The Zen of Hollywood: Using the Ancient Wisdom in Modern Movies to Create a Life Worthy of the Big Screen. Karma, Giving, and Non-Attachment.: A Manual for Life, #5

By David MacKay

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.

 

Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.

 

Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.

 

In this fifth book titled Karma, Giving, and Non-Attachment, David examines three critical life principles as reflected in three more excellent Hollywood films. In chapter one, he dives into the poignant movie Pay It Forward (2000) in order to help us understand a universal law that is often misunderstood: karma. Instead of being reward and punishment doled out by a demanding deity, karma is nothing other than the cause-and-effect dynamic built into the universe designed to reflect back to us all that is and is not working in our lives in terms of our evolutinary path to self-realization. To this end, giving generously and living from our inherent innocence become paramount because this life approach ensures that what comes back to us is our heart's desires. This is the Law of Circulation in action and it is beautifully demonstrated by the main characters in the endearing film It Could Happen to You (1994) featured in chapter two. But without the Law of Non-attachment, which is explored in chapter three in connection to the dark film House of Sand and Fog (2003), anything we gain through the first two laws is meaningless. Join David on a memorable journey that will help you achieve greater levels of joy and happiness by following these three laws. 

 

Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

• Language: English
• Publisher: David MacKay
• Release date: May 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393337560

Book preview

General Introduction

Note: The following is the same general introduction for each book of the series. It includes important information, such as my recommendation to watch the film featured in each chapter before reading its analysis.

In the film Forrest Gump (1994), there is an important scene that is easily overlooked or misunderstood. Jenny—long-time friend and romantic interest of Forrest—has just departed his home in Alabama as suddenly and unexpectedly as she arrived weeks before. Stung once again by his unrequited love for her, Forrest is left to lick his wounds in an empty house that was previously vibrant and alive. Yet, at the same time, he is not despondent. Nor is he alone. With only the sound of a ticking clock to be heard, he sits in quiet contemplation, finding a peaceful presence there that stabilizes and re-energizes him. And after a period of time, he slowly gets up from the rocking chair on his front porch and begins to run down the driveway to the county roads and highways that would literally pave the way for his an epic cross-country journey of emotional healing.

The main point of this scene, in my opinion, is to show that we are never alone. Even when it seems our lives are falling apart and the world is crumbling around us, as it was for Forrest in the turbulent 60s, 70s, and early 80s depicted in the movie, there lies within us an unshakable core of serenity and love which we can access at any time to protect, nurture, and guide us. According to the world’s wisdom traditions, this is our divine essence, true identity, and the only thing that is ultimately real. It is the source of all creation, including all our desires, dreams, and passions. Everything we could ever want or need arises from this inner sanctuary.

Yet, most of us spend very little time there, if any. Our gaze is almost always outward, seeking to find solutions where ultimately there are none: the material plane. We cannot find real answers in strictly the physical world because our problems are created by failing to recognize and live from our spiritual Truth. Albert Einstein himself famously alluded to this issue: We can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Yes, resolution often takes a tangible form of some kind, but the one that holds the highest good for everyone arises from beyond the everyday chattering mind that created the problem in the first place. Forrest’s silently communing with his inner Spirit in order to soothe his distress and decide what to do next beautifully illustrates this truth.

Times like these call for fundamental truth and practices which can guide us through the intractable issues we currently face in the world, including terrorism, corruption, overpopulation, environmental destruction, natural disasters, social injustice, domestic violence, and gross economic disparities. Not to mention our personal challenges, which may be anything from depression to addiction to loneliness. As much as it is a cliché, we all must return to our roots if we have any hope of saving a planet in decline as well as a world population caught up in its own suffering. Yes, I know—apocalyptic warnings have been issued many times before. But this time, they feel very relevant. The urgency to find true solutions cannot be overstated, as the future of the human race potentially hangs in the balance.

But returning to our roots might feel counter-intuitive. After all, Western civilization, in many ways, has been steadily evolving upward along a straight line. What we need is more forward thinking, it seems, not the provincial mentalities that would regress us to the prison of primitive superstitions. Yet, while forward thinking has brought us unprecedented advances in medicine and technology, it has also brought us mind-numbing television, global warming, and nuclear warheads. We can do much better, not by reverting to human sacrifice and sun worshiping, of course, but by reconnecting to foundational principles which return us to our inherent connection with nature as well as each other.

