I just finished watching this movie at the UW screening before it is released nationwide. I have to say that I am deeply moved by it despite the fact that some of the Chinese characters are played by Japanese.There are several scenes that are so captivating, leaving my heart filled with excitement, joy and at the same time sorrow. The last few scenes really made this movie stand out. I especially enjoyed the little girl's explanation of what she is doing and how this is reflected in the Buddha in her heart. I believe that the Buddha in everyone's mind might be different from one another. The pursuit of the truth, tranquility and beauty might take different pathways. But what this movie reveals is the eternal power of what a man can achieve and what a man should give up. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in some of the concepts conveyed so beautifully and profoundly.
8 Reviews
Fail of an attempt to describe the life of the great monk Dogen
ebiros212 September 2012
The story is about the life and times of the great (perhaps the greatest) zen monk in Japanese history: Dogen.
Dogen's origin is not well known, but what he's become in his later life is part of the Japanese history and culture. The movie is an attempt to portray his life. I'm not sure how much of this story is based on fact. Dogen is the founder of Japanese Soto zen sect which he brought back from China. None of these background information are elaborated in this movie which I think makes this movie miss its point.
It's based on a biographical novel of Dogen by Tetsuo Ootani who himself is a Soto zen monk. I don't know anything about the novel, but since it's supposed to be the life story of Dogen, I believe this movie should reflect that also. However, perhaps the producers have bit off more than they can chew because I find this movie very incomplete whether looking from Buddhistic point of view, or biographic point of view.
How did Dogen arrive at his view of zen Buddhism should at least be highlighted, but none of that is shown in this movie. I believe that the producers didn't know anything about the subject that they were putting on the big screen. It shows on the choppy way the story advances.
The producers, and also the actors were not the caliber that could describe a story of this magnitude.
Good attempt but fail of a production from the aforementioned reasons.
Dogen's origin is not well known, but what he's become in his later life is part of the Japanese history and culture. The movie is an attempt to portray his life. I'm not sure how much of this story is based on fact. Dogen is the founder of Japanese Soto zen sect which he brought back from China. None of these background information are elaborated in this movie which I think makes this movie miss its point.
It's based on a biographical novel of Dogen by Tetsuo Ootani who himself is a Soto zen monk. I don't know anything about the novel, but since it's supposed to be the life story of Dogen, I believe this movie should reflect that also. However, perhaps the producers have bit off more than they can chew because I find this movie very incomplete whether looking from Buddhistic point of view, or biographic point of view.
How did Dogen arrive at his view of zen Buddhism should at least be highlighted, but none of that is shown in this movie. I believe that the producers didn't know anything about the subject that they were putting on the big screen. It shows on the choppy way the story advances.
The producers, and also the actors were not the caliber that could describe a story of this magnitude.
Good attempt but fail of a production from the aforementioned reasons.
good for those interested in the subject tedious for those not
dbborroughs11 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Medatative story of a monk in search of enlightenment.
Based upon a novel which is based upon the life of a monk named Dogen who left Japan and traveled to China. He returned to Japan bringing with him a form of Zen teaching.
A good film that I think is going to be of interest to people with an interest in Zen and Buddhism. Others I think are going to be bored and wonder what its all about.
If there are any real flaws its some of the visual motifs-the moon for example are used a bit too much.
If you're interested in the subject give it a go.
Based upon a novel which is based upon the life of a monk named Dogen who left Japan and traveled to China. He returned to Japan bringing with him a form of Zen teaching.
A good film that I think is going to be of interest to people with an interest in Zen and Buddhism. Others I think are going to be bored and wonder what its all about.
If there are any real flaws its some of the visual motifs-the moon for example are used a bit too much.
If you're interested in the subject give it a go.
Passages from enlightenment
tonosov-5123825 February 2024
Being partially a biopic that barely conveys anything about the person except the generalized platitudes he lived by and after his death, you can still understand by the end that expecting something grandiose from a movie about Zazen would be a contradiction to the whole concept. So it goes: a rough chronology of how he brought his knowledge from China to Japan, mixed with morality tales, with some being straight up from Buddha lore itself. As for actually understanding the advantages that the act of sitting and thinking about nothing and sipping boiled water brings to one's existence, well, no comfort here. Being poor, miserable, or disenfranchised in the 13th century could drive a person anywhere to seek purpose.
The atmosphere is exceptional. You can really immerse yourself in Dogen's meditative perspective thanks to long contemplative scenes of essentially nothing but his surroundings. A lot of scenes of "unrealistic beauty" just add to how he sees the world on this path to enlightenment. The score is fantastic as well. Especially the ending track.
The supporting characters exist solely to provide a layman's viewpoint and range from mildly interesting to bland. With some truly awful scenes of physical acting that significantly take away from immersion in the supposed drama the movie tries to showcase.
The atmosphere is exceptional. You can really immerse yourself in Dogen's meditative perspective thanks to long contemplative scenes of essentially nothing but his surroundings. A lot of scenes of "unrealistic beauty" just add to how he sees the world on this path to enlightenment. The score is fantastic as well. Especially the ending track.
