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http://www.UrbanDharma.org
...Buddhism for Urban America
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The
Urban Dharma Newsletter... May 6, 2003
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In
This Issue:
1.
Buddhist Humor...
2.
Wake Up! Gnosticism & Buddhism in "The Matrix"
3.
Temple/Center/Website- of the Week: Monastic Interreligious
Dialogue
4. Book Review: Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy
and Religion in The Matrix -- by Glenn Yeffeth (Editor),
David Gerrold (Introduction)
5. Peace Quote...
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2. Wake Up! Gnosticism & Buddhism in "The Matrix"
...Frances Flannery-Dailey & Rachel Wagner
*
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/new_phil_wakeup.html
At
the beginning of The Matrix, a black-clad computer hacker
known as Neo falls asleep in front of his computer. A mysterious
message appears on the screen: "Wake up, Neo." (1)
This succinct phrase encapsulates the plot of the film, as Neo
struggles with the problem of being imprisoned in a "material"
world that is actually a computer simulation program created
in the distant future by Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a means
of enslaving humanity, by perpetuating ignorance in the form
of an illusory perception called "the Matrix." In
part, the film crafts its ultimate view of reality by alluding
to numerous religious traditions that advance the idea that
the fundamental problem which humanity faces is ignorance and
the solution is knowledge or awakening. Two religious traditions
on which the film draws heavily are Gnostic Christianity and
Buddhism. (2) Although these traditions differ in important
ways, they agree in maintaining that the problem of ignorance
can be solved through an individual's reorientation of perspective
concerning the material realm. (3) Gnostic Christianity and
Buddhism also both envision a guide who helps those still trapped
in the limiting world of illusion, a Gnostic redeemer figure
or a bodhisattva, who willingly enters that world in order to
share liberating knowledge, facilitating escape for anyone able
to understand. In the film, this figure is Neo, whose name is
also an anagram for the "One."
Although
as a "modern myth" (4) the film purposefully draws
on numerous traditions, (5) we propose that an examination of
Gnostic Christianity and Buddhism well illuminates the overarching
paradigm of The Matrix, namely, the problem of sleeping
in ignorance in a dreamworld, solved by waking to knowledge
or enlightenment. By drawing syncretistically on these two ancient
traditions and fusing them with a technological vision of the
future, the film constructs a new teaching that challenges its
audience to question "reality."
I.
Christian Elements in The Matrix
The
majority of the film's audience probably easily recognizes the
presence of some Christian elements, such as the name Trinity
(6) or Neo's death and Christ-like resurrection and ascension
near the end of the film. In fact, Christian and biblical allusions
abound, particularly with respect to nomenclature: (7) Apoc
(Apocalypse), Neo's given name of Mr. Ander/son (from the Greek
andras for man, thus producing "Son of Man"), the
ship named the Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian king who, in the
Book of Daniel, has puzzling symbolic dreams that must be interpreted),
(8) and the last remaining human city, Zion, synonymous in Judaism
and Christianity with (the heavenly) Jerusalem. (9) Neo is overtly
constructed as a Jesus figure: he is "the One" who
was prophesied to return again to the Matrix, who has the power
the change the Matrix from within (i.e., to work miracles),
who battles the representatives of evil and who is killed but
comes to life again.
This
construction of Neo as Jesus is reinforced in numerous ways.
Within minutes of the commencement of the movie, another hacker
says to Neo, "You're my savior, man, my own personal Jesus
Christ." (10) This identification is also suggested by
the Nebuchadnezzar's crew, who nervously wonder if he is "the
One" who was foretold, and who repeatedly swear in Neo's
presence by saying "Jesus" or "Jesus Christ."
(11) In still another example, Neo enters the Nebuchadnezzar
for the first time and the camera pans across the interior of
the ship, resting on the make: "Mark III no. 11."
This seems to be another messianic reference, since the Gospel
of Mark 3:11 reads: "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him,
they fell down before him and shouted, ' You are the Son of
God!'"
II.
Gnosticism in The Matrix
Although
the presence of individual Christian elements within the film
is clear, the overall system of Christianity that is presented
is not the traditional, orthodox one. Rather, the Christian
elements of the film make the most sense when viewed within
a context of Gnostic Christianity. (12) Gnosticism was a religious
system that flourished for centuries at the beginning of the
Common Era, and in many regions of the ancient Mediterranean
world it competed strongly with "orthodox" Christianity,
while in other areas it represented the only interpretation
of Christianity that was known. (13) The Gnostics possessed
their own Scriptures, accessible to us in the form of the Nag
Hammadi Library, from which a general sketch of Gnostic beliefs
may be drawn. (14) Although Gnostic Christianity comprises many
varieties, Gnosticism as a whole seems to have embraced an orienting
cosmogonic myth that explains the true nature of the universe
and humankind's proper place in it. (15) A brief retelling of
this myth illuminates numerous parallels with The Matrix.
In
the Gnostic myth, the supreme god is completely perfect and
therefore alien and mysterious, "ineffable," "unnamable,"
"immeasurable light which is pure, holy and immaculate"
(Apocryphon of John). In addition to this god there are other,
lesser divine beings in the pleroma (akin to heaven, a division
of the universe that is not Earth), who possess some metaphorical
gender of male or female. (16) Pairs of these beings are able
to produce offspring that are themselves divine emanations,
perfect in their own ways. (17) A problem arises when one "aeon"
or being named Sophia (Greek for wisdom), a female, decides
"to bring forth a likeness out of herself without the consent
of the Spirit," that is, to produce an offspring without
her consort (Apocry. of John). The ancient view was that females
contribute the matter in reproduction, and males the form; thus,
Sophia's action produces an offspring that is imperfect or even
malformed, and she casts it away from the other divine beings
in the pleroma into a separate region of the cosmos. This malformed,
ignorant deity, sometimes named Yaldaboath, mistakenly believes
himself to be the only god.
Gnostics
identify Yaldabaoth as the Creator God of the Old Testament,
who himself decides to create archons (angels), the material
world (Earth) and human beings. Although traditions vary, Yaldabaoth
is usually tricked into breathing the divine spark or spirit
of his mother Sophia that formerly resided in him into the human
being (especially Apocry. of John; echoes of Genesis 2-3). Therein
lies the human dilemma. We are pearls in the mud, a divine spirit
(good) trapped in a material body (bad) and a material realm
(bad). Heaven is our true home, but we are in exile from the
pleroma.
Luckily
for the Gnostic, salvation is available in the form of gnosis
or knowledge imparted by a Gnostic redeemer, who is Christ,
a figure sent from the higher God to free humankind from the
Creator God Yaldabaoth. The gnosis involves an understanding
of our true nature and origin, the metaphysical reality hitherto
unknown to us, resulting in the Gnostic's escape (at death)
from the enslaving material prison of the world and the body,
into the upper regions of spirit. However, in order to make
this ascent, the Gnostic must pass by the archons, who are jealous
of his/her luminousity, spirit or intelligence, and who thus
try to hinder the Gnostic's upward journey.
To
a significant degree, the basic Gnostic myth parallels the plot
of The Matrix, with respect to both the problem that
humans face as well as the solution. Like Sophia, we conceived
an offspring out of our own pride, as Morpheus explains: "Early
in the 21st century, all of mankind was united in celebration.
