Top Ten Movies for Buddhists

Finally I’ve finished my movie reviews!  I’ve been wanting to post this for awhile.  There are so many movies that demonstrate correct view and other spiritual principles in a fun way.  Here are some of my favorites.  Click on the links to see my full description!

Groundhog Day – spiritual concepts:  samsara and cyclic life

Matrix – spiritual concepts:  we create our reality, the world is a projection of our mind

Inception – spiritual concept:  the world is a projection of our mind

Ushpizin – spiritual concepts: prayer changes things, we create our own reality, consider the uses of adversity

Milarepa – spiritual concepts: overcoming obstacles, purification of negativities, anyone can become enlightened

What the Bleep Do We Know – spiritual concepts: conditioned responses and the physiology behind them, deceptive reality

The Truman Show – spiritual concept: deceptive reality

Kumare – spiritual concepts: intention is the most important aspect of spiritual growth. belief in the teacher is powerful, we all have the answers within us

Seven Pounds – spiritual concept:  bodhichitta

V for Vendetta – spiritual concepts: destruction of self, Kali/Ekajati, cessation of fear

Groundhog Day

This is the first post in a series on my favorite spiritual and/or Buddhist movies.

Groundhog Day is one of the best illustrations of the idea ogroundhog day movie coverf cyclic life (samsara) and how we are trapped.  This comedy, released in 1993, has Bill Murray redoing the same day over and over and over again.  He starts out a semi-nasty character and follows along on that tract trying over and over to seduce Andie MacDowell as he repeats the same day over and over.  He mingles in crime and debauchery.  He reaches a state of desperation and then, over time, he lets go of his unethical ways and begins to embrace goodness until finally he wakes up one day and time has begun to move again.  He has become, free from cyclic life!

The movie is a perfect illustration of the slow process of enlightenment.  This slow process guarantees that all sentient beings will become enlightened and leave cyclic life by a process of trial and error.  Not unlike Bill Murray, we will all eventually learn what doesn’t bring us lasting happiness and will discover what does.