Gravity - Movie

陶傑‧大宇無疆

2013-10-20 11:26

3D電影《引力邊緣》（Gravity），90分鐘的戲，只有兩三個演員，講俄國發射導彈摧毀自己的衛星，擊中了美國的太空站，最後只剩一個女太空員，失事之後在太空漂流，自己想辦法返回地球。

3D電影拍到“少年Pi的奇幻漂流”，以為已經到頂了，豈知在燦爛熱鬧的盡處，反過來，用3D表達人在太空的極度孤絕，卻忽然幻開另境，開拓了另一個魔幻世界。

這一次由太空回望地球：一人、一舟、一個水藍的星球。李賀的詩境：“黃塵清水三山下，更變千年如走馬。遙望齊州九點煙，一泓海水杯中瀉”，讀過唐詩，看大美帝國的3D太空片，別有一番心得，這是做一個國際公民的樂趣。

電影只有一個女主角，天王巨星佐治古尼其實是大配角。但是不要緊，太空其實才是戲的主角。美國人用3D表現出宇宙的博大無垠，以及人的幼稚渺小，寄蜉蝣於天地，渺滄海之一粟，若有一點老莊的修為，看這齣戲，會很感動――中國古老的文化，用現代的IT，表述得很蒼涼。

最後女英雄當然化險為夷，從蒼空萬里的太空艙乘降落傘，下墜海洋。這一跌墮，是繼《2001太空漫遊》著名的猩猩向天空拋骨頭、跌下來變成了太空船著名一幕，最有張力的一場――女主角挾人類科技文明的巨重，沉下大海，水底卻有一隻青蛙徐徐向上游。這一升一沉，反諷的力量巨大無匹：人類以為自己是機關算盡的萬物之皇？行到水窮處，人類不如一隻自在的靈蛙。這隻青蛙是戲里的神來點睛之筆，令人省思：原來一切挑戰，畢竟徒勞，上蒼造物，至高另有主宰的天機。

3D電影拍成這層境界，卻又是別有洞天。人家的創意，這才叫變生無限，背後除了科技，還有基督教，還有博大的人文精神。真是很了不起的夢幻組合，沒有喧嘩，不喊口號，沒有哪個部門來領導主題思想，將東西方的哲理和美學融匯一體，最終獻給全人類。我們在戲院裡，想到了三生以外的空寂，六道以外的澄明，從九天的鴻濛，到千噚的滄海。（星洲日報／黃金冒險號‧作者：陶傑‧香港評論人）

Dying Consciously ...

By Ram Dass

My view has evolved to seeing death — the moment of death — as a ceremony. If people are sitting with you to help as you are going through this dying ceremony, help them to see you as the soul you truly are, not as your ego. If they identify you as your ego, during the last part of this ceremony they will cling to you and pull you back instead of facilitating your transformation.

Sadhana, either a specific practice or your overall spiritual transformation, begins with you as an ego and evolves into your being a soul, who you really are. The ego is identified with the incarnation, which stops at the moment of death. The soul, on the other hand, has experienced many deaths. 

If you’ve done your sadhana fully, there will be no fear of death, and dying is just another moment. If you are to die consciously, there’s no time like the present to prepare. Here is a brief checklist of some of the ways to approach your own death:

• Live your life consciously and fully. Learn to identify with and be present in your soul, not your ego.

• Fill your heart with love. Turn your mind toward God, guru, Truth.

• Continue with all of your spiritual practices: meditation, mantra, kirtan, all forms of devotion.

• Be there for the death of your parents, loved ones, or beloved animals. Know that the presence of your loved ones will remain when you are quiet and bring them into your consciousness.

• Read about the deaths of great saints, lamas, and yogis like Ramana Maharshi.

• If there is pain at the time of death, try to remain as conscious as possible. Medication for pain offers some solace but dulls your awareness.

• To be peaceful at the time of your death, seek peace inside today.

Death is another moment. If you’re not peaceful today, you probably won’t be peaceful tomorrow. Sudden death is, in many ways, more difficult to work with spiritually than a gradual passing. If we are aware that death can happen at any moment, we start to work on ourselves more constantly, paying attention to the moment-to-moment content of our minds. If you practice being here now, being fully in the moment during your life, if you are living in that space, then the moment of death is just another moment.