We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to AI."
(18) This offspring of ours, however, like Yaldabaoth is malformed
(matter without spirit?). Morpheus describes AI as "a singular
consciousness that spawned an entire race of machines,"
a fitting parallel for the Gnostic Creator God of the archons
(angels) and the illusory material world. AI creates the Matrix,
a computer simulation that is "a prison for your mind."
Thus, Yaldabaoth/ AI traps humankind in a material prison that
does not represent ultimate reality, as Morpheus explains to
Neo: "As long as the Matrix exists, the human race will
never be free."
The
film also echoes the metaphorical language employed by Gnostics.
The Nag Hammadi texts describe the fundamental human problem
in metaphorical terms of blindness, sleep, ignorance, dreams
and darkness / night, while the solution is stated in terms
of seeing, waking, knowledge (gnosis), waking from dreams and
light / day. (19)
Similarly,
in the film Morpheus, whose name is taken from the Greek god
of sleep and dreams, reveals to Neo that the Matrix is "a
computer generated dreamworld." When Neo is unplugged and
awakens for the first time on the Nebuchadnezzar in a brightly
lit white space (a cinematic code for heaven), his eyes hurt,
as Morpheus explains, because he has never used them. Everything
Neo has "seen" up to that point was seen with the
mind's eye, as in a dream, created through software simulation.
Like an ancient Gnostic, Morpheus explains that the blows he
deals Neo in the martial arts training program have nothing
to do with his body or speed or strength, which are illusory.
Rather, they depend only on his mind, which is real.
The
parallels between Neo and Christ sketched earlier are further
illuminated by a Gnostic context, since Neo is "saved"
through gnosis or secret knowledge, which he passes on to others.
Neo learns about the true structure of reality and about his
own true identity, which allows him to break the rules of the
material world he now perceives to be an illusion. That is,
he learns that "the mind makes it [the Matrix, the material
world] real," but it is not ultimately real. In the final
scene of the film, it is this gnosis that Neo passes on to others
in order to free them from the prison of their minds, the Matrix.
He functions as a Gnostic Redeemer, a figure from another realm
who enters the material world in order to impart saving knowledge
about humankind's true identity and the true structure of reality,
thereby setting free anyone able to understand the message.
In
fact, Neo's given name is not only Mr. Anderson / the Son of
Man, it is Thomas Anderson, which reverberates with the most
famous Gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Thomas. Also, before he
is actualized as Neo (the one who will initiate something "New,"
since he is indeed "the One"), he is doubting Thomas,
who does not believe in his role as the redeemer figure. (20)
In fact, the name Thomas means "the Twin," and in
ancient Christian legend he is Jesus' twin brother. In a sense,
the role played by Keanu Reeves has a twin character, since
he is constructed as both a doubting Thomas and as a Gnostic
Christ figure. (21)
Not
only does Neo learn and pass on secret knowledge that saves,
in good Gnostic fashion, but the way in which he learns also
evokes some elements of Gnosticism. Imbued with images from
eastern traditions, the training programs teach Neo the concept
of "stillness," of freeing the mind and overcoming
fear, cinematically captured in "Bullet Time" (digitally
mastered montages of freeze frames / slow motion frames using
multiple cameras). (22) Interestingly enough, this concept of
"stillness" is also present in Gnosticism, in that
the higher aeons are equated with "stillness" and
"rest" and can only be apprehended in such a centered
and meditative manner, as is apparent in these instructions
to a certain Allogenes: "And although it is impossible
for you to stand, fear nothing; but if you wish to stand, withdraw
to the Existence, and you will find it standing and at rest
after the likeness of the One who is truly at rest...And when
you becomes perfect in that place, still yourself... "
(Allogenes) The Gnostic then reveals, "There was within
me a stillness of silence, and I heard the Blessedness whereby
I knew my proper self" (Allogenes). (23) When Neo realizes
the full extent of his "saving gnosis," that the Matrix
is only a dreamworld, a reflective Keanu Reeves silently and
calmly contemplates the bullets that he has stopped in mid-air,
filmed in "Bullet Time."
Yet
another parallel with Gnosticism occurs in the portrayal of
the Agents such as Agent Smith, and their opposition to the
equivalent of the Gnostics - that is, Neo and anyone else attempting
to leave the Matrix. AI created these artificial programs to
be "the gatekeepers - they are guarding all the doors,
they are holding all the keys." These Agents are akin to
the jealous archons created by Yaldabaoth who block the ascent
of the Gnostic as he/she tries to leave the material realm and
guard the gates of the successive levels of heaven (e.g., Apocalypse
of Paul). (24)
However,
as Morpheus predicts, Neo is eventually able to defeat the Agents
because while they must adhere to the rules of the Matrix, his
human mind allows him to bend or break these rules. (25) Mind,
though, is not equated in the film merely with rational intelligence,
otherwise Artificial Intelligence would win every time. Rather,
the concept of "mind" in the film appears to point
to a uniquely human capacity for imagination, for intuition,
or, as the phrase goes, for "thinking outside the box."
Both the film and the Gnostics assert that the "divine
spark" within humans allows a perception of gnosis greater
than that achievable by even the chief archon / agent of Yaldabaoth:
And
the power of the mother [Sophia, in our analogy, humankind]
went out of Yaldabaoth [AI] into the natural body which they
had fashioned [the humans grown on farms by AI]... And in that
moment the rest of the powers [archons / Agents ] became jealous,
because he had come into being through all of them and they
had given their power to the man, and his intelligence ["mind"]
was greater than that of those who had made him, and greater
than that of the chief archon [Agent Smith?]. And when they
recognized that he was luminous, and that he could think better
than they... they took him and threw him into the lowest region
of all matter [simulated by the Matrix]. (Apocry. of John 19-20)
It
is striking that Neo overcomes Agent Smith in the final showdown
of the film precisely by realizing fully the illusion of the
Matrix, something the Agent apparently cannot do, since Neo
is subsequently able to break rules that the Agent cannot. His
final defeat of Smith entails entering Smith's body and splitting
him in pieces by means of pure luminosity, portrayed through
special effects as light shattering Smith from the inside out.
Overall,
then, the system portrayed in The Matrix parallels Gnostic
Christianity in numerous respects, especially the delineation
of humanity's fundamental problem of existing in a dreamworld
that simulates reality and the solution of waking up from illusion.
The central mythic figures of Sophia, Yaldabaoth, the archons
and the Gnostic Christ redeemer also each find parallels with
key figures in the film and function in similar ways. The language
of Gnosticism and the film are even similar: dreaming vs. waking;
blindness vs. seeing; (26) light vs. dark. (27)
However,
given that Gnosticism presumes an entire unseen realm of divine
beings, where is God in the film? In other words, when Neo becomes
sheer light, is this a symbol for divinity, or for human potential?
