Mandala (1981)

Two Buddhist monks wonder while they wander through beautiful landscapes and seedy back alleys, all of which are transformed into a temple in their minds.

The two monks may have traveled together, but their roads to the top of the mountain were slightly different. One monk, Poban, adhered to the rules, the other, Jisan (who had been kicked out) seemed to go out of his way to break them. In their duality of thought they were not that far apart, both were seeking to let go of attachments and find the real meaning in their faith and how that should be lived out in their lives. What was more important-prayers or action? Avoiding temptation or facing it head on? Being attached to the rules or breaking through them? From time to time their pasts and mistakes caught up with them, crashing through their thoughts, forcing them to deal with them and answer some of those questions. The conversations were dense with meaning and would take a third or fourth viewing for me to truly grasp the deeper elements.

Though years passed, it seemed ever winter in the landscape, cold, gray, and austere. This movie truly needs a loving hand to re-master it, saving it from the graininess of age. I'm sure the images were originally crisper and clearer.

Mandala isn't for everyone. It is slow, focusing narrowly on the two leads and their conversations regarding life and Buddhism. As Jisan said, "Attaining enlightenment is easy, putting it into practice is difficult." Forty years after the release of this film and countless world events since then, this message still found and resonated with me reminding me how timeless some films can be.

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