The clip that I chose is the trailer from the movie The Cup that came out in 1999. The movie is about a couple young students at a monastery school in India. The main character loves soccer and wants to see the world cup being played. He wants to rent a TV set for the monastery so that everyone can watch the World Cup. The young monks have to travel into town and collect money to rent this TV set. The overall plot of the movie is about trying to maintain the tradition of the monastery in a changing society.
This clip definitely defies the stereotype of monks. I think one of the largest misconceptions that people have of monks is that they are extremely serious individuals. They are not supposed to smile or have any enjoyment. Buddhist can have enjoyment but they are supposed to do so without attachment. In this movie the little monk absolutely loves soccer and has an obvious attachment to it.
Brad Warner himself defies a lot of stereotypes. He’s a priest, author, and a bass guitarist. He also has a blog and his head isn’t bald. Warner to me represents Buddhism meets new world. He does not let his religion control his life but he allows it to be a guide on how to live his life.
His book Zen: Wrapped in Karma dipped in Chocolate he speaks on several stereotypes. He also talks about the difference between Buddhism and Buddhism in the secular world. In places where Buddhist don’t have support systems they have to interact with the secular world because they have to work. In places like India where the movie The Cup takes place the monks have support systems so they don’t have to work or interact with the secular world. The young monks in the movie go into the city , which for the monks in India that’s not a regular outing. Another stereotype expressed in the movie is the fact that the monks did not have a television. In his book Brad Warner talks about the traditional Buddhist and their lack of possessions. By having possessions traditional Buddhist feel as if this represents attachment and a form of responsibility.
