"I believe Groundhog Day is a Buddhist movie because of this "transformation" of the Bill Murray character. He becomes, as we would say in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, "a true human being," as opposed to the self-centered and arrogant person he started out as. What is important to note is that the transformation occurs not through the action of some external supreme being, or through the action of the Bill Murray character himself (i.e., through his own self-power). It occurs because he encounters a difficulty in his life that is greater than himself. In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, we are taught that, even if we are aware that our ego-self is the problem, we cannot simply decide to become a "good person." The self cannot correct itself. What is required is a power much greater than the self, which essentially "negates" or "challenges" the self. In Buddhism, we call this power the Dharma."
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1990s American filmsComedy-drama filmsHoliday fantasy filmsRomantic comedy filmsFilms directed by Harold Ramis
Original Language: English
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Sources
Peter Hata, in "Groundhog Day" at The Living Dharma Website
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_(film)
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Groundhog Day (film)
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