Buddhism & Matrix
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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.
Alluding to the Theravada ideal of the arhat, the film suggests that enlightenment is achieved through individual effort. 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: "IÂ’m trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. YouÂ’re the one that has to walk through it."
For Theravada Buddhists, "manÂ’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." 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." As Morpheus says to Neo, "ThereÂ’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." 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. 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 MatrixÂ’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. -
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." 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.
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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.
The idea of Dependent Co-Origination is illustrated in the context of the film through the illusion of the Matrix. The viability of the MatrixÂ’s illusion depends upon the belief by those enmeshed in it that the Matrix itself is reality. AIÂ’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 MatrixÂ’s reality only exists when actual human minds subjectively experience its programs.
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 humansÂ’ 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 doesnÂ’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."
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The Matrix is a very intelligent movie, especially part one and two.
Indeed our phenomenal world is a matrix. Solidity is an illusion... a projected impression hypnotised by the focus and strength of unconscious (ignorant) thoughts.
Sometimes, i marvel at the incredible realness of this phenomenal world... and can't help thinking that the phenomenal world is the work of real magic. -
Originally posted by longchen:
miao! miao you!
Sometimes, i marvel at the incredible realness of this phenomenal world... and can't help thinking that the phenomenal world is the work of real magic.
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Wow! Deja vu! Just when I stepped into my house just now, a thought suddenly pop up about the matrix the movie about our reality. Weird.. hahaha
Matrix is quite an old show, but is also one of my favourite movie of all time. It's really good and I agree with what longchen said.. and yes sinweiy, that is called 'wonderful existence'
Here's a Buddhist point of view on the movie: http://www.helsinki.fi/~papinnie/matrix.html
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Morpheus: You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill . . . and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
So guys..red or blue -
The directors / writers study abit about buddhism..
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Yes.. they incorporated various philosophies and religious teachings... including buddhism, hinduism, christianity.Originally posted by Isis:The directors / writers study abit about buddhism.. -
Red...Originally posted by neutral_onliner:Morpheus: You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill . . . and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
So guys..red or blue -
Congrats! Ur path to awakening begins nowOriginally posted by maggot:Red...
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A path that is not easy to walk...
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http://www.matrix-explained.com/php/about-the-matrix-movies-4881.html
The Real Meaning behind Martix movie
It is no secret that the W brothers are followers of the Gnostic faith, which is a belief that the God of Abraham is actually a flawed inferior being called the Demiurge. Demiurge came from the womb of the one true transcendant God's wife, Sophia (knowledge) as a result of her passion to truly know the transcendant God. When born, Demiurge was cast from the Pleroma (heaven and home of the transcendant God). He did not retain knowledge of the Pleroma or the transcendant God. Thus, he believed himself to be alone as the Almighty. He created for himself this universe from existing matter, in his own flawed image. In this universe he created for himself a home, known to us as heaven, followers known as Archons (angels), the earth, and life on earth, so as to amuse and worship him. In humanity exisits a divine spark, a trace of the transcendant God, which wishes to ultimatley return to the Pleroma. Knowing this, the Archons created the circumstances on earth, sin and the like to trap the divine spark (souls) on earth for eternity. Only through Gnosis can a soul attain the knowledge necessary to outwit the Archons following bodily death and return to the Pleroma. Gnosis is attained through the help of Aeons, deities that exist in the Pleroma and momentarily return to earth to help free the divine sparks. The biblical figures like Jesus are Aeons. It is here that the stage is set for the Matrix movies. One misconception is that the Matrix stories are told from the aspect of the human plight. This is incorrect. The actual struggle is within the machines.
The "Real" World: Pleroma
The Matrix: Earth
The Source (big building where the architect resides): Demiurge's Heaven.
Architect: Demiurge or flawed creator. He creates the Matrix to "mathematical perfection", except of course of the anomoly which he cannot get rid of. This exhibits his own imperfection as his model of perfection is imperfect.
Oracle: Barbelo, Demiurge's consort who was born as Demiurge's first thought. As the Demiurge creates his imperfect "perfect" world and is passive in its maintenance, except to "balance the equation" from time to time, Barbelo is his active, energetic, complement. She sees that the Demiurge is flawed and works within his system to break down the barriers that he has constructed to trap the divine sparks. In Reloaded, the Architect told Neo that it was the Oracle who helped him set up the system to control the anomoly to suit his purposes, ie., the role of the One to reboot the Matrix. In Revolutions, she herself stated to Neo that her job was to unbalance the Architect's equation. These two are the Ying and Yang of the universe, working for and against one another at the same time.