But what form should these roots take exactly? If we think they might be social, religious, or political norms, we would be gravely mistaken, for these are often the source of the problem. For eons, people have been fighting for over concepts that pertain to only their particular truth and getting absolutely nowhere. No, what we need are universal life principles that by definition apply to everyone on the planet. An example of these would be authentic living. As challenging as it can be, we all know how important it is to accept who we truly are, both positive and negative—both human and divine. Discovering and living from our true identity, then, is a critical universal life principle that must be followed if we’re going to make real progress, both personally and globally.

The beauty of universal life principles is that they don’t just help us abort the self-destructive path we are collectively on. They also aid us in achieving the very life of our hearts’ desires. In other words, these principles can, in a sense, deliver us from hell while ushering us to heaven. For in the end, we all want the very same thing: to be happy. Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all desire to experience the joy, love, and peace that the objects of our desires are supposed to give us. And no matter what emotional state we might be unconsciously seeking, these all can be placed under the umbrella of happiness.

But this is where universal life principles come into play because happiness can be defined in the minds of many as simply the pursuit of pleasure, in one form or another. True happiness, however, is an inside job. And while external factors such as fulfilling work, loving partners, and stimulating experiences play a role, it is the proper perspective cultivated through our spiritual (not necessarily religious) underpinnings that ensures we have a healthy relationship with these factors.

A return to our roots is inevitably a spiritual quest because our very foundation is spiritual. As such, the journey of life is really all about returning home—to our divine source—which serves as the metaphysical meaning behind such popular films like The Wizard of Oz (1939). At the end of the movie, Dorothy realizes she could have returned to Kansas—symbolic of our divine home—any time she wanted to with just a click of her heels (which for us would be a simple shift from the ego to the Higher Self). Yet, she could not have come to that conclusion without first traveling away from Kansas through the magical land of Oz, representative of this earthly plane our souls have incarnated on. In short, most of us have it backwards: the physical world we call real is actually illusory (Oz) while our immaterial core, which we tend to dismiss, is Truth (Kansas/home). Even still, we have to go through the material plane in order to learn life lessons designed to return us with a greater appreciation of our divine home (a life path many call enlightenment).

Some will immediately and loudly protest the previous statements, but this would be nothing but the ego mind that keeps us tied to ideologies, such as communism, feminism, and environmentalism—ideologies which, although have positive facets, ultimately pertain to material pursuits and personal gain. No real solutions can arise from notions rooted in the physical domain because the world itself is impermanent while we—as our divine selves—are not.

Intuitively, we know we are much more than just physical bodies in a material world. But there’s a part of us—that loud, cynical inner voice that might be saying something like This guy is nuts!—that doesn’t want to admit it. We block the truth of our divinity at every turn because to embrace it would mean to face the fact that we have been building our whole lives on what is ultimately illusion, evidenced by our constant pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. The positive components of life’s dichotomies to which we dedicate our lives—such as goodness, rightness, and pleasure—cannot represent true reality because otherwise there wouldn’t be their opposites: evil, wrongness, and pain. Reality is what lies beyond the dichotomous pairs of the physical realm in a unified field that is the ground of all existence. In fact, unified field is one of the names quantum physicists use for this baseline domain, one from which everything in the physical universe arises, including us. This field is self-organizing and self-sufficient. It is infinitely correlated, creative, and powerful. It is also infinitely intelligent and aware. Since we ourselves arise from this field, why wouldn’t this be our true essence? We could call it spiritual, but that’s just a term that refers to our true identity. Furthermore, we may think of it as miraculous, but only because we tend to view it through the lens of our limited ego perspectives instead of our true limitless nature.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is by the man I quoted earlier, Albert Einstein: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. According to him, we must commit to only one life paradigm: either we are aligned with the sacredness of the Universe as our true reality—the miraculous—or we aren’t. What’s implied is that the former leads to true happiness while the latter to suffering. For us to realize this happiness, I believe we must fully embrace the miracle of life at all times, which necessarily includes the non-material essence behind our material world.

