Student
1. Analyze and interpret either the film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring or the film Why Has Bodhidharma Gone to the East? focusing on the concepts of compassion, non-ego, and the koan.
The film, Why Has Bodhidharma Gone to the East? , depicts the lives of three monks who reside at a hermitage in the mountains away from civilization. It is a simple story that shows the interaction of each monk, the child, the adult, and the old man at different stages on the path of Zen. It is a visual representation of the different facets of Zen and the decisions one faces on its path. As the story progresses it unveils Zen’s simple nature and the simplicity of its teachings. The film’s Zen’s like simplicity effectively focuses on the teachings of compassion, non-ego, and the koan found in throughout the practice.
In Buddhism, the Buddha teaches one the importance in developing two qualities in order realize enlightenment. One of these qualities is the concept of compassion. Through the understanding of compassion we can turn emptiness into form toward the beings among us. Compassion also allows one to turn form into emptiness by overcoming the ego self. This is represented by the adult’s relation with his mother. In the film the adult chooses to return to civilization in order to care for his mother. When he meets his mother, the adult is conflicted by his own compassion towards his mother as well as the guilt he feels for abandoning his duty as a son with his decision to follow the path of Zen. This internal conflict he is struggling with is due to his view of self. When one suffers, as the case of the adult, one’s perspective is deluded by the view of their ego-self. As stated by the opening sutra before Zen practice, only by overcoming this struggle of one’s perspective of compassion can the adult come to a true understanding of compassion for all sentient beings. The child and the bird is another interpretation of compassion found in Zen teachings. The child,
The film, Why Has Bodhidharma Gone to the East? , depicts the lives of three monks who reside at a hermitage in the mountains away from civilization. It is a simple story that shows the interaction of each monk, the child, the adult, and the old man at different stages on the path of Zen. It is a visual representation of the different facets of Zen and the decisions one faces on its path. As the story progresses it unveils Zen’s simple nature and the simplicity of its teachings. The film’s Zen’s like simplicity effectively focuses on the teachings of compassion, non-ego, and the koan found in throughout the practice.
In Buddhism, the Buddha teaches one the importance in developing two qualities in order realize enlightenment. One of these qualities is the concept of compassion. Through the understanding of compassion we can turn emptiness into form toward the beings among us. Compassion also allows one to turn form into emptiness by overcoming the ego self. This is represented by the adult’s relation with his mother. In the film the adult chooses to return to civilization in order to care for his mother. When he meets his mother, the adult is conflicted by his own compassion towards his mother as well as the guilt he feels for abandoning his duty as a son with his decision to follow the path of Zen. This internal conflict he is struggling with is due to his view of self. When one suffers, as the case of the adult, one’s perspective is deluded by the view of their ego-self. As stated by the opening sutra before Zen practice, only by overcoming this struggle of one’s perspective of compassion can the adult come to a true understanding of compassion for all sentient beings. The child and the bird is another interpretation of compassion found in Zen teachings. The child,