The question becomes even more pertinent with the identification
of humankind with Sophia - a divine being in Gnosticism. On
one level, there appears to be no God in the film. Although
there are apocalyptic motifs, Conrad Ostwalt rightly argues
that unlike conventional Christian apocalypses, in The Matrix
both the catastrophe and its solution are of human making -
that is, the divine is not apparent. (28) However, on another
level, the film does open up the possibility of a God through
the figure of the Oracle, who dwells inside the Matrix and yet
has access to information about the future that even those free
from the Matrix do not possess. This suggestion is even stronger
in the original screenplay, in which the Oracle's apartment
is the Holy of Holies nested within the "Temple of Zion."
(29) Divinity may also play a role in Neo's past incarnation
and his coming again as the One. If, however, there is some
implied divinity in the film, (30) it remains transcendent,
like the divinity of the ineffable, invisible supreme god in
Gnosticism, except where it is immanent in the form of the divine
spark active in humans. (31)
III.
Buddhism in The Matrix
When
asked by a fan if Buddhist ideas influenced them in the production
of the movie, the Wachowski brothers offered an unqualified
"Yes." (32) Indeed, Buddhist ideas pervade the film
and appear in close proximity with the equally strong Christian
imagery. Almost immediately after Neo is identified as "my
own personal Jesus Christ," this appellation is given a
distinctively Buddhist twist. The same hacker says: "This
never happened. You don’t exist." From the stupa-like
(33) pods which encase humans in the horrific mechanistic fields
to Cypher’s selfish desire for the sensations and pleasures
of the Matrix, Buddhist teachings form a foundation for much
of the film’s plot and imagery. (34)
The
Problem of Samsara. Even the title of the film evokes the
Buddhist worldview. The Matrix is described by Morpheus as "a
prison for your mind." It is a dependent "construct"
made up of the interlocking digital projections of billions
of human beings who are unaware of the illusory nature of the
reality in which they live and are completely dependent on the
hardware attached to their real bodies and the elaborate software
programs created by AI This "construct" resembles
the Buddhist idea of samsara, which teaches that the world in
which we live our daily lives is constructed only from the sensory
projections formulated from our own desires. When Morpheus takes
Neo into the "construct" to teach him about the Matrix,
Neo learns that the way in which he had perceived himself in
the Matrix was nothing more than "the mental projection
of your digital self." The "real" world, which
we associate with what we feel, smell, taste, and see, "is
simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." The
world, Morpheus explains, exists "now only as part of a
neural interactive simulation that we call the Matrix."
In Buddhist terms, we could say that "because it is empty
of self or of what belongs to self, it is therefore said: ‘The
world is empty.’ And what is empty of self and what belongs
to self? The eye, material shapes, visual consciousness, impression
on the eye -- all these are empty of self and of what belongs
to self." (35) According to Buddhism and according to The
Matrix, the conviction of reality based upon sensory experience,
ignorance, and desire keeps humans locked in illusion until
they are able to recognize the false nature of reality and relinquish
their mistaken sense of identity.
Drawing
upon the Buddhist doctrine of Dependent Co-Origination, the
film presents reality within the Matrix as a conglomerate of
the illusions of all humans caught within its snare. Similarly,
Buddhism teaches that the suffering of human beings is dependent
upon a cycle of ignorance and desire which locks humans into
a repetitive cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The principle
is stated in a short formula in the Samyutta-nikaya:
If
this is that comes to be;
from
the arising of this that arises;
if
this is not that does not come to be;
from
the stopping of this that is stopped. (36)
The
idea of Dependent Co-Origination is illustrated in the context
of the film through the illusion of the Matrix. The viability
of the Matrix’s illusion depends upon the belief by those
enmeshed in it that the Matrix itself is reality. AI’s
software program is, in and of itself, no illusion at all. Only
when humans interact with its programs do they become enmeshed
in a corporately-created illusion, the Matrix, or samsara, which
reinforces itself through the interactions of those beings involved
within it. Thus the Matrix’s reality only exists when
actual human minds subjectively experience its programs. (37)
The
problem, then, can be seen in Buddhist terms. Humans are trapped
in a cycle of illusion, and their ignorance of this cycle keeps
them locked in it, fully dependent upon their own interactions
with the program and the illusions of sensory experience which
these provide, and the sensory projections of others. These
projections are strengthened by humans’ enormous desire
to believe that what they perceive to be real is in fact real.
This desire is so strong that it overcomes Cypher, who can no
longer tolerate the "desert of the real" and asks
to be reinserted into the Matrix. As he sits with Agent Smith
in an upscale restaurant smoking a cigar with a large glass
of brandy, Cypher explains his motives:
"You
know, I know this steak doesn’t exist. I know that when
I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it
is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize?
Ignorance is bliss." (38)
Cypher
knows that the Matrix is not real and that any pleasures he
experiences there are illusory. Yet for him, the "ignorance"
of samsara is preferable to enlightenment. Denying the reality
that he now experiences beyond the Matrix, he uses the double
negative: "I don’t want to remember nothing. Nothing.
And I want to be rich. Someone important. Like an actor."
Not only does Cypher want to forget the "nothing"
of true reality, but he also wants to be an "actor,"
to add another level of illusion to the illusion of the Matrix
that he is choosing to re-enter. (39) The draw of samsara is
so strong that not only does Cypher give in to his cravings,
but Mouse also may be said to have been overwhelmed by the lures
of samsara, since his death is at least in part due to distractions
brought on by his sexual fantasies about the "woman in
the red dress" which occupy him when he is supposed to
be standing alert.
Whereas
Cypher and Mouse represent what happens when one gives in to
samsara, the rest of the crew epitomize the restraint and composure
praised by the Buddha. The scene shifts abruptly from the restaurant
to the mess hall of the Nebuchadnezzar, where instead of being
offered brandy, cigars and steak, Neo is given the "bowl
of snot" which is to be his regular meal from that point
forward. In contrast to the pleasures which for Cypher can only
be fulfilled in the Matrix, Neo and the crew must be content
with the "single-celled protein combined with synthetic
aminos, vitamins, and minerals" which Dozer claims is "everything
the body needs." Clad in threadbare clothes, subsisting
on gruel, and sleeping in bare cells, the crew is depicted enacting
the Middle Way taught by the Buddha, allowing neither absolute
asceticism nor indulgence to distract them from their work.
(40)
The
Solution of Knowledge/Enlightenment. This duality between
the Matrix and the reality beyond it sets up the ultimate goal
of the rebels, which is to free all minds from the Matrix and
allow humans to live out their lives in the real world beyond.
In making this point, the film-makers draw on both Theravada
and Mahayana Buddhist ideas. (41) Alluding to the Theravada
ideal of the arhat, the film suggests that enlightenment is
achieved through individual effort. (42) As his initial guide,
Morpheus makes it clear that Neo cannot depend upon him for
enlightenment. Morpheus explains, "No one can be told what
the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." Morpheus
tells Neo he must make the final shift in perception entirely
on his own. He says: "I’m trying to free your mind,
Neo. But I can only show you the door. You’re the one
that has to walk through it." For Theravada Buddhists,
"man’s emancipation depends on his own realization
of the Truth, and not on the benevolent grace of a god or any
external power as a reward for his obedient good behavior."
(43) The Dhammapada urges the one seeking enlightenment to "Free
thyself from the past, free thyself from the future, free thyself
from the present. Crossing to the farther shore of existence,
with mind released everywhere, no more shalt thou come to birth
and decay." (44) As Morpheus says to Neo, "There’s
a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."