Yet, the pull of the past is strong. Material distractions and their empty promises seduce us every step of the way. We are like the ice skater at the edge of the rink, longing to experience the freedom and euphoria of skating in the open space yet unwilling to let go of the comfort and safety of the railing. We are the individual who relegates his spiritual life to a convenient slice of his time-management pie. Church is for Sunday, and once there, we can always sit in the back row, knowing that a quick escape is within easy reach.

In other words, there is a part of us that yearns for freedom and another that is terrified of it, preferring our self-made prisons instead. This truth is beautifully captured in the excellent film The Shawshank Redemption (1994), in which a prisoner named Red (Morgan Freeman) says this about one of his fellow inmates who is scheduled to be released after 50 years: These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.

As children, we were limitless and unstoppable. We were innocent and carefree, and the universe was our playground. We could do no wrong. Then over time, we slowly became institutionalized: subjected to rules, norms, and expectations that defined, constrained, and even oppressed us. But we got used to it all and adapted because our survival depended on it. Now as adults, the freedom that exists as our natural state and birthright is beckoning us to embrace it once again. Yet, we often resist that calling because, ironically, we are accustomed to our social conditioning (institutionalization) and, in fact, depend on it to keep us safe—safe from having to face the unprocessed emotional pain that keeps us imprisoned. We then surround ourselves with all manner of distortions and distractions to anesthetize us from the painful awareness of having resigned ourselves to our ego prisons as well as quiet lives of desperation. Furthermore, we create all kinds of enemies—including God itself—in order to create the us versus them paradigm that maintains the ego’s control over our lives and justifies its selfish behaviors.

However, Spirit—from the unified field—won’t allow us to be complacent forever. It is subtly and continuously nudging us to overcome our obstacles based in fear so that we can return to freedom based in love. This is why stories about busting out of jail and overcoming great odds are so appealing. In fact, realizing true personal freedom is what life itself is all about. Psychologists might call it self-actualization, literature professors may refer to it as the Hero’s Journey, while sages know it as self-realization, but it’s all the same. It is the aforementioned evolutionary track back to our divine source which we all are on, whether we are conscious of it or not. And it is a variation of this quest for true personal freedom which we can see in all the films I highlight in this book series.

In The Truman Show (1998), Truman tries to escape the artificial town and selfish agenda of a reality TV show producer in order to unite with his true love. In Troy (2004), Achilles subconsciously seeks to overcome his obsessive drive for glory on the battlefield and finally find the peace his soul longs for. In Forrest Gump (1994), the life paths of Forrest, Jenny, and Lieutenant Dan intersect so that they can help each other rise above the social conditioning and traumas they were subjected to. In It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), George Bailey subconsciously wants to break free from an oppressive ego mentality that doesn’t allow him to appreciate what a rich life he already has. In Chocolat (2000), Vianne subconsciously desires to eliminate the nomadic lifestyle that gives her a short-term escape from her problems but which causes her (and her daughter) long-term heartache. In Groundhog Day (1993), Phil Connors is desperate to escape the time-loop prison and deep cynicism that hold him captive. In Vanilla Sky (2001), David Aames is unwittingly placed on a path to face and transcend his demons, including his deepest fears. In Dances With Wolves (1990), Lieutenant Dunbar is a man who yearns to be free from his people, who tend to polarize and judge instead of love and honor. In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Charlie is a loving boy who seeks freedom from poverty for him and his family, but more important, liberation from a selfish, banal, and unkind society. Similarly, in Pay It Forward (2000), Trevor McKinney tries to effect real positive change in a world that he perceives to be cold, cruel, and indifferent. In It Can Happen To You (1994), Charlie Lang is a man who simply wants to get rid of the blocks that prevent him from being able to express his love freely and openly for both the people he serves as well as life itself. In House of Sand and Fog (2003), Kathy Nicolo and Colonel Behrani are locked in a tenacious struggle over a house, while life is trying to get them to shed their debilitating ego attachments and find inner peace. In October Sky (1999), Homer Hickam yearns to rise above the bleak conditions of his hometown as well as the contentious relationship he has with his father. In Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), Mr. Holland wishes to break free from the mundane, but what he really desires is freedom from the ego perspectives that incorrectly portray his life as ordinary and unsatisfying. And, finally, in The Game (1997), Nicholas Van Orton subconsciously seeks liberation from his ego as well as his past which hold him hostage in the present.

