Chi of the Matrix

[classic]

if anyone has scene the film matrix they might enjoy this.

in the matrix , neo learns the world is not as it seems ....
when he becames the one , he is fully inightened . ...
he starts ti realize that we are all energy , and not what we see.....
when he realizes this , he sstarts to see that he can do amazing things.... like monks when they acheiev speical abitlites ..

the main thing is when neo sees everthing in code , ( or the energy form )

he can run faster , fight stronger , jump higher and all without running out of breath.

i jsut noticed similarites , and wondered if the producers practised qigong and linked the film to the theory of qigong.

just found the link interesting thats all

[Kingmonkey]

Hi

A lot of Zen philosophy was built in the Trilogy deliberately.....

....and Kung Fu fighting....

[classic]

so would you care to make any links then king monkey >>>

like for instance they show that among everything else the mind is strongest component in amazing acheivments .....

also on another tip ....... why the name >> kingmonkey ??

[drunken boxer]

Is the Matrix as good as people say? My work colleagues always rave about it. My friends and I watched it at uni but basically I was drunk so didn't really pay much attention to it!

Another flim series that this applies to is Star Wars, with the "Jedi" and "The Force" I think, I believe George Lucas was heavily influenced by Zen writings - and also the Vietnam War.

[Chiahua]

Is the Matrix as good as people say? My work colleagues always rave about it. My friends and I watched it at uni but basically I was drunk so didn't really pay much attention to it!

The first one was sort of cool, but not revelatory or eye-opening like some of my friends thought (same with Fight Club--entertaining, but not revelatory).

What really ruined the Matrix for me were the two sequels. They were just too cheesy and schlocky for me.
You should see for yourself. Maybe save the pints for the second and third movies, just to dull the pain.

[Omar]

The first Matrix movie was a very good movie experience the first time I saw it. Very creative use of zen philosphy. The later two in the series was decent, but not comparable.

I believe whoever assisted George Lucas in writing the Star Wars saga must have read some history, genuine or just wuxia about the Shaolin temple in China, and its destruction.

The similarities with the jedi order, Shaolin philosphy and abilities are just too similar to be chance , as are the events that took place historically compared to the fiction he created

Offcourse the real thing is more amazing then any space opera. The only advantage they have in the fictional stories versus the "real" world we inhabit are the lightsabers. I would not mind one of those as a housetool

[Andrea]

For the Matrix I agree the first one was great. One reason why it became so famous and why some of the fights looked so amazing was that it used a very innovative camera set-up, which since then has been used in many movies and for sports. 122 still cameras (not video cameras) were set up in a cercle and did shoot pictures sequently. Only afterwards were they combined into a movie by a special effect team. In part 2&3 there seem to be techniques and through them "hero abilities" similar to the ones used in Hong Kong Wuxia Kungfu movies, maybe this also gives the "kungfu" feeling . For the Zen/Buddhist influence I would agree for part 1. In part 2&3 I am not too convinced. Maybe I do not understand it, but I remember it more like falling back into a nihilistic type of thinking.

As for Star Wars: I read an article about how George Lucas was influenced by the Shaolin ideal and kungfu when he conceived Star Wars recently, but can't find the reference atm. If I do I will post it here.

All of these movies are entertaining. But in terms of learning something about genious arts, why look at what was influenced by it if you have access to the source . As Omar says "the real thing is more amazing then any space opera". Unless ofc one prefers to dream .

Andrea

[Andy]

The Matrix drew on many philosophies with the Zen influence coming by way of kung fu/anime inspiration which are of course set in an eastern philosophic backdrop.

The structure of the story however was primarily ancient western Gnosticism and its artistic success I believe was based on the primary existential questions it asked - what is real? how do you know what you know? is coincidence random or purposeful? what is the link between mind and reality?

I concur with previous sentiments - the two sequels ruined the mythos of a film which would have remained culturally iconic (in the geeky sci fi world at least) by itself.

The Matrix trilogy is much much darker and more paranoid than a story based on Zen would be because of these Gnostic roots.

[Andrea]

Dear Andy

The structure of the story however was primarily ancient western Gnosticism

Interesting. Would you like to you elaborate?
I would find it interesting, because in my opinion, gnostic ideas, such as the dualistic world view and the negative view of the material world, have strongly influenced Christian and Western thinking and attitude towards life.

As there are different schools of gnosticism which one do you mean by "ancient western gnosticism"? I am more familiar with Oriental gnosticism such as the Persian or the Syrian-Egyptian schools and with the gnostic movments within early Christianity influenced by these school. But as far as I remember some scholars believe there was a pre-Christian Hellenistic Gnosticism.

Where do you see some elements of gnosticism in the Matrix?