And as the Buddha taught his followers, "You yourselves
should make the effort; the Awakened Ones are only teachers."
(45) As one already on the path to enlightenment, Morpheus is
only a guide; ultimately Neo must recognize the truth for himself.
Yet
The Matrix also embraces ideas found in Mahayana Buddhism,
especially in its particular concern for liberation for all
people through the guidance of those who remain in samsara and
postpone their own final enlightenment in order to help others
as bodhisattvas. (46) The crew members of the Nebuchadnezzar
epitomize this compassion. Rather than remain outside of the
Matrix where they are safer, they choose to re-enter it repeatedly
as ambassadors of knowledge with the ultimate goal of freeing
the minds and eventually also the bodies of those who are trapped
within the Matrix’s digital web. The film attempts to
blend the Theravada ideal of the arhat with the Mahayana ideal
of the bodhisattva, presenting the crew as concerned for those
still stuck in the Matrix and willing to re-enter the Matrix
to help them, while simultaneously arguing that final realization
is an individual process.
Neo
as the Buddha. Although the entire crew embodies the ideals
of the bodhisattva, the filmmakers set Neo apart as unique,
suggesting that while the crew may be looked at as arhats and
bodhisattvas, Neo can be seen as a Buddha. Neo’s identity
as the Buddha is reinforced not only through the anagram of
his name but also through the myth that surrounds him. The Oracle
has foretold the return of one who has the ability to manipulate
the Matrix. As Morpheus explains, the return of this man "would
hail the destruction of the Matrix, end the war, bring freedom
to our people. That is why there are those of us who have spent
our entire lives searching the Matrix, looking for him."
Neo, Morpheus believes, is a reincarnation of that man and like
the Buddha, he will be endowed with extraordinary powers to
aid in the enlightenment of all humanity.
The
idea that Neo can be seen as a reincarnation of the Buddha is
reinforced by the prevalence of birth imagery in the film directly
related to him. At least four incarnations are perceptible in
the film. The first birth took place in the pre-history of the
film, in the life and death of the first enlightened one who
was able to control the Matrix from within. The second consists
of Neo’s life as Thomas Anderson. The third begins when
Neo emerges, gasping, from the gel of the eerily stupa-like
pod in which he has been encased, and is unplugged and dropped
through a large black tube which can easily be seen as a birth
canal. (47) He emerges at the bottom bald, naked, and confused,
with eyes that Morpheus tells him have "never been used"
before. Having "died" to the world of the Matrix,
Neo has been "reborn" into the world beyond it. Neo’s
fourth life begins after he dies and is "reborn" again
in the closing scenes of the film, as Trinity resuscitates him
with a kiss. (48) At this point, Neo perceives not only the
limitations of the Matrix, but also the limitations of the world
of the Nebuchadnezzar, since he overcomes death in both realms.
Like the Buddha, his enlightenment grants him omniscience and
he is no longer under the power of the Matrix, nor is he subject
to birth, death, and rebirth within AI’s mechanical construct.
(49)
Neo,
like the Buddha, seeks to be free from the Matrix and to teach
others how to free themselves from it as well, and any use of
superhuman powers are engaged to that end. As the only human
being since the first enlightened one who is able to freely
manipulate the software of the Matrix from within its confines,
Neo represents the actualization of the Buddha-nature, one who
can not only recognize the "origin of pain in the world
of living beings," but who can also envision "the
stopping of the pain," enacting "that course which
leads to its stopping." (50) In this sense, he is more
than his bodhisattva companions, and offers the hope of awakening
and freedom for all humans from the ignorance that binds them.
The
Problem of Nirvana. But what happens when the Matrix’s
version of reality is dissolved? Buddhism teaches that when
samsara is transcended, nirvana is attained. The notion of self
is completely lost, so that conditional reality fades away,
and what remains, if anything, defies the ability of language
to describe. In his re-entry into the Matrix, however, Neo retains
the "residual self-image" and the "mental projection
of [a] digital self." Upon "enlightenment," he
finds himself not in nirvana, or no-where, but in a different
place with an intact, if somewhat confused, sense of self which
strongly resembles his "self" within the Matrix. Trinity
may be right that the Matrix "cannot tell you who you are,"
but who you are seems to be at least in some sense related to
who you think you are in the Matrix. In other words, there is
enough continuity in self-identity between the world of the
Matrix and "the desert of the real" that it seems
probable that the authors are implying that full "enlightenment"
has not yet been reached and must lie beyond the reality of
the Nebuchadnezzar and the world it inhabits. If the Buddhist
paradigm is followed to its logical conclusions, then we have
to expect at least one more layer of "reality" beyond
the world of the crew, since even freed from the Matrix they
are still subject to suffering and death and still exhibit individual
egos.
This
idea is reinforced by what may be the most problematic alteration
which The Matrix makes to traditional Buddhist teachings.
The Buddhist doctrine of ahimsa, or non-injury to all living
beings, is overtly contradicted in the film. (51) It appears
as if the filmmakers deliberately chose to link violence with
salvific knowledge, since there seems to be no way that the
crew could succeed without the help of weaponry. When Tank asks
Neo and Trinity what they need for their rescue of Morpheus
"besides a miracle," their reply is instantaneous:
"Guns -- lots of guns." The writers could easily have
presented the "deaths" of the Agents as nothing more
than the ending of that particular part of the software program.
Instead, the Wachowski brothers have purposefully chosen to
portray humans as innocent victims of the violent deaths of
the Agents. (52) This outright violation of ahimsa stands at
direct odds with the Buddhist ideal of compassion.
But
why link knowledge so directly with violence? The filmmakers
portray violence as redemptive, (53) and as absolutely essential
to the success of the rebels. The Matrix steers sharply
away at this point from the shared paradigms of Buddhism and
Gnostic Christianity. The "reality" of the Matrix
which requires that some humans must die as victims of salvific
violence is not the ultimate reality to which Buddhism or Gnostic
Christianity points. Neither the "stillness" of the
pleroma nor the unchanging "nothingness" of
nirvana are characterized by the dependence on technology
and the use of force which so characterizes both of the worlds
of the rebels in The Matrix.
The
film’s explicit association of knowledge with violence
strongly implies that Neo and his comrades have not yet realized
the ultimate reality. According to the worldviews of both Gnostic
Christianity and Buddhism that the film evokes, the realization
of ultimate reality involves a complete freedom from the material
realm and offers peace of mind. The Wachowskis themselves acknowledge
that it is "ironic that Morpheus and his crew are completely
dependent upon technology and computers, the very evils against
which they are fighting." (54) Indeed, the film’s
very existence depends upon both technology’s capabilities
and Hollywood’s hunger for violence. Negating itself,
The Matrix teaches that nirvana is still beyond
our reach.
IV.
Concluding Remarks
Whether
we view the film from a Gnostic Christian or Buddhist perspective,
the overwhelming message seems to be, "Wake up!"
