The Buddha’s Eyes and the Journal of Religion and Film

by Danny Fisher

One of the hard decisions I had to make at this year’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion was to miss a panel that included a paper by Muskingum College’s Melissa Conroy entitled, “Seeing with Buddha’s Eyes: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring“. Kim Ki-Duk’s 2003 film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring is one that I completely adore, and I think it’s hands-down the best of the “Buddhist movies.” Anyway, I really wanted to hear the paper, but another panel required my attention at that time.

Fortunately, I connected with Dr. Conroy at another section of the meeting, and she emailed me recently to tell me that her paper has been published at the Journal of Religion and Film–a journal that I myself have written for in the past. The abstract explains her work:

    Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring presents an alternative way of seeing in contemporary film by embodying vision through the eyes of the Buddha. Spring, Summer creates Buddhist subjectivity by keeping vision situated in either the characters or in one of the Buddhas. The narrative of the film concerns how a disciple must learn the way of the Buddha. The visual component of the film likewise does this. Through examining the construction of shots, one sees that the film also teaches the disciple and the audience how to see themselves, and each other, in the way of the Buddha.

It’s a wonderful piece, and a must-read if you’re a fan of the film. Dr. Conroy really gets what the Kim Ki-Duk is doing with the cinematography in his film, I think. And she articulates what that is beautifully. Do take a look.

The current issue of the Journal of Religion and Film also includes another piece worth mentioning here: “Fight Club: An Exploration of Buddhism” by Charley Reed of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The paper looks at the ways in which David Fincher’s 1999 adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel exemplifies core aspects of Zen Buddhism. I think Reed has a case, and it’s a fun paper. I will say, though, that I’m surprised there’s no mention of the fact that life at “Project Mayhem” seems to mirror certain aspects of Zen monastic life. The most obvious example of this would be Tyler (Brad Pitt) and the Narrator’s (Edward Norton’s) practice of rejecting “Project Mayhem” aspirants for several days before allowing them to enter–this is exactly what happens to young, would-be monks hoping to enter a temple in the Rinzai Zen tradition.

Good papers. Good journal.