For those not familiar with gnosticism here a quick summary: The gnostic world view is mostly dualistic: two forces are continously in conflict: light and darkness, good and bad. Humans are "divine souls" trapped in a corrupted material world/universe by an evil god (demiurge/the creator). Humans who possess the gnosis (greek for "knowledge), an esoteric spiritual knowledge, can free themself from this material world. Because of this world view ascetism was considered an important practice.
There are different myths how the two forces came to be. A common one is that there is a supreme being of light - the One. It conceived lesser gods or aeons (eternal beings) in pairs. One such Aeon was Sophia, she separated from the light and conceived alone the demiurge (greek: the public worker) and by doing so conceived the matter, i.e the material evil world. Gnosticism in the West was at its peaks in the 2nd century CE and disapeared when being called heretic by a Christian Council in the 3d c. CE. Some movements continued in the Middle East and there have been small revivals of this movements in the West during different periods.

Andrea

[Kingmonkey]

But as far as I remember some scholars believe there was a pre-Christian Hellenistic Gnosticism.

It is said that Platonism had a remarkable influence on early christian Gnosticism, but pre christian gnosticism may be had allready influenced Plato, so who could divide this all again.
On the other hand, both Platonism and some schools of early christian Gnosticism seem to have some similarities with Zen Buddhism.

The Matrix makes numerous references to recent films and literature, and to historical myths and philosophy including Judaism,[28] Messianism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Christianity, Existentialism, Nihilism, Vedanta, Advaita Hinduism, Yoga Vashishta Hinduism, Sikhism and occult tarot[29]. The film's premise resembles Plato's Allegory of the cave, Edwin Abbott Abbott's Flatland, René Descartes's evil genius, Kant's reflections on the Phenomenon versus the Ding an sich, and the brain in a vat thought experiment, while Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation is featured in the film.

All these Influences are so mixed up in the story, that it might need a disertation to pluck everything appart again. The similatities in those "different" religions and philosophies would make it even harder.

Nevertheless, I liked the whole trilogy as good entertainment, eventhough the two sequals were to stretched...

Pat

[Andy]

Dear Andrea

As there are different schools of gnosticism which one do you mean by "ancient western gnosticism"?

To clarify; gnosis as you have stated is Greek for 'knowledge of the divine within'. All mystical traditions could be described as a search for this knowledge hence the central similarities between esoteric Buddhism, Vedanta, Sufism, Kabbalah, etc.

To be more more specific I should have said "ancient near-eastern Christian Gnosticism" to differentiate from pre-Christian/non-Christian gnosticism (descended from ancient near eastern mystery schools) and later Gnosticism (i.e. Cathars, Bogomils).

For those not familiar with gnosticism here a quick summary: The gnostic world view is mostly dualistic: two forces are continously in conflict: light and darkness, good and bad. Humans are "divine souls" trapped in a corrupted material world/universe by an evil god (demiurge/the creator). Humans who possess the gnosis (greek for "knowledge), an esoteric spiritual knowledge, can free themself from this material world.
..........
A common one is that there is a supreme being of light - the One. It conceived lesser gods or aeons (eternal beings) in pairs. One such Aeon was Sophia, she separated from the light and conceived alone the demiurge (greek: the public worker) and by doing so conceived the matter, i.e the material evil world.

Matrix universe is a battle between (dark) agents and (light) free humans. Humans trapped in a corrupted material world (Matrix) by an evil god (AI, personified as the Architect of the Matrix {Demiurge}). Humans who possess esoteric knowledge (knowledge of the illusion) can free themselves from this false world.

Human wisdom (Gnostic: Sophia) spawns AI. AI creates Matrix. Human wisdom within the Matrix reflected in The Oracle character (the fallen Sophia).

To expand further:

Neo is an anagram of the One.

Gnosticism: The One is Jesus Christ, a manifestation of the rationally unknowable transcendent One (true God).

Neo's given name is Thomas Anderson (from Greek: Son of Man).

=>Thomas of the Gospel of Thomas, the Twin of Jesus.
=> Neo/Mr Anderson is both Jesus and his Twin. Gnostic and Doubter.

Neo is awakened from his sleep by Morpheus (greek god of dreams).
Neo is saved through secret (esoteric) knowledge.

Neo's coming prophesised as "The One".
Neo dies and is resurrected, then ascends.

Neo's mission is to awaken others through transmission of secret knowledge.

Neo's nemesis are the Agents => The Archons. Servants of the Demiurge.

Neo must redeem the fallen Sophia (return faith to The Oracle).

Neo understands the illusion of the Matrix => possesses the power to defeat {Chief} Agent Smith (Gnostic: possessing Divine spark allows humans more power than Chief Archon).

As well as the overall structure, the dialogue of the film speaks with the language of the Nag Hammadi scriptures (i.e. blindness, sleep, ignorance, darkness vs light, seeing, waking, knowledge).

Also of note:
Humans were conceived as androgynous (or hemaphroditic) spiritual entities by the ancient gnostics, hence the androgynous look/dress sense of the cast.
Many gnostic and biblical themes and scriptures referenced throughout film.


While it draws on many interconnected esoteric influences the primary structure and inspiration of the story (Trilogy, Trinity) as you can see is ancient Christian Gnosticism.