The point is made explicit in the final song of the film,
Wake Up!, by, appropriately, Rage Against the Machine. Gnosticism,
Buddhism and the film all agree that ignorance enslaves us in
an illusory material world and that liberation comes through
enlightenment with the aid of a teacher or guide figure. However,
when we ask the question, "To what do we awaken?",
the film appears to diverge sharply from Gnosticism and Buddhism.
Both of these traditions maintain that when humans awaken, they
leave behind the material world. The Gnostic ascends at death
to the pleroma, the divine plane of spiritual, non-material
existence, and the enlightened one in Buddhism achieves nirvana,
a state which cannot be described in language, but which is
utterly non-material. By contrast, the "desert of the real,"
is a wholly material, technological world, in which robots grow
humans for energy, Neo can learn martial arts in seconds through
a socket inserted into the back of his brain, and technology
battles technology (Nebuchadnezzar vs. AI, electromagnetic pulse
vs. Sentinels). Moreover, the battle against the Matrix is itself
made possible through technology - cell phones, computers, software
training programs. "Waking up" in the film is leaving
behind the Matrix and awakening to a dismal cyber-world, which
is the real material world.
Or
perhaps not. There are several cinematic clues in the scene
of the construct loading program (represented by white space)
that suggest that the "desert of the real" Morpheus
shows Neo may not be the ultimate reality. After all, Morpheus,
whose name is taken from the god of dreams, shows the "real"
world to Neo, who never directly views the surface world himself.
Rather, he sees it on a television bearing the logo "Deep
Image." Throughout the film, reflections in mirrors and
Morpheus's glasses, as well as images on television monitors
point the viewer toward consideration of multiple levels of
illusion.55 As the camera zooms in to the picture on this particular
television and the viewer "enters" the image, it "morphs"
the way the surveillance screens do early in the film, indicating
its unreality. In addition, the entire episode takes place while
they stand in a construct loading program in which Neo is warned
not to be tricked by appearances. Although sense perception
is clearly not a reliable source for establishing reality, Morpheus
himself admits that, "For a long time I wouldn't believe
it, and then I saw the fields [of humans grown for energy] with
my own eyes... And standing there, I came to realize the obviousness
of the truth." We will have to await the sequels to find
out whether "the desert of the real" is itself real.
(56)
Even
if the film series does not ultimately establish a complete
rejection of the material realm, The Matrix as it stands
still asserts the superiority of the human capacity for imagination
and realization over the limited "intelligence" of
technology. Whether stated in terms of matter/ spirit, body/
mind, hardware/ software or illusion/ truth, the ultimate message
of The Matrix seems to be that there may be levels of
metaphysical reality beyond what we can ordinarily perceive,
and the film urges us to open ourselves to the possibility of
awakening to them.
Frances
Flannery-Dailey & Rachel Wagner
[Note:
This essay originally appeared in The Journal of Religion and
FIlm]
Endnotes
1.
All unidentified quotes are from The Matrix (Warner
Bros. release, 1999).
2.
In an online chat with viewers of the DVD, the Wachowskis acknowledged
that the Buddhist references in the film are purposeful. However,
when asked "Have you ever been told that the Matrix has
Gnostic overtones?", they gave a tantalizingly ambiguous
reply: "Do you consider that to be a good thing?"
From the Nov. 6, 1999 "Matrix Virtual Theatre," at
"Wachowski chat"
3. Elaine
Pagels notes that the similarities between Gnosticism and Buddhism
have prompted some scholars to question their interdependence
and to wonder whether "...if the names were changed, the
'living Buddha' appropriately could say what the Gospel of
Thomas attributes to the living Jesus." Although intriguing,
she rightly maintains that the evidence is inconclusive, since
parallel traditions may emerge in different cultures without
direct influence. Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels,
(New York: Random House, 1979, repr. 1989), xx-xxi
4.
James Ford recently explored other Buddhist elements in
The Matrix, which he rightly calls a "modern myth,"
in his article "Buddhism, Christianity and The Matrix:
The Dialectic of Myth-Making in Contemporary Cinema," for
the Journal of Religion and Film, vol.4 no. 2. See also
Conrad Ostwalt's focus on apocalyptic elements of the film in
"Armageddon at the Millennial Dawn," JRF vol.
4, no. 1
5. A
viewer asked the Wachowski brothers, "Your movie has many
and varied connections to myths and philosophies, Judeo-Christian,
Egyptian, Arthurian, and Platonic, just to name those I've noticed.
How much of that was intentional?" They replied, "All
of it" (Wachowski chat).
6. Feminists
critics can rejoice when Trinity first reveals her name to Neo,
as he pointedly responds, "The Trinity?... Jesus, I thought
you were a man." Her quick reply: "Most men do."
7. The
Wachowski brothers indicate that the names were "all chosen
carefully, and all of them have multiple meanings," and
also note this applies to the numbers as well (Wachowski chat).
8. In
a recent interview in Time, the Wachowskis refer to Nebuchadnezzar
in this Danielic context, (www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,22971,00.html
, "Popular Metaphysics," by Richard Corliss, Time,
April 19, 1999 Vol. 153, no. 15). Nebuchadnezzar is also the
Babylonian king who destroyed the Jerusalem Temple in 586 B.C.E.,
and who exiled the elite of Judean society to Babylon. Did the
Wachowski brothers also intend the reference to point to the
crew's "exile" from Zion or from the surface world?
9. The
film also suggests Zion is heaven, such as when Tank says, "If
the war was over tomorrow, Zion is where the party would be,"
evoking the traditional Christian schema of an apocalypse followed
by life in heaven or paradise. Ironically, the film locates
Zion "underground, near the Earth's core, where it is still
warm," which would seem to be a cinematic code for hell.
Is this a clue that Zion is not the "heaven" we are
led to believe it is?
10. Neo's
apartment number is 101, symbolizing both computer code (written
in 1s and 0s) and his role as "the One." Near the
end of the film, 303 is the number of the apartment that he
enters and exits in his death / resurrection scene, evoking
the Trinity. This in turn raises questions about the character
of Trinity's relationship to Neo in terms of her cinematic construction
as divinity.
11. The
traitor Cypher, who represents Judas Iscariot, among other figures,
ironically says to Neo, "Man, you scared the B'Jesus outta
me."
12. We
would like to thank Donna Bowman, with whom we initially explored
the Gnostic elements of The Matrix during a public lecture
on film at Hendrix College in 2000.
13. Gnosticism
may have had its origins in Judaism, despite its denigration
of the Israelite God, but the issue is complex and still debated
within scholarly circles. It is clear, however, that Gnostic
Christianity flourished from at least the 2nd - 5th c. C.E.,
with its own scriptures, and most likely also its own distinctive
rituals, entrance requirements and a creation story. See Gershom
Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic
Tradition (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America,
1960), Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York:
Vintage Books, 1979, repr. 1989), Bentley Layton, The Gnostic
Scriptures (New York: Doubleday, 1995), Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis:
The Nature and History of Gnosticism (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco,
1987).
14. This
corpus lay dormant for nearly 2000 years until its discovery
in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The complete collection of texts
may be found in James M. Robinson, ed. The Nag Hammadi Library,
revised edition, (New York: HarperCollins, 1990; reprint of
original Brill edition, 1978). These documents are also available
on-line at The Nag Hammadi Library Section of The Gnostic Society
Library.
