BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Buddhism Movies with Buddhist Themes - More Ideas?

If we open the genre up to include TV series may I suggest "Life" from NBC? As you can see from the quotes .

Also The TV series 'Kung Fu' as shown in this example

Just found the guide for the series click on the episodes for the quotes

Also a starting point for Kung Fu: The legend continues

Have fun!!

A good animated film with Taoist/Buddhist themes is "Surf's Up" . The main focus is on the 'novice' Cody, while the 'death and rebirth' cycle are personified by "Big Z/Geek" and the "Follower of the Path" by 'Chicken Joe". The latter, for me, showing how being in tune with the moment both protects him and helps others find their own path. Joe doesn't even realize he's won until the film crew following the contest tell him!

I haven't seen the Adjustment Bureau or Hereafter (though I want to). I saw Limitless - which I LOVED so much, I'd watch it again.

Maybe you could say it was kinda metaphysical. I think if you used it as a metaphor for not truly "seeing" around us - and when we're hypnotized and lack vision due to being in our comfort zone (or rut LOL).

Deanna, I completely agree on Limitless, I loved it too (thought it was Bradley Cooper's best performance to date), and agree that if you approach it in terms of how we are usually limited by only seeing things through our 'conditioned mind', it can be seen as spiritual, or at least deeply philosophical...

To all,

Nobody spoke of Kundun,the movie about the Dalai lama's life,
as a child,growing up ,his meeting with Mao ze dong his escape from Tibet.7 years in tibet is a pale american copy of Kundun.

loong

Hi looong, I have a separate article called Buddhist Movies that includes Kundun and other movies such as The Little Buddha and Spring Summer Fall Winter that are actually about Buddhism or heavily feature Buddhism. The article that started this particular thread is Movies with Buddhist Themes, and it includes movies that aren't actually 'about' Buddhism, but feature Buddhist themes...

Kundun is a great movie, and has introduced so many people to the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism....

Dear Lisa ,
I was surprised to see,Jacob's Ladder as a buddhist themed movie.

The Jabob's ladder I remember is an Israeli movie, where the mossad ,finds all the terrorist that killed many athletes at a
olympic games,I beleive it was at Athens.And they kill them one
by one.

Not the same at all.Just wikied the movie, no sign of it. It was quite contreversial at the time.

So sorry .One you can add to your list is a 2003 movie called
TIBET
cry of the snow lion.

hard movie to watch ,the struggle of the tibetans against the chinese army.People being bearnt ,emprisonned,killed for having
a picture of tha Dalai-Lama.

To the poor people of Tibet,I send them thoughts of resistance and compassion .

loong

Hi looong, I haven't seen the Jacob's Ladder you mentioned, but the one I meant was made in 1990 so is a bit outdated...it's about a Vietnam veteran who thinks he is losing his mind...his visions are based on the description of the bardos in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. So it's not a conventional view of Buddhism at all, but has some Tibetan Buddhist themes related to the bardos. It's quite scary actually (it is a Hollywood thriller after all) but has some interesting moments. Here's a brief article I posted awhile back on the bardos if you are not familiar with them: The Six Bardos of Tibetan Buddhism .

Thanks for the Cry of the Snow Lion suggestion, I had read a bit about that when it first came out but not seen it.

Dear Lisa,

What I had heard or read ,the bardo period was 23 days.Also I have read in my research for Jacob's ladder ,the movie you described.

With Loving Kindness
a simple buddhist named
loong