The meaning of detachment in Daoism, Buddhism, and Stoicism

摘要

A beautiful and moving film entided Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Sprin~rnwritten and directed by KI:M Ki-duk, illustrates the issues about detachmentrnaddressed in this essay. Virtually the whole film takes place in a tiny Buddhistrnmonastery floating on a tree-lined lake. As the film begins in summer, a monkrnis shown raising a young boy, his prottgt. The lessons the monk teaches thernboy about his relationship to others concern childish cruelty to a fish, a snake,rnand a frog. No other people enter the picture until the boy grows into a teenagerrnand a young woman comes to the monastery to recover from illness. Herndiscovers his sensuality and passion for her, but when his master discovers theirrnrelationship, she is sent away and he is warned about fomaing attachments. Thernboy leaves the monastery to pursue the girl, and, unable to control his passionrnin the face of disappointment, kills her. Years later, the boy, now a sobered andrnrepentant man, returns to the monastery, his master dead, but now ready torntake the place his Master had intended for him. The movie ends in spring again,rnthe monk taking on the raising of a young boy.