15. Gnostic
texts are cryptic, and no single text clearly explains this
myth from beginning to end. The literature presupposes familiarity
with the myth, which must be reconstructed by modern readers.
The version of the myth presented here relies on such texts
as Gospel of Truth, Apocryphon of John, On the Origin of
the World and Gospel of Thomas. See The Nag Hammadi
Library, pp. 38-51, 104-123, 124-138, 170-189.
16. Since
the divine beings are composed only of spiritual substances
and not matter, there are no physical gender differences among
the beings.
17. Depending
on the text, a plethora of divine beings populate the pleroma,
many with Jewish, Christian or philosophical names, e.g. the
Spirit, forethought, thought, foreknowledge, indestructibility,
truth, Christ, Autogenes, understanding, grace, perception,
Pigera-Adamas (Apocryphon of John).
18. Humanity's
characterization also resonates with the Tower of Babel story
in Genesis 11:1-9; in both we admire the work of our own hands.
19. The
bulk of the following excerpt from the Gnostic "Gospel
of Truth" might just as well be taken from the scenes in
The Matrix in which Morpheus explains the nature of reality
to Neo: Thus they [humans] were ignorant of the Father,
he being the one whom they did not see... there were
many illusions at work... and (there were) empty fictions,
as if they were sunk in sleep and found themselves in disturbing
dreams. Either (there is) a place to which they are fleeing,
or without strength they come (from) having chased after others,
or they are involved in striking blows, or they are receiving
blows themselves, or they have fallen from high places, or
they take off into the air though they do not even have wings.
Again, sometimes (it is as) if people were murdering them, though
there is no one even pursuing them, or they themselves are killing
their neighbors...(but) When those who are going through
all these things wake up, they see nothing, they who were
in the midst of all these disturbances, for they are nothing.
Such is the way of those who have cast ignorance aside from
them like sleep, not esteeming it as anything, nor do they esteem
its works as solid things either, but they leave them behind
like a dream in the night... This is the way each one has
acted, as though asleep at the time when he was ignorant. And
this is the way he has [come to knowledge], as if he had awakened.
(Gospel
of Truth, 29-30)
20. This
is perhaps most evident in the subway fight between Neo and
Agent Smith. At a point in the film when Morpheus says of Neo,
"He is just beginning to believe," Agent Smith calls
him "Mr. Anderson," and while fighting he replies,
"My name is Neo." The Wachowskis confirm this interpretation
when they state "Neo is Thomas Anderson's potential self"
(Wachowski chat).
21. This
twin tradition was especially popular in Syrian Christianity.
See also Pagels, p. xxi, where she wonders if the tradition
that Thomas, Jesus' twin, went to India points to any historical
connection between Buddhism and Hinduism on the one hand and
with Gnosticism on the other.
22. See
the online chat with the special effects creators in the "Matrix
Virtual Theater" from March 23, 2000.
23. Nag
Hammadi Library, pp. 490-500. Compare the Gnostic idea of
stillness with these Buddhist sayings from the Dhammapada:
"The bhikku [monk], who abides in loving-kindness, who
is delighted in the Teaching of the Buddha, attains the State
of Calm, the happiness of stilling the conditioned things"
and "Calm is the thought, calm the word and deed of him
who, rightly knowing, is wholly freed, perfectly peaceful and
equipoised. " Quoted in Walpola Sri Rahula, What the
Buddha Taught (New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1974) p.128,
136.
24.
See Nag Hammadi Library, pp. 256-59. We are grateful
to Brock Bakke for the initial equation of agents with archons.
25.
In Gnosticism "Mind" or the Greek "nous"
is a deity, such as in the text "Thunder, Perfect Mind,"
Nag Hammadi Library, 295-303.
26.
Note that as Morpheus and Neo enter the elevator of the apartment
building of the Oracle, images of "seeing" symbolize
prophecy and knowledge: a blind man (evoking blind prophets
such as Tiresias) sits in the lobby beneath some graffiti depicting
a pair of eyes. Interestingly, the Oracle - a sibyl / seer -
wears glasses to look at Neo's palm.
27.
Note too the metonymic use of color to convey this dualism:
black and white clothing, floors, furniture, etc.
28.
Ostwalt, "Armageddon" in JRF Vol. 4, no. 1. The parallel
with apocalypticism does not work quite as well as one with
Gnosticism because like Gnosticism, the film understands salvation
to be individual (rather than collective and occurring all at
once), to be attained through knowledge, and most importantly
to entail leaving behind the material Earth (that is, not resulting
in a kingdom of God made manifest on the Earth).
29.
In its description in the original screenplay, the Temple of
Zion evokes both the Oracle of Delphi (three legged stool, priestesses)
and the Jerusalem Temple (polished marble, empty throne which
is the mercy seat or throne of the invisible God).
30.
A viewer asked the Wachowski brothers, "What is the role
or {sic} faith in the movie? Faith in oneself first and foremost
– or in something else?" They answered, "Hmmmm...that
is a tough question! Faith in one's self, how's that for an
answer?" This reply hardly settles the issue (Wachowski
chat).
31.
Specifically, these humans are Neo (the Gnostic Redeemer / Messiah)
and Morpheus and Trinity, both of whom are named for gods. As
a godhead, this trio does not quite make sense in terms of traditional
Christianity. However, the trio is quite interesting in the
context of Gnosticism, which portrays God as Father, Mother
and Son, a trinity in which the Holy Spirit is identified as
female, e.g. Apocryphon of John 2:9-14. For further reading
on female divinities in Gnosticism, see Pagels, pp. 48-69.
32.
The brothers explain, "There's something uniquely interesting
about Buddhism and mathematics, particularly about quantum physics,
and where they meet. That has fascinated us for a long time"
(Wachowski chat). In the Time interview with Richard Corliss
(see note 8), Larry Wachowski adds that they became fascinated
"by the idea that math and theology are almost the same.
They begin with a supposition you can derive a whole host of
laws or rules from. And when you take all of them to the infinity
point, you wind up at the same place: these unanswerable mysteries
really become about personal perception. Neo's journey is affected
by all these rules, all these people trying to tell him what
the truth is. He doesn't accept anything until he gets to his
own end point, his own rebirth." The film’s presentation
of the Matrix as a corporate network of human conceptions (or
samsara) which are translated into software codes that reinforce
one another illustrates this close relationship.
33.
Stupa: a hemispherical or cylindrical mound or tower serving
as a Buddhist shrine.
34.
Of course, the most transparent reference to Buddhist ideas
occurs in the waiting room at the Oracle’s apartment,
where Neo is introduced to the "Potentials." The screenplay
describes the waiting room as "at once like a Buddhist
temple and a kindergarten class." One of the children,
clad in the garb of a Buddhist monk, explains to Neo the nature
of ultimate reality: "There is no spoon." One cannot
help wondering if this dictum only holds within the Matrix or
if there is in fact "no spoon" even in the real world
beyond it.
35.
Samyutta-nikaya IV, 54. In Edward Conze, ed. Buddhist
Texts Through the Ages (New York: Philosophical Library,
1954), p. 91.
36.
Samyutta-nikaya II, 64-65. Ibid.
37.