Those interested can find out more about Gnosticism here:
http://gnosis.org/welcome.html

[Andrea]

Dear Andy

Thank you for elaborating on the details. Very interesting and I can see how well it fits, especially for part 1. I like your interpretation of Neo and your attention to the vocabulary. Very gnostic indeed, maybe I should dig out my Nag Hammadi texts and watch the Matrix again .

Yes there were gnostics schools that saw Jesus as a manifestation of the One, the embodiment of the supreme being, while others considered him "only" as a gnosis teacher. Neo fits the first interpretation nicely.

Andrea

[Andrea]

Dear Pat

There are similarities between Gnosticism and Buddhism yes and there are studies on how gnosticism might have influenced Buddhism. However I believe, there are fundamental differences, which have an impact on spiritual cultivation and practice. I would go as far as to say that whether one would practice traditional Shaolin Arts or not, as well as many missunderstanding and questions, are due to these differences. But lets go step by step.

For gnostics, and those influenced by gnostic thinking, the material world, and thus the human body, is corrupted and evil. It is the access to esoteric knowledge that allows to free oneself (escape) from this corrupted body and world. The world is essentially dualistic: material vs spiritual, body vs. soul etc.

In Buddhism (as far as my limited understanding goes) the world and the human body as we perceive it are an illusion. The path is not to get rid of the body, but of the illusion. An enlightened being might still appear to those not enlightened with the same body as before. The "world" is essentially one. Dualism itself is part of the illusion. Ultimatively there is no good and bad.


But is gnostic thinking still relevant today? I believe so:

1. There are still many "spiritualites" using ascetic practices that aim at "weakening the body". Why? Because the body is bad and corrupt, and thus only hindering spiritual progress, as oposed to the soul which is eternal and good.
2. There are still many people today, especially in esoteric cercles, considering that it is enough to find the "secret knowledge" to reach spiritual fullfillment.
3. As a reaction to this view, a materialistic world view has developed at its opposite: there is no soul, the material world is everything. The body becomes the object of a cult by itself.
4. The dualistic view of body vs soul, material vs spiritual is still very present in modern thinking.

Now why is it worth discussing this on a forum about the Shaolin Arts?

It is easy to see how those considering the material world and our body as evil, would find practicing something like Chi Kung or Shaolin Arts a waste of time. Strenghtening the body, be healthy, full of vitality would seem like a non-sense. Maybe even worse, something evil, hindering their spiritual progress.As for 2. Why practice? All that is needed is knowledge. I believe everybody has met those, who in search of such ultimate knowledge, attend seminar after seminar, but never actually practice afterwards.
And what about 3? If the reality is only materialistic, why waste time on meditation, a chi kung state of mind. Water-buffalo training and a good fintness center will be more effective. And 4. This dualistic view, splitting the world into good vs evil, material vs spiritual, has deeply rooted itself within Western thinking (How many movies can you find that are based around this theme? ). The Shaolin Arts are a wonderful way to start overcoming this dualism and experience Oneness.

Andrea

[Andy]

Dear Andrea,

I second your point on the importance of understanding nonduality.

As an example - returning to the Matrix discussion, the cosmology of the Matrix is Gnostic not Buddhist:

Gnostic / Buddhist

Duality Dual opposition / Implicit unity

Cosmogeny Linear / Cyclic

Existence Suffering (enforced by evil) / Suffering (dynamics)

Truth Ignorance (as above) / Ignorance (wrong view)

Liberation another world / this world


The fundamental difference between the western and eastern worldviews could be conceptualised as western worldviews begin from 1 (God) and eastern 0 (Void).

Western = two world.
Eastern = one world.

The two world distinction gives rise to the duality of opposites (i.e. Creator/creature) that underscore western cultural thought.
The one world assumption allows an understanding of the implicit unity of opposites (i.e. yin-yang)

I agree with your thoughts on the consequences of such duality of opposites and an understanding of Buddhist/Indian/Chinese thought definitely helps one from a western cultural background to achieve balance.

[Darran]

"Neo meets a woman named Trinity at the party. Trinity tells Neo that she is aware of his desire to know what the Matrix is. "It’s the question that brought you here. What is the Matrix?" (The Matrix). She is also an anima figure; Trinity is the one who will lead him towards the underworld. Jung called the anima a soul figure, one that occupies an area or boundary between the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The anima is also associated with a person’s calling or fate, and is an alluring figure of the psyche.

Trinity, as a "three" figure, is incomplete. Jung writes, "the number three is not a natural expression of wholeness, since four represents the minimum number of determinants in a whole judgment" (Storr 275). Jung believed that the number four represented wholeness in the human psyche. If one were to re-arrange the name Neo slightly, it would be the word "one" (also, he is believed to The One). The separateness of the numbers "one" and the "three" in the movie, of Neo and Trinity, represent an incompleteness in the human psyche. As we shall see, the joining of Neo and Trinity (thus making a four) is what effects the change necessary for Neo to overcome his adversaries at the end of the film."