For the remainder of the characters, I will be switiching to traditional Christian Biblical names.
Merovigian: Adam, the first man. Merv was described as the "first exile", cast out from the Demiurge's heaven, when he sought and received "too much" knowledge. Gnostic teachings tell us that Sophia manifested herself as the serpent and brought the knowledge that the creator was untrue and that they themselves were of holy origin in Pleroma. Persephone described him as "once like Neo". But once, he had the knowledge, that the Matrix was a barren reality of pain, suffering, and "causation". Emotions such as love and the like are illusions to keep him trapped. He now wishes only to survive, to outlast the Architect. One misconception about this character is that he was an adversary to Neo. He was not. He actually helped Neo along the way (and had a bit of fun in the process). THink about it; HE was holding the keymaker, who was being stalked for deletion by the system agents. HE trapped Neo in the train station, protecting him from Smith's growing power in the Matrix. HE made it possible for Sati's parents to bring her into the Matrix and allow her father to explain much to Neo. HE allowed Neo to be saved when the time was right. And, HE led Smith to the Oracle so as to end her meddling and facilitate the end.
Persephone: Eve, keeper of hidden secrets.
The One of the 5th Matrix (Morpheus' teacher): Seth, the descendants of which are the gnostic followers. His knowledge was passed down from his father Adam and mother Eve. The movies don't elude to a connection between Merv and the prior One, except that Merv "survived" him. However, it is clear that the origin of the human resistance was Morpheus' mentor, as he chose the 2nd door to rebuild Zion, reboot the Matrix, and begin freeing new minds.
Morpheus: Moses, liberator of the Hebrews. Clearly Morpheus serves the purpose as freer of the enslaved human minds.
Neo: Jesus Christ. Christ is viewed by the gnostics as an Aeon sent down from the Pleroma, who takes human form and teaches humanity the secrets of gnosis. He teaches, is crucifyed, and returns from the dead to lead his flock to salvation, do battle with the Satan, and usher in a time of unheralded peace. In the trilogy, Neo is killed by Smith, then an agent, comes back to life to defeat the system, and then fights Smith for supremacy over the system. He is neither human nor machine, but a mixture of both. He possesses super abilities inside the Matrix. He frees more minds in six months than in the prior 6 years. He eventually bucks the traditional role of the One, ending the Architect's control over the system. He subsquently saves the Matrix from Smith and ushers in peace between the machines and humans. Most importantly, he saves the exiled programs from deletion as negotiated by the Oracle at the end of Revolutions, shows the Architect his flaws, and preserves the ability of individuals to attain gnosis or a higher sense of being (purpose).
Agent Smith: Satan, a fallen Archon who wishes to replace the Demiurge as the God of the Universe. In the trilogy, Smith was a fallen "agent of the system" whose job it was to track down and eliminate freed minds and return exiled programs to the source. After being rendered obsolete by Neo, Smith refused to return to the source for deletion. Thus, he became a rogue program whose mission was to destroy the Matrix and take his place as its God. Some believe that he may be the actual good guy, as he tries to bring down the Architect's perfect world. However, he does not wish to free the programs, he only wants to take the Architect's place as ruler over them. Therefore, even though Neo saves him by giving him purpose, he remains Neo's adversary as Neo is attempting to save ALL from the Matrix while Smith wishes to continue the enslavement with him as the leader.
There are more characters that follow this suit, like Cain and Abel (sons of Adam who do his bidding), Seraph (seraphime, a choir of angels or aeons sent to help free the Matrix, Trinity (Mary Magdalene), the Kid (the apostle Paul), and many more. However, my fingers are tired. But after this post, you can get the gist of it. -
Originally posted by solomon1983:
lol.. i wouldnt be surprised.
http://www.matrix-explained.com/php/about-the-matrix-movies-4881.html
[b]The Real Meaning behind Martix movie
It is no secret that the W brothers are followers of the Gnostic faith, which is a belief that the God of Abraham is actually a flawed inferior being called the Demiurge. Demiurge came from the womb of the one true transcendant God's wife, Sophia (knowledge) as a result of her passion to truly know the transcendant God. When born, Demiurge was cast from the Pleroma (heaven and home of the transcendant God). He did not retain knowledge of the Pleroma or the transcendant God. Thus, he believed himself to be alone as the Almighty. He created for himself this universe from existing matter, in his own flawed image. In this universe he created for himself a home, known to us as heaven, followers known as Archons (angels), the earth, and life on earth, so as to amuse and worship him. In humanity exisits a divine spark, a trace of the transcendant God, which wishes to ultimatley return to the Pleroma. Knowing this, the Archons created the circumstances on earth, sin and the like to trap the divine spark (souls) on earth for eternity. Only through Gnosis can a soul attain the knowledge necessary to outwit the Archons following bodily death and return to the Pleroma. Gnosis is attained through the help of Aeons, deities that exist in the Pleroma and momentarily return to earth to help free the divine sparks. The biblical figures like Jesus are Aeons. It is here that the stage is set for the Matrix movies. One misconception is that the Matrix stories are told from the aspect of the human plight. This is incorrect. The actual struggle is within the machines.