The entire process depends upon human ignorance, so that almost
all who are born into the Matrix are doomed to be born, to die,
and to re-enter the cycle again. When asked about the film’s
depiction of the liquefaction of humans, the Wachowskis reply
that this black ooze is "what they feed the people in the
pods, the dead people are liquefied and fed to the living people
in the pods." Tongue in Buddhist cheek, the brothers explain
this re-embodiment: "Always recycle! It's a statement on
recycling."(Wachowski Chat) Even in the "real world"
beyond the Matrix, the human plight is depicted as a relative
and inter-dependent cycle of birth, death, and "recycling."
38.
(Ed. Note: This clip can be viewed here. (Hit your back button
to return to this essay.))
39.
This dialogue also points to the "reality" (or the
"Matrix") which we ourselves inhabit. In our world,
and in the world of Joe Pantoliano, he is an actor. Therefore,
the world of which both the actor Joe Pantoliano and we are
now a part may be seen as the "Matrix" into which
he has been successfully re-inserted, and thus the film itself
may be seen as a part of the software program of our own "Matrix."
The argument, of course, is seductively circular.
40.
Take, for example, this quote from the Sabbasava-sutta:
"A bhikku [monk], considering wisely, lives with his eyes
restrained . . . Considering wisely, he lives with his ears
restrained . . . with his nose restrained . . . with his tongue
. . . with his body . . . with his mind restrained . . . a bhikku,
considering wisely, makes use of his robes -- only to keep off
cold, to keep off heat . . and to cover himself decently. Considering
wisely, he makes use of food – neither for pleasure nor
for excess . . . but only to support and sustain this body .
. ." (Quoted in Rahula 103).
41.
James Ford has argued that the film embodies in particular the
Yogacara school of Buddhism. Instead of pointing to that which
is absolutely different than the world as nirvana, Yogacarins
point to the world itself, and through the processes enacted
in meditation, come to the realization that "all things
and thought are but Mind-only. The basis of all our illusions
consists in that we regard the objectifications of our own mind
as a world independent of that mind, which is really its source
and substance" (Edward Conze, Buddhism. New York:
Philosophical Library, 1959), p. 167. The Matrix exists only
in the minds of the human beings which inhabit it, so that in
The Matrix, as in Yogacara, "The external world
is really Mind itself" (p. 168). Yet a problem arises when
one realizes that for the Yogacara school, the Mind is the ultimate
reality, and therefore samsara and nirvana become
identified. By contrast, the film insists on a distinction
between samsara (the Matrix) and nirvana (that
which lies beyond it). Because The Matrix maintains a
duality between the Matrix and the realm beyond it, Yogacara
is of limited help in making sense of the Buddhist elements
in the film, nor is it helpful in supporting the idea that beyond
the Matrix and beyond the Nebuchadnezzar there is an ultimate
reality not yet realized by humans (see note 4).
42.
According to Theravada teachings, arhat ("Worthy
One") is a title applied to those who achieve enlightenment.
Because, according to Theravada beliefs, enlightenment can only
be achieved through individual effort, an arhat is of
limited aid in helping those not yet enlightened and so would
not necessarily choose to re-enter samsara to aid others
still enmeshed within it.
43.
Rahula, p. 2.
44. Quoted
in Rahula, 135.
45. Quoted
in Rahula, 133.
46.
A bodhisattva is one who postpones final entry into nirvana
and willingly re-enters or remains in samsara in order
to guide others along the path to enlightenment. The Buddha’s
compassion serves as their primary model for Mahayana Buddhists,
since they point out that he too remained in samsara
in order to help others achieve enlightenment through his teachings
and example.
47.
The screenplay describes Neo as "floating in a womb-red
amnion" in the power plant.
48.
In the screenplay, Trinity does not kiss him but instead "pounds
on his chest," precipitating his resuscitation. The screenplay
states directly: "It is a miracle." This fourth "life"
can be viewed as the one to which the Oracle refers in her predictions
that Neo was "waiting for something" and that he might
be ready in his "next life, maybe." This certainly
appears to be the case, since Neo rises from the dead and defeats
the Agents.
49.
These four "lives" suggest that Neo is nothing other
than "the One" foretold by the oracle, the reincarnation
of the first "enlightened one," or Buddha, who "had
the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the Matrix
as he saw fit." Buddhist teaching allows that those who
have been enlightened are endowed with magical powers, since
they recognize the world as illusory and so can manipulate it
at will. Yet supernatural powers are incidental to the primary
goal, which is explained in the very first sermon spoken by
the Buddha: "The Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering
is this: It is the complete cessation of that very thirst, giving
it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching
oneself from it"(Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta. Quoted
in Rahula, 93.)
50.
Buddhacarita 1:65. E. B. Cowell, trans., Buddhist
Mahayana Texts, Sacred Books of the East, vol. 49
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1894).
51.
See, for example, in the Dhammapada: "Of death are
all afraid. Having made oneself the example, one should neither
slay nor cause to slay" (Verse 129) (Dhammapada,
trans. John Ross Carter and Mahinda Palihawadana. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 35.
52.
The idea that violence as salvific is made explicit by the writers.
Whereas they could have chosen to present the "deaths"
of the Agents as of the same illusory quality as other elements
within the software program, instead, they choose to depict
actual humans really dying through the inhabitation
of their "bodies" by the Agents. This addition is
completely unnecessary to the overall plot line; indeed, the
"violence" which takes place in the Hotel could still
be portrayed, with the reassuring belief that any "deaths"
which occur there are simply computer blips. The fact that the
writers so purposefully insist that actual human beings die
(i.e. die also within the power plant) while serving as involuntary
"vessels" for the Agents strongly argues for The
Matrix’s direct association of violence with the knowledge
required for salvation.
53.
See the article by Bryan P. Stone, "Religion and Violence
in Popular Film," JRF Vol. 3, no. 1.
54.
When asked whether this irony was intentional, the Wachowskis
reply abruptly but enthusiastically "Yes!" (Wachowski
chat).
55.
This is especially true in the "red pill / blue pill"
scene where Neo first meets Morpheus, and Neo is reflected differently
in each lens of Morpheus's glasses. The Wachowskis note that
one reflection represents Thomas Anderson, and one represents
Neo (Wachowski chat).
56.
A viewer asked the pertinent question of the Wachowskis: "Do
you believe that our world is in some way similar to The
Matrix, that there is a larger world outside of this existence?"
They replied: "That is a larger question than you actually
might think. We think the most important sort of fiction attempts
to answer some of the big questions. One of the things that
we had talked about when we first had the idea of The Matrix
was an idea that I believe philosophy and religion and mathematics
all try to answer. Which is, a reconciling between a natural
world and another world that is perceived by our intellect"
(Wachowski chat).
3. Monastic Interreligious Dialogue
*
http://www.monasticdialog.com/
MID
• Purpose
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monastic
Interreligious Dialogue is made up of Christian monastics who,
at the request of the Apostolic See, engage in interreligious
dialogue as a way of giving expression to the monastic charisms
of listening and hospitality. We foster dialogue on the level
of spiritual practice and experience between North American
monastics and contemplative practitioners from other religious
traditions for the purpose of mutual spiritual benefit and communion.
