Written By Hyun gak, Matrix mania who is an American Buddhist in South
Korea.(yes, he's fluent at Korean)
(He's also believes in Christianity!)
Translate by me, who is a random student boy from Korea studying in
UK who also loves.
Dammit, took me hours to translate this.
This article is from a weekly magazine.
I hope this explains why I like the Matrix EXCEPT all that flashy action
scenes.. it shares a
lot of same though as I have about the religions etc.
ARTICLE NAME: RELIGION IS MATRIX?
ARTICLE NAME: RELIGION IS MATRIX?
The Matrix (first one) - 'The ONE' will save the world.
Religion has high potential to be dangerous. True belief is to freeing
mind. However, this idea to religious leaders no
matter what religion is, VERY DANGEROUS. Religious dogma (fear of
Revolution) is the MATRIX and we need
to be freed from that.
Last week, Egyptain government banned Matrix reloaded. The reason it got
banned was not due to the violence
or the nudity etc., but due to the potential to break the religious concept
about the creation of human.
So is this issue only restricted to Islam? the answer is NO. As told by
Egyptian culture minister,
'The reason why this film got banned is because it questions about the
existence of human and creation of it. This kind
of problem links to three major single-God religion (Islam, Judaism,
Christianity).'
Even right now, year 2003 'Real world', To ask such question is dangerous.
Questioning about the very itself of
the existence can screw up religion world badly. ASKING HOW AND WHY WE ARE
BORN IS DANGEROUS
(TO RELIGION LEADERS). They(those leaders) say, ' The system(this
world/RELIGION) has been made, and we are put there. we have no freedom to
have free choice. You have to believe in Matrix (this world/RELIGION).
Even so, we need to fight against the Matrix (this world/religion). 'Who am
I? how have I come all this way?'
'Is the religion of belief beyond why' true way or lie?' 'Is the thing that
made this system good or evil?'
Matrix Reloaded is a revolutionary film. Because it shakes the bottom plant
of the religion(s) with blind purpose why
from the root that many people were unable to let go because many people
were scared to do so. I don't think
any other mainstream culture item has gone about such matter better than
this. Systematic religion(s) that belive
in power outside human is nothing more than a matrix which, system of
control and conquer that control human conciousness.
Therefore, if we aren't careful, relgion itself can be a matrix.
*** NOTE: Religions with blind purpose are ones like, ***
'You just have to believe in God! Don't ask why!' (familar hey? )
EXPLANATION TO THE SCENES FROM RELOADED
Matrix Reloaded..... There is no 'the one'
The first Matrix ends by Neo winning against Matrix by realising the truth.
Superhuman Neo came to save humans,
therefore many believing that propehcy came true. Externally looking, the
directors lure us to think the way Morpheus did.
As long as we follow the prophecy(religion), the 'one' will save the world.
However, <Matrix Reloaded> gives a BIG TWIST to this. The Oracle whom
Morpheus so firmly believed in was
nothing more than a copmuter program following the machines helping the
total control of humans.
As Neo told Morpheus ( in Reloaded), 'The prophecy(religion) was a lie, the
'one''s purpose was never meant to end anything. It was nothing more than a
SYSTEM OF CONTROL. And that is what makes this so good.
Some people just look at the religious word and symbols and say this
explain their religion's idea of religion.
OK, in the first one, it is the simple 'answer;. However, in the reloaded,
it gives the question to the religion instead of
answer. Breaking what people have been hopelessly dependant upon, asking
'why are we here?'.
Religion with blind purpose why say there is answer, but Neo tells
morepheus to get rid of such idea.
Therefore, <Reloaded> is not about religious intergrity. Not about having
to believe dogma or prophecy that leads
to 'easy religion'. Instead of giving easy answer, it's about asking
dangrous and deep question. Hence,
it got baneed in Egupt. Whether it is tribal or religious, no matter how
sure it looks, we need to keep questioning.
(Holy poo, That Egyptain minister dude understood film VERY well)
The meeting between Neo and the Architect brings up a lot of issues. Neo
must choose between two doors.
One side, Zion lives, but Trinity dies. The other way, Neo can try to save
Trinity, but the war will continue.
'The one's purpose is to save Zion according to the prophecy, if not choose
Zion, Neo can't be the 'One'
You saved yourself
Howver Neo, he face the Architect by deciding to stay free from the
prophecy(religion) and save Trinity instead
of following Trinity, showing that the ultimate power is inside human
itself, not the Architect.
Breaking through the casual law, standing one to one to the Architect.
