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Reader comments on Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring
Subject: Re: burning oneself alive
Date: Jul 26, 2004
I wonder if the Old Monk does actually burn himself alive. Since he is such an insightful monk, perhaps he knows he is about to die naturally or is ready to pass naturally into nirvana and organises the cremation of his own body in the sinking boat to take place immediately after he has passed away. After all, there is nobody else to do it, and as others have commented he does not want to leave his rotting corpse and skeleton in the monastery which would upset anyone who might come later.
Another significant detail is the appearance of the snake swimming away from the burning boat to the monastery where it takes up residence, perhaps as a guardian spirit. We see it hibernating inside in a corner next to the successor monk's sleeping place in the Winter sequence. He knows it's there and does not disturb it.
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Response to this comment:
Re: burning oneself alive
Thank you for taking the time to explain some of the Buddhist/symbolic elements behind the Old Monk's self-immolation. It helped me to better understand both the scene itself and how it fit into the film as a whole. I loved the film and felt a bit frustrated that I don't have the cultural context to appreciate it fully, so I'm grateful for your filling in a little of that context for western viewers.
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Comment index:
» Re: burning oneself alive « from Tony Ferguson, Jul 26, 2004
all from Erik, Aug 11, 2005
» Re: burning oneself alive « from Tony Ferguson, Jul 26, 2004
all from Erik, Aug 11, 2005
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