The "Real" World: Pleroma
The Matrix: Earth
The Source (big building where the architect resides): Demiurge's Heaven.
Architect: Demiurge or flawed creator. He creates the Matrix to "mathematical perfection", except of course of the anomoly which he cannot get rid of. This exhibits his own imperfection as his model of perfection is imperfect.
Oracle: Barbelo, Demiurge's consort who was born as Demiurge's first thought. As the Demiurge creates his imperfect "perfect" world and is passive in its maintenance, except to "balance the equation" from time to time, Barbelo is his active, energetic, complement. She sees that the Demiurge is flawed and works within his system to break down the barriers that he has constructed to trap the divine sparks. In Reloaded, the Architect told Neo that it was the Oracle who helped him set up the system to control the anomoly to suit his purposes, ie., the role of the One to reboot the Matrix. In Revolutions, she herself stated to Neo that her job was to unbalance the Architect's equation. These two are the Ying and Yang of the universe, working for and against one another at the same time.
For the remainder of the characters, I will be switiching to traditional Christian Biblical names.
Merovigian: Adam, the first man. Merv was described as the "first exile", cast out from the Demiurge's heaven, when he sought and received "too much" knowledge. Gnostic teachings tell us that Sophia manifested herself as the serpent and brought the knowledge that the creator was untrue and that they themselves were of holy origin in Pleroma. Persephone described him as "once like Neo". But once, he had the knowledge, that the Matrix was a barren reality of pain, suffering, and "causation". Emotions such as love and the like are illusions to keep him trapped. He now wishes only to survive, to outlast the Architect. One misconception about this character is that he was an adversary to Neo. He was not. He actually helped Neo along the way (and had a bit of fun in the process). THink about it; HE was holding the keymaker, who was being stalked for deletion by the system agents. HE trapped Neo in the train station, protecting him from Smith's growing power in the Matrix. HE made it possible for Sati's parents to bring her into the Matrix and allow her father to explain much to Neo. HE allowed Neo to be saved when the time was right. And, HE led Smith to the Oracle so as to end her meddling and facilitate the end.
Persephone: Eve, keeper of hidden secrets.
The One of the 5th Matrix (Morpheus' teacher): Seth, the descendants of which are the gnostic followers. His knowledge was passed down from his father Adam and mother Eve. The movies don't elude to a connection between Merv and the prior One, except that Merv "survived" him. However, it is clear that the origin of the human resistance was Morpheus' mentor, as he chose the 2nd door to rebuild Zion, reboot the Matrix, and begin freeing new minds.
Morpheus: Moses, liberator of the Hebrews. Clearly Morpheus serves the purpose as freer of the enslaved human minds.
Neo: Jesus Christ. Christ is viewed by the gnostics as an Aeon sent down from the Pleroma, who takes human form and teaches humanity the secrets of gnosis. He teaches, is crucifyed, and returns from the dead to lead his flock to salvation, do battle with the Satan, and usher in a time of unheralded peace. In the trilogy, Neo is killed by Smith, then an agent, comes back to life to defeat the system, and then fights Smith for supremacy over the system. He is neither human nor machine, but a mixture of both. He possesses super abilities inside the Matrix. He frees more minds in six months than in the prior 6 years. He eventually bucks the traditional role of the One, ending the Architect's control over the system. He subsquently saves the Matrix from Smith and ushers in peace between the machines and humans. Most importantly, he saves the exiled programs from deletion as negotiated by the Oracle at the end of Revolutions, shows the Architect his flaws, and preserves the ability of individuals to attain gnosis or a higher sense of being (purpose).
