中西电影中“轮回”的比较选读.doc

Samsara in Chinese Films and Western Films Samsara refers to the theory of rebirth and cyclicality of all life, matter, existence, a fundamental assumption of all?Indian religions. It?is sometimes referred to with terms or phrases such as transmigration, karmic cycle,?reincarnation, and cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence. In Samsara, there are six realms, namely Hell or paranoia?realm , Preta?or hungry ghost realm, Animal?realm, Human?realm, Asura?or Semigod realm and Realm of?Gods. All humans are living in Human realm and after death they would enter Human realm or any other of the rest five realms based on what humans have done in this life. Consequently with its essential meaning it is also widely used in Buddhism, which has had much influence on Chinese social life and Chinese people’s mind since long. From customs to language, from social norms to literary works, Buddhism has immensely taken its root in Chinese people’s values. And Samsara, an important concept, or core theory in Buddhism, also functions as divine mystery which invisibly and silently directs the lifestyle of a large number of Chinese people. In ancient China, there were classic novels or official recordings about rebirth or transmigration, while in modern China there appears to be more films whose stories are largely based on ancient rebirth stories. Coincidentally, in recent decades some western films have started to raise questions to audience by employing the concept of Samsara either as the topic or as the structure. Despite the fact that films from both cultures have somewhat absorbed the element Samsara, they do differ in some ways and the difference between them reflect how people from different cultures perceive it. This paper is intended to explore the concrete presentation of Samsara in Chinese films and western film and the differences between them. As Samsara is after all a religious word, we first need to make it clear the relationship between religion an