The
Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, MID, was established by the
Benedictine Confederation in 1978 to assume a leadership role
in the dialogue between Christianity and the great religions
of the East, in cooperation with all others engaged in this
dialogue.
We
have learned from happy experience since 1978 that monastic
interreligious dialogue, while increasing our understanding
and appreciation of other religious traditions, also helps us
come to a richer understanding and fuller appreciation of our
own spiritual and theological heritage. So, as of October 2000
we state our mission as:
MID
encourages the participation of North American Christian monastics
in the encounter between Eastern religions and Christianity
by developing conversations, encounters, and mutual exchange
between monastics of different religions.
MID
• History
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
response to Pius XII’s encyclical Fidei donum (1957),
Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries began to make foundations
in countries where Christianity had only recently been introduced:
the so-called “Young Churches.” In order to provide
support for these new ventures the AIM Secretariat was created
in 1960. At that time the anagram stood for Aide à l’Implantation
Monastique. It now stands for “Alliance for International
Monasticism.”
As
AIM became more aware of the problems facing these new monasteries,
it set up meetings for superiors. The first took place in Africa
(Bouaké 1964) and was followed by a meeting in Asia (Bangkok
1968). The Buddhist setting of the meeting in Bangkok helped
the monastics who gathered there come to a deeper understanding
of the necessity of dialogue with monastics of other religions.
The message that Paul VI sent them confirmed their conviction
and encouraged them to engage in this pursuit. In October 1973,
in Bangalore, India, Christian and non-Christian monastics came
together for the first time in history to talk with one another
about the most basic issue of the monastic life, namely, the
experience of God. The success of this meeting prompted Cardinal
Pignedoli, who was then Prefect of the Secretariat for Non-Christians,
to ask Abbot Primate Rembert Weakland to encourage Benedictines
to become involved in interreligious dialogue because, as he
put it, “monasticism is the bridge between religions.”
As
a result, AIM organized two meetings between monks and specialists
in 1977, one in the United States (Petersham), and the other
in Europe (Loppem). These meetings led to the creation, in 1978,
of two sub-committees: NABEWD (North American Board for East-West
Dialogue), now known as MID (Monastic Interreligious Dialogue),
for North America; DIM/MID for Europe (Dialogue Interreligieux
Monastique, MID for German-speaking countries.) Thus, what had
been the work of individuals like J. Monchanin, H. Le Saux,
Bede Giffiths and Thomas Merton was now given institutional
status within the monastic world.
DIM/MID
and NABEWD-MID established contacts between Christian monasteries
of the West and those in Asia, especially with Hindus and Tibetan
and Japanese Zen Buddhists. With the latter a program of “Spiritual
Exchanges” has been taking place ever since 1979.
The
gathering which took place in Assisi in 1986 provided a great
stimulus for dialogue, and the work of the European DIM and
the American NABEWD became too important for them to remain
mere sub-committees within AIM. Thus, in 1994 they were established
as a Secretariat similar to AIM, and, like it, common to both
the Benedictines and the Cistercians. As the movement of dialogue
continued to spread, national and regional centers were created,
whose activity is coordinated on the international level by
a General Secretary.
A
broadening of perspectives has accompanied this organic development.
In the beginning the only dialogue envisaged was that between
monastics of different religions. However, even though Judaism
and Islam do not have any monastic institution, they are in
dialogue with Christian monastics. The dialogue of our brothers
in Atlas with Islam is a case in point. On the other hand, the
Asian religions are increasingly present in the West where they
have many devoted followers and a notable presence on university
faculties. Those Westerners who have been influenced by Asian
religions seek out Christian monastics and invite them to take
part in their colloquies. On various continents DIM/MID also
collaborates with other groups involved in interreligious dialogue.
This
change of perspective led to the idea that monastic interreligious
dialogue can also mean engaging in dialogue “as monastics”—that
is to say, as people searching for God—with other searchers,
no matter what their status or their religion. Dialogue thought
of in this way strives to become a dialogue of religious
experience. Such dialogue takes place primarily in “spiritual
exchanges,” but it also includes others forms of dialogue
that are in some ways preliminary and preparatory.
4. Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in
The Matrix -- by Glenn Yeffeth (Editor), David Gerrold (Introduction);
*
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1932100024/wwwkusalaorg-20/
Book
Description
This
thought-provoking examination of The Matrix explores the technological
challenges, religious symbolism, and philosophical dilemmas
the film presents. Essays by renowned scientists, technologists,
philosophers, scholars, social commentators, and science fiction
authors provide engaging and provocative perspectives. Explored
in a highly accessible fashion are issues such as the future
of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The symbolism
hidden throughout The Matrix and a few glitches in the film
are revealed. Discussions include "Finding God in The Matrix,"
"The Reality Paradox in The Matrix," and "Was
Cypher Right?: Why We Stay in Our Matrix." The fascinating
issues posed by the film are handled in an intelligent but nonacademic
fashion.
Amazon.com-
Reviewer: scaughey9 from Dallas, TX United States...
There was a reason that cyberpunk's quick-paced revival resonated
with audiences, something more than Neo and Trinity's sexy androgyny,
the cool effects and apocalyptic story. Audiences left the theater
literally blown away; people heatedly discussed "The Matrix"
in the car on their way home.
As
I sat in the theater seat nearly four years ago, the screen
flashing before me, I got the sense that I was on to something
big. There's so much going on, so much packed into the film
-- how can you even begin to address it, compartmentalize, etc?
Taking
the Red Pill picks up all the threads woven into the film and
gives them a good tug. The result? A vibrant plentitude of interpretation
springs to view. The book is accessible. It's funny and riveting,
and filled to the brim with a diversity of approaches. The intellectual
vigorous debate renewed my excitement for "The Matrix."
Amazon.com-
Reviewer: huntressreviews from United States... THE MATRIX
is arguably one of the best done, most profound movies of our
time, conveying concepts of depth and wisdom in a format that
appeals to a broad range of fans, and entertains as well. Only
a few films manage to do this, STAR WARS, CHARIOTS OF FIRE,
and LORD OF THE RINGS are among the scant examples. There is
so much packed into this movie that many viewers might miss
what is really there, only having fun and enjoying the spectacular
FX work.
While
that is not a bad thing, it would be a shame to miss all the
depths hidden behind the fun, so the authors in this book have
analyzed it on several levels. On a scientific front, the hows
of THE MATRIX are examined, explaining the mind boggling concepts
that when probed can be seen as frightening possibilities, even
probabilities. However, the book's real impact is when it gets
into the philosophy and religious aspects of the whole thing.
It is shown to be parabolic to not only the Christian religion,
but to Jews and Buddists as well. Allegories are explained and
critiqued in depth.
If
you have never seen the movie, like me, you will be prompted
automatically to go out and rent it. Much of the book, despite
the helpful glossary in the back, will make little sense without
having seen MATRIX. After seeing it, and reading the book, learning
how plausible it might be, then you will wonder about what is
real. Isn't that a question that has tormented the greatest
thinkers of time? This is a book not to be missed if you have
a critical, yet open mind.
5. Peace Quote...
If
a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot
save the few who are rich. --- John F. Kennedy
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