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Reader comments on Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring
Subject: Re: burning oneself alive
Date: Jul 9, 2004
I think cinthya hits the symbolism right on the head: the first monk must die, so that we can witness the cycles of life proceed with his protege. The movie'w title really is apt and without guile: human beings go through cycles during the course of their lives that can be likened to the turning of the seasons. I, too, would have been much more appalled if the protege had found the skeletal remains of his teacher; self-immolation, within a very small segment of mankind is as natural--and in the monk's case more so--as burial for Christians or leaving the remains to be picked clean by vultures (is it the Parsis of India?). I think Cinthya's insight about why, symbolically, the monk had to die in the boat is brilliant. I had the good fortune of seeing the movie with a Buddhist, so I didn't have to think one minute what the various animals at the monastery represented (though some reflection would have worked anyway), but my companion explained the ending--where the Buddhist figurine is hauled up the hill--in Buddhist terms or I would have been baffled by its symbolism. No matter. What a great movie, if for no other reason than the cinematic lushness of the movie.
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Re: burning oneself alive
your reaction was completely natural. but you have to look beyond the superficial significance of it. buddhism supports the idea that once one has mastered oneself, one can do as they please as regards to the life and death of their physical body. perhpas the 'master' commited suicide because he felt his work was done and it was time for the cycle to begin anew. also, for movie purposes, a suicide was appropiate. i think it would have been even more apalling to find the carcass of the master rotting in the shrine with the return of the monk. another symbolism is the boat. the boat was the master's vehicle, just like the body was the vehicle for his soul. he burned both of those vehicles forcing the monk to find his own way...and leaving behind his shoes for the monk to fill.
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Comment index:
» Re: burning oneself alive « from Vil Blekaitis, Jul 9, 2004
all from Erik, Aug 11, 2005
» Re: burning oneself alive « from Vil Blekaitis, Jul 9, 2004
all from Erik, Aug 11, 2005
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