"...If you tighten the string too much, it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it won't play..." - Saddhartha
In this film, Seattle is shown in the cold tone of blue and Kathmandu in warm colors of yellow. It speaks of the two different places having two different values.
As the Lama said when describing about the form of the Stuppa - the squarish base is where we lived in, and as we go higher, it is becoming softer rounded shape. And as we go higher, we will reach the enlightenment.
“There is no empty room when the soul is full.” - Lama Norbu.
THE CIRCLE
The Mandala is a circle (also a symbol of impermanance) The Yin and Yang is a circle. The path around Kaaba is a circle. Even Plato says the soul is a circle. Prophet Ezekiel saw circles in the skies.
How does circle permeates around cultures of different parts of the globe and time?
This film hinting at it by having three different Lama reincarnate from the US, India and Kathmandu. It is subliminally saying that each represents each religion - Christianity, Buddha and Hindu. And the soul is religionless. The film also shows that it is almost seamless between the Buddhist and Hinduism lores. And the soul is religionless.
Similar to what happens when Islam came to the Malay Peninsular. Melaka was found by Parameswara from the Buddhist Srivijaya. Bringing together with him the epics (especially Ramayana which was assimilated to Hikayat Seri Rama) and with a similar story.
How does people from different continents sharing similar image? One, according to Joseph Campbell, is through diffusion (physical) and the other one is through, what Carl Jung says as, the 'archetype of the collective unconcious'. The image is built within us.
Perhaps that might be the real use of the mysterious 'junk' DNA which is all in us?
RELIGION
The word religion derived from the Latin word 'religio' which means to link back. To return. To lift your being into a higher place.
In the film Kingdom of Heaven, after Balian goes to the mountain top where Jesus died, God did not speak to him and he believes hence that he has lost his religion. And to that the Hospitalier replied,
"I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of God"
METAPHORICAL BATTLE WITH LORD MARA
Saddhartha (Keanu Reeves) is being shown beautifully throughout the movie. He goes through the ‘Hero’s Journey’ of self-realisation from aging and death, to impermanance (nothing lasts forever).
In his final battle before reaching Nirvana, he is facing Lord Mara. And by realising that Lord Mara is indeed himself and he is fighting is his own dark desires, he transcends into enlightenment.
“You are pure illusion, you do not exist. The earth is my witness.” - Saddhartha to Lord Mara.
In 18 Puasa (18th day of fasting), when Barkoba told Tyson Nam Ron that he is the devil, he laughed out loud and replied "Kau lah Setan!" (You are the devil!). It was shown earlier in the film that Barkoba's yearning to break puasa came from within him - Satan on the left and the Angel from the right. And it is he himself to decide on committing the sin.
Even in Devil’s Advocate it is never Al-Pacino’s fault. He asked all the questions and (also Keanu) made his own decisions. Like the devil says “Vanity (excessive pride of one own’s achievements and appearance), is my favourite sin”.
Little Buddha is written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris, The Conformist and The Last Emperor) is a great film about the universality of faith and religion and how it is actually one. His take on Abrahamic though, has been said quite clearly at the begining of the film.
Happy Wesak Day.
