Mighty Heart
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[edit] Blurb
[In] the movie, "a mighty heart" seems to refer to Mariane, not Danny. The movie is about her bravery, perseverance and Buddhism-fueled inner calm.[2]
A Mighty Heart mostly treats faith with clinical detachment. Still, the story's religious underpinnings are obvious: Islamic extremism is at the crux of the story, thus radical Muslim religious leaders become prime suspects in the search. We hear that those who have abducted Danny aim to "purify Islam through violence." Accordingly, they're willing to go to the greatest of lengths to advance jihad and the cause of Allah. One suspect is hauled away shouting "God is great! God is great!"
More generally, Pakistan's predominantly Muslim culture is depicted in passing shots of men praying and footage of elaborate mosques. An Islamic holy day based on Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice Ishmael (the Muslim interpretation of the Abraham/Isaac story in Genesis 22) is referenced as well. We're told that animals are sacrificed and their meat parceled out to the family, to neighbors and to the poor. During a thundershower, one of Mariane's neighbors says of the downpour, "God is raining. God is coming down in the rain."
Mariane says that Danny was a non-practicing Jew, while she herself is Buddhist. We see her meditating and chanting on a couple occasions. And in a flashback to their wedding, a speaker defines Buddhism as a faith that helps adherents find inner strength, beauty and courage. The film suggests that Mariane's Buddhist faith, combined with her obvious strength of character, help her deal with Danny's abduction and death. [3]
[edit] View from Nowhere
When considering this film, and the suffering of the Mariane, the wife whose husband has been abducted (as well as the husband's suffering which is not seen), what comes to my mind is the entry into the path by practice outlined in the Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma:
To enter by practice refers to four all-inclusive practices: Suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing the Dharma. First, suffering injustice. When those who search for the Path encounter adversity, they should think to themselves, "In Countless ages gone by, I've turned from the essential to the trivial and wandered through all manner of existence, often angry without cause and guilty of numberless transgressions. Now, though I do no wrong, I'm punished by my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit. I accept it with an open heart and without complaint of injustice. The sutras say " when you meet with adversity don't be upset because it makes sense." With such understanding you're in harmony with reason. And by suffering injustice you enter the Path. Second, adapting to conditions. As mortals, we're ruled by conditions, not by ourselves. All the suffering and joy we experience depend on conditions. If we should be blessed by some great reward, such as fame or fortune, it's the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past. When conditions change, it ends. Why delight In Its existence? But while success and failure depend on conditions, the mind neither waxes nor wanes. Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path. Third, seeking nothing. People of this world are deluded. They're always longing for something-always, in a word, seeking. But the wise wake up. They choose reason over custom. They fix their minds on the sublime and let their bodies change with the seasons. All phenomena are empty. They contain nothing worth desiring. Calamity forever alternates with Prosperity! To dwell in the three realms is to dwell in a burning house. To have a body is to suffer. Does anyone with a body know peace? Those who understand this detach themselves from all that exists and stop Imagining or seeking anything. The sutras say, "To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss." When you seek nothing, you're on the Path. (Translated by Red Pine 1987)
[edit] Other Views from Nowhere