The supporting characters exist solely to provide a layman's viewpoint and range from mildly interesting to bland. With some truly awful scenes of physical acting that significantly take away from immersion in the supposed drama the movie tries to showcase.
A True Masterpiece
andynewman7224 January 2011
From my experience movies on the lives of spiritual masters, saints etc. tend to be dry with poor actors, dull photography and boring scores. This is clearly an exception to the rule. Yes you do need to be a little interested in the topic and it certainly helps to have a little Zen background to really appreciate it in it's entirety. That said I'm pretty sure that any true movie lover will thoroughly appreciate the breathtaking scenery, exquisite photography and acting. The main actor who plays Master Dogen is truly amazing. I don't think it's simple task to portray the life of a spiritual master with such power and realism (starting from early monk-hood all the way to enlightenment). The story itself is quite fascinating and could even serve as an introduction to Zen and the concept of enlightenment. Nine out of Zen stars :)
great movie for those with a bit of religious/history/cultural background. nightmare for those who don't.
micropotato17 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very interesting movie. And it runs rather deep into the culture and religious background of Japan around the 12th century.
I know a bit about Buddhism and the Chinese culture and so this movies comes as quite a stunner. The simplicity of it is incredulous. Starting with a young boy seeking Buddhism because of his mother and later meeting a wise man on the road; ending with a girl taught by Dogen teaching young children to understand Buddha and walking on the same road. Everything comes full circle. Like the teaching from Buddha. And the idea of Dogen's new Buddhism is also very simple. Sit. Meditate. Give up other thoughts and focus on experiencing the Buddha in you. Which brings us to the core differences in values between the Eastern and Western culture. The eastern (Chinese/Japanese) way is to self reflect and discover the inner self and in time discover the goodness in yourself. The western way, however, men are sinners from birth and need to rely on a supernatural source to convert the person, making men good.
One of the more important themes of the movie is influencing other people and passing on the wisdom and knowledge. Like a spark it grows into a larger flame and its heat draws more and more people in. There are quite a few subplots on that theme and they are executed very well and ties onto the circle flawlessly.
There are however quite a lot of references and symbolic meanings (for instance, butterflies and moths are considered spirits) that people who have no experience with the Chinese/Japanese culture may not understand, which may make the movie less inspiring than it is.
I know a bit about Buddhism and the Chinese culture and so this movies comes as quite a stunner. The simplicity of it is incredulous. Starting with a young boy seeking Buddhism because of his mother and later meeting a wise man on the road; ending with a girl taught by Dogen teaching young children to understand Buddha and walking on the same road. Everything comes full circle. Like the teaching from Buddha. And the idea of Dogen's new Buddhism is also very simple. Sit. Meditate. Give up other thoughts and focus on experiencing the Buddha in you. Which brings us to the core differences in values between the Eastern and Western culture. The eastern (Chinese/Japanese) way is to self reflect and discover the inner self and in time discover the goodness in yourself. The western way, however, men are sinners from birth and need to rely on a supernatural source to convert the person, making men good.
One of the more important themes of the movie is influencing other people and passing on the wisdom and knowledge. Like a spark it grows into a larger flame and its heat draws more and more people in. There are quite a few subplots on that theme and they are executed very well and ties onto the circle flawlessly.
There are however quite a lot of references and symbolic meanings (for instance, butterflies and moths are considered spirits) that people who have no experience with the Chinese/Japanese culture may not understand, which may make the movie less inspiring than it is.
Dogen Zenj, an inspiring man that you should know
Reno-Rangan25 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Just said wow after a watch, this was the true masterpiece. One of a must see biography movie from Japan. This movie is more than entertainment, about life, faith, honesty. It sets in time 12th century when Japan is obsessed with the evil power by the strong and powerful samurais where poor people pays for it when they are suffering from poverty.
It was the story of Dogen Zenj, a Japanese monk who brought the true Buddhism to his country. You might remember the Indian monk Bodhidharma, father of Shaolin who passed Hindu herbal medicine system and martial arts to China. In this case it was like similar quest by an another person from the Japan. The movie tells a young man from Japan travel to China in order to find and learn the true Buddhism and take back to his country to spread it among his people.
The movie was inspiring, Dogen Zenj is one of a great man lived on the earth. I am not a religious type but I liked this movie very much. This movie might be about Buddhism but there is a lot everyone to learn from it. You no need to travel to India to discover yourself or if you are already in India (an Indian), this life story of Zen master Dogen will teach something good. Some scenes and its meanings were so good especially when Dogen handles his ruler (king) and when he sends a mother of a dying baby to everyone's house in the village. Hope you will love it as much I did.
