Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (Buddhist Movie)

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A meditative film dealing with Seon Buddhist views on life, Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? follows the lives of three Buddhist monks: a child, an adult, and an old man. This film is largely about two Zen koans. The koans are: What is my original face before my mother and father were conceived?, and (In death,) where does the master of my being go? The film’s title, although not explained literally in the film, is a reference to Bodhidharma, a 6th century Buddhist monk from India who transmitted Zen to China. The question, “Why has Bodhi-Dharma left for the east,” is echoed by the young boy’s question, “Why have we all left the world?” The entire film can be seen as as an answering of that question, so that the film itself becomes a koan.