The Buddha Comes to Hollywood - Buddhism in the Movies

For my personal Top 10 Favourite Buddhist movie clips of all time from You Tube click here

For people not born Buddhists it can be difficult to understand the teachings and philosophy of Buddhism. In the West we belong and seek attachment ,wealth and the cult of the individual are dominant and this is in opposition to the teachings of the Buddha.That's where the popular medium of the movies and in particular Hollywood can help - they can feature,pain, loss, desire and attachment thus these common themes relate directly to the viewer about the major themes of Buddhism.

"There is nothing real about film. Nothing. Even the light particles that project the film can't be proven to exist. Nothing is there. "
Richard Gere

Part of the Buddha's Face 101 Project - the most comprehensive and entertaining Buddhist resource on the web !

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"The fool who knows that he is a fool is for that very reason a wise man; the fool who thinks that he is wise is called a fool indeed."
The Buddha

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The First Buddha Statues

The first statues and busts of the Buddha were made in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan. Their makers were either descendants of Greeks who settled in the after Alexander the Great’s arrival or were influenced by Hellenistic styles. Before any such statues were made, the Buddha was symbolised by the Dharma Wheel or a stupa.

The first Buddhas were made nearly 300 years after his death. Although the holy texts and canons have some information about his looks little is known of their exact authorship and when they were written.

Some statues and heads exist where the Buddha has a moustache which was common on men of high status at that time. Later though the Buddha is always shown clean shaven and without a beard or moustache. In the Pali Scriptures a writing is shown many times which records how the Buddha began his quest for enlightenment.

"So, at a later time, while still a young black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth and in the first stage of my life — and while my parents, unwilling, were crying - I shaved off my hair and beard, put on the saffron robe and went forth from my home life to that of being homeless.