In each of these films, there is a story that encapsulates the desires of characters interacting on the physical plane, but underneath, there is an unmistakable spiritual subtext that defines their journeys. An intangible but palpable force is working behind the scenes to get them to overcome their obstacles based in the material in order to embrace their Truth rooted in the immaterial. And if we are willingly to open up to it, we will find this same force working for us as well. Life has ultimately nothing to do with our daily dramas or human accomplishments but instead the life lessons we glean from these, which impact our souls. This is not to dismiss or devalue our material goals and ambitions in any way because they are important, but only as vehicles through which we achieve spiritual transformation. We must place our human lives in the proper spiritual context—the road to enlightenment—every one of us is on. Otherwise, we are simply deluding ourselves and causing unnecessary suffering.

How can we be so certain of such a spiritual imperative? Why can’t our inherent quest for freedom be purely a human endeavor? Because when we let go of our identification with the ego—our self-concept as just a human being in a physical world—the truth of our divine essence becomes immediately known. Just as a wave is a product of the ocean, our human identities are merely temporary outcroppings of our spiritual core. If we can make the leap of faith necessary to let go of the hubris that keeps us chained to our egos, we will instantaneously know this truth for ourselves and our lives will be forever changed. This is what happens to Neo in The Matrix (1999) when he chooses the red pill—spiritual truth—instead of the blue one—the ego-based illusion of the material plane.

We may call ourselves a spiritual person or truth seeker who has a firm grasp on everything I have described so far. And we may even experience beautiful moments dabbling in a meditation or yoga retreat. But back in our normal routine, our loving perspectives are oftentimes nowhere to be found as we, for example, silently resent the supermarket cashier who makes us wait by endlessly chatting with the customer ahead of us. In other words, we often fall back to our material perspectives and personal judgments, which in this case turns a beautiful soul into nothing but an annoying person.

For our spiritual ventures to truly make a difference in our lives, we must have more than just an intellectual understanding of spiritual truths or a passing interest in applying them; we need to internalize and live from them. To borrow a poker term, we must be all in—not half-heartedly throwing a couple of chips into the pot as we nervously hover over our big stacks. The goal is to find and embrace our authentic selves based in our spiritual identity—this immaterial realm that exists as our inseparable home—and fully commit to living there as much as we can, even as we accept and allow for the expression of the healthy aspect of our egos as well as the unattached enjoyment of the physical world. Notice that this commitment is not about denying the material world and the pleasure it offers. It’s about not identifying with it. Therefore, a full commitment comes down to returning to our spiritual truth, again and again, from our temporary misidentification with the material plane. As it turns out, the part of us that longs for freedom is not a part at all, but instead the whole of our true identity which needs to be fully embraced.

This is exactly what this series of books—this life course—is designed to do: to help us live authentically as our true selves rooted in our divine essence while enjoying all the temporary roles we inhabit and the experiences we have on the material plane from a place of non-attachment. It is aimed at the successful marriage of the spiritual with the physical in our lives, an integration we must have in order to resolve society’s ills and live truly happy lives.

But why a life course? Because as it is for many of the characters in the films I highlight in my books, it is so easy for us to lose our way. We need a handy guide to remind us all—the young and the old, the spiritual initiate and the veteran—of life truths designed to keep us on the path to happiness and bliss, which I believe is our destiny. We need a guide that combines both theory and practice. One that can help us answer the biggest questions ever posed by humanity—the universe’s greatest mysteries—but also one that facilitates the implementation of these principles so that they make a real difference in our lives. We need a guide that covers all the most fundamental components of a rich and happy life while explaining them in a fun and entertaining manner that holds our interest.

