16. The Matrix and Buddhism

     The Matrix is a film that is set in a dystopian future in which humans are imprisoned and harvested for energy. Humans are not actually aware of what is really happening, because what they see is known as "The Matrix." There is a group of humans who set out to rebel against the machines that imprison the human race, and enlighten humans to what has really happened to them. Neo is our protagonist. He is a hacker whose skills appeal to Morpheus, the leader of the rebellion. And Neo has to completely change his life as he discovers that everything that he had previously thought was real was in fact a lie. He has to acknowledge his suffering in order to help overcome it. And that is where the film seems to intertwine with some concepts of the Buddhist religion. The Four Noble Truths are held as the central doctrine of Buddhism. These truths deal with suffering, and the ending of suffering through the Noble Eightfold Path. In The Matrix, Neo has to acknowledge his suffering. He then has to overcome it. Neo embodies the Four Noble Truths in the course of his journey with the rebellion.

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     The first noble truth is the truth of suffering. Neo has to first realize that he is suffering under the rule of the machines. And Neo realizes the first noble truth as the members of the rebellion show him what reality is really like. He sees the humans being harvested. And he realizes that the matrix is just an illusion. That he has been ignorant to the reality of the world around him. He acknowledges that his world is imperfect, and thus acknowledges his suffering.
     The second noble truth is the origin of suffering. For Neo, the origin of suffering is ignorance. He is living in the matrix, and never questions it. He (as well as most of the other humans) likes the matrix, because it is more pleasing that the world that is run by the machines. One common explanation if this truth explains it in three parts: ignorance, attachment, and aversion. Neo is ignorant because he misunderstands the
way the world really is. He is attached to his life in the matrix. And at first, is probably fearful of the change he would experience by abandoning the matrix.
     The third noble truth is the cessation of suffering. Neo achieves this when he chooses to join the rebels. By doing so, he is choosing to acknowledge his suffering and the roots of the problem. He is then no longer suffering under the rule of the machines, and he has chosen to abandon his ignorance about the world, which is the root of his suffering.
     The fourth noble truth is the path to the cessation of suffering, known as the noble eightfold path. This consists of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Neo has to follow these steps in order to cease his suffering. This is the path he takes in order to correct his views of the world and change himself to fit his new life outside of the matrix. Once Neo had completed the path, the matrix could no longer cause him suffering.
     Throughout the movie, we see Neo grow as a character. From his beginnings in the matrix to the end of the movie in the resistance, Neo follows a path. In this path, he chooses to open his eyes. He chooses to acknowledge that he is suffering, and he chooses to acknowledge the root of that suffering: the matrix and all that is behind it. Once he had realized that, Neo could begin his path to cease his suffering. And throughout the events of the film, we see Neo fight against his suffering through enlightenment. There is no more denial of the truth: he realizes that he can only cease his suffering through direct acceptance. Neo is no longer ignorant. He no longer suffers because of the matrix.

15. Groundhog Day and the Five Stages of Grief

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     Groundhog Day is a film starring Bill Murray as Phil, the protagonist. Our protagonist is a weatherman who travels to a town to cover their celebration of Groundhog Day. When Phil and his crew try to leave the town, they are turned back because of a storm. The next day, Phil wakes up to see that it is Groundhog Day all over again. And this happens over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again until finally the day is saved after the perfect night with Rita. This film is, apparently, supposed to be a great example of the 5 stages of Grief as it is said to be based on the Kubler-Ross model. So here goes:

Denial: Phil experiences denial when he wakes up and sees that it is Groundhog Day again for the first time. Everything is the same as the day before, and it is clear to the viewer what is happening. But Phil is in denial, as he continually asks what day it is, and asserts that everything he is doing, he has done before.

Phil during one of his suicide attempts (source)

Anger: Phil experiences anger on more than one occasion in the movie. One time would be when he hits Ned after repeating their meeting. Another time is when he smashes the alarm clock in his hotel room, as he wakes up to the same Sonny & Cher song. He is angry at his situation, and in these instances he is taking that anger out on other people and things.
Bargaining: Phil begins to bargain his way out of the situation as he attempts to make the perfect day with Rita. It seems as though his thought process might be that if he succeeds in making Rita fall in love with him, then the day will be over. So he continues to make the perfect day in the hopes of seeing the next day.
Depression: Phil makes several attempts to end his life during the course of the film. Each time, he dies on Groundhog Day. Despite successfully committing suicide, he still wakes up in the same bed every morning, on Groundhog Day. He is feeling depressed about his situation, and the fact that nothing he does is changing it. So in his depression, he tries to end the situation for good.
Acceptance: Phil begins to accept his situation as he uses it for his own benefit. He begins piano lessons, and gets really good at it. He makes friends with every person in town. He makes honest attempts at bettering the lives of the townspeople. He even admits that there is nothing he can do about the situation. Once he accepts that he cannot change what is happening, he begins to see the bright side and do things that will really benefit him.

     And there we have it. The 5 stages of Grief as they pertain to Groundhog Day.

14. The Myth of Sisyphus as it relates to the current state of my life

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     The Myth of Sisyphus describes a man who has been punished in his death for all of eternity. Sisyphus is condemned to the underworld, where he is forced to push a large rock to the top of a mountain only to watch it fall all the way back down and be forced to perform the task all over again. You can learn more about it here.
     The Myth of Sisyphus is basically a metaphor for a persons search for meaning in their lives. Their condition is similar to that of Sisyphus - as humans, we do some variation of the same thing everyday. We are forced to work, or go to school, or perform other tasks. We do it because we have to, but we don't necessarily like it. We complain about going to school, or going to work. And we do this because we have not yet accepted or acknowledged the "futility" of what we have to do. According to the myth, we can only truly be content once we accept the absurdity of our situation.
    Right now, I feel like Sisyphus. I'm pushing a large, metaphorical rock up the mountain. I feel stuck. I live in a perpetual state of blah. And I can feel it - like when I reach the top of the mountain, I can be happy. But the rock just falls right back down again. Maybe what I need to do, is just accept my condition. Accept that every time I reach the top, I'm just going to have to go back down again. But if I could accept it, maybe the trip back up won't be so bad.