Agent Smith: Satan, a fallen Archon who wishes to replace the Demiurge as the God of the Universe. In the trilogy, Smith was a fallen "agent of the system" whose job it was to track down and eliminate freed minds and return exiled programs to the source. After being rendered obsolete by Neo, Smith refused to return to the source for deletion. Thus, he became a rogue program whose mission was to destroy the Matrix and take his place as its God. Some believe that he may be the actual good guy, as he tries to bring down the Architect's perfect world. However, he does not wish to free the programs, he only wants to take the Architect's place as ruler over them. Therefore, even though Neo saves him by giving him purpose, he remains Neo's adversary as Neo is attempting to save ALL from the Matrix while Smith wishes to continue the enslavement with him as the leader.
There are more characters that follow this suit, like Cain and Abel (sons of Adam who do his bidding), Seraph (seraphime, a choir of angels or aeons sent to help free the Matrix, Trinity (Mary Magdalene), the Kid (the apostle Paul), and many more. However, my fingers are tired. But after this post, you can get the gist of it.
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Matrix incorporates not only Buddhism but a number of philosophies.. namely Christian, Hindu, and more. -
Ah boy...'o' leveL exam finish liaoOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:lol.. i wouldnt be surprised.
Matrix incorporates not only Buddhism but a number of philosophies.. namely Christian, Hindu, and more.
LOI...I am very surprised by ur " Matrix" remark!
True meaning behind Matrix movie 
It's meant for Christian Gnostic
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Not really.Although the presence of Christian themes is strong in The Matrix, the influence of Buddhism is equally powerful and evident. Indeed, the basic philosophical premises that drive major plot points would be nearly incomprehensible without a little background understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist doctrines.Originally posted by solomon1983:Ah boy...'o' leveL exam finish liao
LOI...I am very surprised by ur " Matrix" remark!
True meaning behind Matrix movie
It's meant for Christian Gnostic -
Of course they purposely planned it well such that it fits as many philosophies as possible, like gnostic. Buddhist.. other christian... hindus.. too.Originally posted by solomon1983:Ah boy...'o' leveL exam finish liao
LOI...I am very surprised by ur " Matrix" remark!
True meaning behind Matrix movie
It's meant for Christian Gnostic -
Go stab or hurt yourself and tell me whether the pain is real.
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If the pain nerves are cut away...no feelings at allOriginally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Go stab or hurt yourself and tell me whether the pain is real.
Similar to all the senses nerves relaying messages to our brain
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Remember that in the movie Matrix, the person dies when he is 'plugged off'?Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Go stab or hurt yourself and tell me whether the pain is real.
So although it is supposedly not real, still if he dies within the matrix world, he dies physically, and if he is plugged off in the real world, he dies in the matrix world. -
Thank you for your accurate answer.Originally posted by maggot:If the pain nerves are cut away...no feelings at all
Similar to all the senses nerves relaying messages to our brain -
So if I cut you in the matrix, the cut will be transferred to reality?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Remember that in the movie Matrix, the person dies when he is 'plugged off'?
So although it is supposedly not real, still if he dies within the matrix world, he dies physically, and if he is plugged off in the real world, he dies in the matrix world. -
By the way I forgot to say, pain is real. But suffering comes when one mistakens the fictitious entity 'me' to be under pain, and that is an illusion.
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Language and concept not only describe what is perceived and believed, but they also create what is perceived and believed. Words create perceptions. The baby does not look at this room and see "chairs," "tables," "rugs," and "people." Those are ideas. Thought draws boundary lines and we learn to see "a chair" and "a rug." To the infant, it may well be one undivided flowing whole, or it may be divided on a completely different basis, by colour instead of function, or whatever. Nations are thought-forms with no inherent reality, and yet we take them so seriously that we fight wars over them.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:So if I cut you in the matrix, the cut will be transferred to reality?
If we believe this is a hostile universe, that's what it is. If we believe it is a loving universe, that's what it is. If we believe we are powerless, then we are powerless. To an amazing extent, thought creates the reality we appear to live in. What we pay attention to, and what we think and believe, is what we get. We attract what we focus on and expect to find. In a very real sense, that's what actually creates whatever appears. I'm not suggesting that disease, disability, poverty, addiction, and everything else in this world are caused only by thoughts, or certainly not by anyone's individual thoughts in the way that some New Age teaching has put forward. I'm only pointing to the power of thought and attention to create reality. Outside thought, what is there? This is a wonderful question to lie with and to consider. It has been said that the same glass can be seen as half empty or half full. Believe one view, and you are disappointed. Believe the other, and you are happy. Believe nothing at all, and where are you?
~ Joan Tollifson, "Awake in the Heartland" -
If you got cut, who is feeling pain?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:By the way I forgot to say, pain is real. But suffering comes when one mistakens the fictitious entity 'me' to be under pain, and that is an illusion.