I call my course A Manual for Life because, although we have an instruction manual for all our appliances and gadgets, we don’t have one for life itself. Most of us have no idea how to properly operate this most precious gift of all. Of course, there is no one proper way. And to expect that a prescribed formula will deliver us to our happily ever after is folly. But the 15 universal life principles I have assembled—along with their numerous subcomponents—which comprise the six books that make up this life course can serve as an important guide in helping us consciously forge a life path for ourselves that brings us greater joy, peace, and happiness than the one we are currently on.

There is no one life course neatly tailored for everyone because we are all at different levels of consciousness. And while absolute truth exists, our individual perception arising from our beliefs and values immediately converts it into relative truth. We are all like the blind men reporting what an elephant is based on the distinct parts they happen to be touching (the trunk, the body, the tail). In the end, however, all our interpretations of Truth, no matter how distorted they may be, are valid in the sense that they assist us in discovering what Truth is not. In the process, we eventually—over many, many lifetimes—discard all of these relative labels to arrive at the absolute—back in Kansas—where the perceiver and the perceived are one.

So while there is no definitive life manual for everyone, there are higher truths which I believe can help us overcome our personal obstacles and guide us to the very life of our dreams as defined by our hearts, not our egos. These truths are critical for a life of happiness just as a foundation is essential for a house. I call them universal life principles because I believe they apply to everyone, in one capacity or another. And although the title of my book contains the word Zen, these principles are not just a reflection of Zen Buddhism but also every other wisdom tradition in existence (though, again, not necessarily every religion). In other words, I use Zen simply as a general reference to both our spiritual nature and path.

But we still need an effective methodology to learn and integrate all of these principles. While there are many, I believe that the medium of film can be effective. Movies serve as grand metaphors for life. We can understand life lessons more easily because they are vividly portrayed before us on the big screen—in large images, bright colors, and clear sound. Many of our senses are stimulated so as to register those important messages with our nervous system, making them come alive and bringing them closer to home. In fact, the word movie connotes not only motion but e-motion: energy in the form of our feelings. Films often evoke deep emotions, making it more likely that the truths offered are learned at the all-important emotional level. In short, movies can help us achieve a deeper integration of truth, thereby positively impacting our lives while entertaining and inspiring us along the way.

But why Hollywood? Considering the disappointing products coming out of Hollywood these days, we might wonder if there is anything of true value being offered. Some of these films might even be called garbage. Yet, one person’s trash is just a relative truth that exists as another’s treasure. Yes, most of us would readily agree that many Hollywood films today are simply produced for profit. Their purpose is to merely distract us for a few hours, not enhance the meaning of our lives. But notice what this current trend provides: When a truly good film is made, it leaves a deeper impression on us. In contrast to all the other vapid creations, the good ones become gems that hold our deeper attention and leave a positive mark. And life just isn’t as sweet without the sour, to quote the beautiful film Vanilla Sky.

At some point, an obvious question arises about whether the meaning I find in a movie is the same one intended by the filmmakers. In general, I would say yes, though there are many interpretations that are mine. While it is impossible to know all the nuances of the original messages being transmitted, thankfully, the 15 films I have chosen are such clear and powerful representations of universal truth that they resonate deeply with most us. In fact, with only one exception (It Could Happen to You), all 15 of the movies featured in this book series have at least a 7.0 rating at the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) website, and several have one over 8.0.

Like life, art is meant to be a subjective experience left to each individual. Although there are universal undercurrents, each person must decide for himself what a particular film means. I am merely providing a starting point for this process, but hopefully a useful one. And as we watch a film again and again, we garner a progressively deeper meaning that speaks to our souls and impels us to take actions that nurture us and others along the evolutionary path to self-realization. In this way, watching a Hollywood film and allowing it to transform us is a classic case of life imitating art: We see the truth of ourselves on the big screen (or the little screen of our TVs or computers) being reflected back to us, and we become inspired to make real changes in our lives.

The following is an outline of the six books that comprise this life course in terms of life principles, central themes, and key points addressed in each.

Book One: Authentic Living

Chapter One

Life Principle One: Our true identity is one which is calling us to strip away the false layers of fear we inhabit to reveal our authentic selves underneath.

Film: The Truman Show (1998)

Chapter Two

Life Principle Two: The ego represents our self-image and