It was the story of Dogen Zenj, a Japanese monk who brought the true Buddhism to his country. You might remember the Indian monk Bodhidharma, father of Shaolin who passed Hindu herbal medicine system and martial arts to China. In this case it was like similar quest by an another person from the Japan. The movie tells a young man from Japan travel to China in order to find and learn the true Buddhism and take back to his country to spread it among his people.
The movie was inspiring, Dogen Zenj is one of a great man lived on the earth. I am not a religious type but I liked this movie very much. This movie might be about Buddhism but there is a lot everyone to learn from it. You no need to travel to India to discover yourself or if you are already in India (an Indian), this life story of Zen master Dogen will teach something good. Some scenes and its meanings were so good especially when Dogen handles his ruler (king) and when he sends a mother of a dying baby to everyone's house in the village. Hope you will love it as much I did.
Partial miscast, inconsistent production
ethSin7 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is difficult for an ordinary man like me with little knowledge of Zen Buddhism and Japanese religious history.
In my Chinese history class in college, I learned Dogen was a Japanese monk who traveled to China in 13th century, whose travel diary is one of few surviving record of what life was like for peasants back in the day in China.
I felt the pace of this movie was WAY too fast, especially in the beginning where characters appeared without any introduction or background information. The story just progressed without informing us who those characters really were. We get a nice flow of Dogen's life though, from childhood introduction, travel to China, conflicts upon return, climax in Kamakura, and death. Also, the Zen Buddhism from Dogen's view.
With my limited knowledge of religious history, I can't be certain if the story is historically accurate. But one thing I know is that the moon was definitely overemphasized throughout this film. The size of it in few scenes were ridiculous (if that happened on Earth), and the multiple moon reflections in pond is simply physically impossible unless zazen power near the temple somehow bent light. The CG of ancient Chinese and Japanese cities and buildings were wonderful, but the ghost CG were really fakey and poorly produced.
Casting of the protagonist was wonderful. Nakamura Kantarou made a convincing monk, and his Chinese was borderline discernible. As a Uchida Yuki fan, this movie was a treat as well. Her screen time was limited, but she played her part very well and left an impression. I had major problems with Nishimura Masahiko (Chief priest in China) and Sasano Takashi (the cook). As someone who understands both Japanese and Mandarin, it was agonizing to see supposedly Chinese characters' Mandarin were far worse than a Japanese traveler. Their pronunciations were so horrible that I understood less than half of what they were talking about without subtitle. I guess this doesn't concern most viewers of this movie, but it disturbed me how these actors probably only rehearsed an hour before the scene, because as Nakamura Kantarou proved, it IS possible for a Japanese actor to speak understandable Chinese with a script. Also, Fujiwara Tatsuya should be banned from historical films. To be polite, his face is too "unique" for that era, and he was simply out of place, totally unsuccessful in the role.
I got a nice idea of Zen Buddhism from Dogen's view in this film, but there were too many Buddhist terms spoken in this movie for me. I also failed to connect with any of the main characters in this film. Still, it may be a nice idea to try this movie out as a cultural piece.
In my Chinese history class in college, I learned Dogen was a Japanese monk who traveled to China in 13th century, whose travel diary is one of few surviving record of what life was like for peasants back in the day in China.
I felt the pace of this movie was WAY too fast, especially in the beginning where characters appeared without any introduction or background information. The story just progressed without informing us who those characters really were. We get a nice flow of Dogen's life though, from childhood introduction, travel to China, conflicts upon return, climax in Kamakura, and death. Also, the Zen Buddhism from Dogen's view.
With my limited knowledge of religious history, I can't be certain if the story is historically accurate. But one thing I know is that the moon was definitely overemphasized throughout this film. The size of it in few scenes were ridiculous (if that happened on Earth), and the multiple moon reflections in pond is simply physically impossible unless zazen power near the temple somehow bent light. The CG of ancient Chinese and Japanese cities and buildings were wonderful, but the ghost CG were really fakey and poorly produced.
Casting of the protagonist was wonderful. Nakamura Kantarou made a convincing monk, and his Chinese was borderline discernible. As a Uchida Yuki fan, this movie was a treat as well. Her screen time was limited, but she played her part very well and left an impression. I had major problems with Nishimura Masahiko (Chief priest in China) and Sasano Takashi (the cook). As someone who understands both Japanese and Mandarin, it was agonizing to see supposedly Chinese characters' Mandarin were far worse than a Japanese traveler. Their pronunciations were so horrible that I understood less than half of what they were talking about without subtitle. I guess this doesn't concern most viewers of this movie, but it disturbed me how these actors probably only rehearsed an hour before the scene, because as Nakamura Kantarou proved, it IS possible for a Japanese actor to speak understandable Chinese with a script. Also, Fujiwara Tatsuya should be banned from historical films. To be polite, his face is too "unique" for that era, and he was simply out of place, totally unsuccessful in the role.
I got a nice idea of Zen Buddhism from Dogen's view in this film, but there were too many Buddhist terms spoken in this movie for me. I also failed to connect with any of the main characters in this film. Still, it may be a nice idea to try this movie out as a cultural piece.
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