Human's moral responsiblity is upto human itself,
there is no other thing that has bigger value/meaning than free will/mind.
As Neo said, 'the prob. prob. is choice'
If the traditional support/beliefe is thrown away, how should we understand
the religous belief in Reloaded?
In the year 1999 interview wih Wachowski Brother (they are the directors),
they said that it is about
belief in thyself. When Neo comes back to Zion, the kid sayd, 'You saved
me!'. But Neo says 'You saved yourself'
Just like Jesus ( and Buddha). Like in this film, people want to be saved by
someone else and that's why the one was
needed. However, Neo himself doesn't belief some kinda superman outside
saved him.
However, how can we save ourself? There aren't many articles mentioning the
effect of Buddhism in the review(s)
of both MAtrix and Reloaded. When the bothers(directors) were asked about
the effect of Buddhism in their film,
they said yes.
'Buddhism and math(particulary particle physics) attracts us and where they
meet is eve more so.Both of us
were into Buddhism from long time ago.'
I feel bad about the fact that many people miss this point. Many of us are
hopelessly depedant onto such.
It is their effort that will make themselves awaken and help others to do
so. Just before Neo meets Oracle,
on the way to Seraph, we see many various religious symbols such as Mary,
Jesus, Buddha etc.
The last one that is scene is where Buddha is meditating, trying to know its
mind.
Showing religions as most know, which has very strong meaning.
At the end of the first Matrix, Neo looks like as if he is the superhero
'the one'. However, what we get to know
in the <Reloaded> is that Neo is 6th Anomaly in the 6th math perfection.
Which represents Sidhartta.
(Sidhartta is the sixth Buddha)
I don't know what the brothers will end up saying about religion. I hope its just that religious dogma in all religions causes a lot of problems and misery, and to not judge and to be kind.
fokket - that was fantastic - I had *felt* that way about the movie but this totally explains it. So - along that vein - what will happen in Revolutions --- how does any of this apply to the fact that Zion is being attacked (by religous dogma, if we follow your post above) and will fall unless - unless everyone wakes up to their own potential ? What do you say to that ?? W.
Great post:
Don't rely on established religion to save you (or any established anything). YOu have to find the answers for yourself. So if you meet the Buddha (oracle, prophet, architect, etc) on the road, KILL HIM. Otherwise you will end up simply following and accepting rather than searching and finding. Now it makes sense that they had to go on to make the sequels, to avoid the message that some one religion (as dogma, as doctrine) will save us.
So, in a way, this qualifies Cypher's distain toward Morpheus in M1. He's pissed and lost his faith. Yet, he's almost portrayed like a heretic and is struck down almost in miracle-like fashion. "How can he be The One if he's dead!" Tank rolls up, "I don't believe it...", Cypher gets toasted.
As a buddhist myself I have learned basically two main things:
1. There is no need to believe in any external forces controlling our lives because we as individuals have the power within ourselves to make positive or negative choices.
2. Just as the Merovingian stated, our lives are based on the principle of "Cause and Effect". What causes we make in our lives (positive choices) will ultimately effect the kind of results in our lives.
I think you post hit the nail right on the head. Great job!
"MOISTURE IS THE ESSENCE OF WETNESS. WETNESS IS THE ESSENCE OF BEAUTY"
I think Neo still fights for and saves everyone- with help- its just that the religious doctrine of the "state" just worked for the "state", not the people- it doesn't make the spiritual aspects any less true.
Neo:I just thought, um...you were a guy.
Trinity:Most guys do
I just posted a thread called the test. After i wrote that i came back to this thread and realized it fit. If It was a test for Neo he would be in the end saving himself.
But I think that waterlathe is right: There's a big difference between organized religion and its doctrine (Saducees, Pharisees, Sanhedrin) and spiritual seekers who are often persecuted by organized religious groups. Gandhi was hated by many Muslims and Hindus alike. Thich Nhat Hahn was exiled from his native Vietnam. Martin Luther King "gave the power to the have nots. And then came the shot"
Thanks hegimony, the two are easily confused- i see people run for cover when you quote the Bible or Jesus- why?- i think its because they have been misinterpreted and misused, so often, by so many- by people who are just repeating what they have been taught, and worse, by people with their own agendas- people who give Christianity a bad name- and there are and have been people such as that in all religions. I believe we are spiritual beings, in actuality, not just in our longings, and the brothers are communicating that
Neo:I just thought, um...you were a guy.
Trinity:Most guys do
, who is a random student boy from Korea studying in
06-19-2003 05:47 PM
W.
