. It brings together a few things I love: beautiful visuals and music, great acting and writing, a moving yarn, ...
A Man Escaped, Robert Bresson’s film about a French Resistance soldier sentenced to death who escapes from an impregnable Nazi prison, may seem like an odd choice. After all, the second part of its title, “The Wind Blows Where It Wishes,” comes from the Gospel According to John and the soundtrack features Mozart’s ‘Mass in C Minor.” Its narrative, ...
Now, it could be argued that there’s no Buddhist theme in The Big Lebowski whatsoever. However, my buddy Bernie Glassman has another opinion. He said to me one day, “Did you know that the Dude in The Big Lebowskiis considered by many Buddhists to be a Zen master?” I said, “You gotta be kidding. We never talked about Zen or Buddhism while we were ma...
I’ve actually fallen in love with a movie that I think has one of the best representations of fundamental Buddhist principles: Kung Fu Panda. The film is for both children and adults, which I love. It really starts a dialogue about Buddhist principles with young people and their parents who see themselves in each other and learn from each other. Th...
There is a wonderful American film called Opening Night, by the great director John Cassavetes, that on the surface makes no reference to anything remotely Buddhist. It is the story of a grand and courageous woman played by Cassavetes’ wife, Gena Roland, an actress of great reputation and talent, currently felled by alcoholism of a savagery that ha...
Meeting many years ago with Gary Snyder, coupled with my passionate interest in the Beat poets, led me to Zen Buddhism. Indeed, it was at a May celebration at Snyder’s home where I first encountered Buddhist nuns. Up until that point I knew little about women in the spread of Zen Buddhism. My interest in Snyder’s poetry and his critical thinking on...
There are many references in The Matrixto Buddhist philosophy and the journey to enlightenment. The main theme of the film is that reality is not what it appears to be—it is a result of our perceptions and to know the true nature of all things requires us to “wake up” and to “free our mind.” This is a beautiful parallel to the Buddha, who is referr...
By far the most “Buddhist” movie I’ve ever seen is not Little Buddha or The Life of the Buddha but Groundhog Day. This Harold Ramis film, written by Danny Rubin, captures the very essence of Buddhism. Bill Murray’s character, Phil, keeps reliving the same day over and over. He goes through all of the human attachments in each new repeated day, each...
“I killed him for the money and for a woman. I didn’t get the money. And I didn’t get the woman.” So opens Billy Wilder’s noir classic, Double Indemnity, based on the brutal novel by James M. Cain. From that point, the movie flashes back and tells the lurid story that culminates in this foretold conclusion, a structure that subtly suggests that beg...
I have two favorite Buddhist films. The first and closest to my heart is For the Benefit of All Beings, which is about the life of Garchen Rinpoche, who also happens to be my root teacher. The story of this great lama’s life and the difficulties he has overcome is a never-ending source of inspiration. Rinpoche spent twenty years doing hard labor in...
Sri Siddhartha Gautama (ශ්රී සිද්ධාර්ථ ගෞතම) is a 2013 Sinhalese epic biographical film based on the life of the Buddha. Directed by Saman Weeraman Written by, Dr Edwin Ariyadasa, Saman Weersman, Navin Gunarathne and George Paldona.
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A Buddha is an Argentine movie that stunningly depicts the experience of spiritual awakening. It’s an emotional movie directed by Diego Rafecas, a Zen teacher in Argentina. With beautiful music and cinematography, it absorbs you right from the beginning.
