And Life Goes On Abbas Kiarostami (Iran, 1992) For program notes, please see Monday, November 1. Visions of the Dharma: Reflections in Japanese Cinema Through December 19 In conjunction with the gallery exhibition, PFA presents a film and lecture series which approaches classic films from the perspective of what they tell us about Japan's interaction with Buddhism. In thoughtful historical dramas, issues of art and spirituality and the links between them are skillfully depicted. Even the spectacles are based on treasured lore and marked by a seriousness of purpose. Their composition, iconography, and staging of key scenes recall Buddhist paintings, prints, and tales. In these films we see that Buddhism in Japan was neither monolithic nor static, but rather a matter of philosophical differences, adaptation to other beliefs, political intrigues-of social history. We can appreciate many contemporary films for their insights into the way that Buddhist precepts and values function in everyday life-what might be called "cultural Buddhism." Mono no aware, a "sympathetic sadness" with which one views and ultimately savors the world and its limitations, is an experience shared by Yasujiro Ozu's characters across the generations: in place of a narrative climax, change might bring on an appreciation of the "suchness" of things. Like much of Buddhist art, Ozu's films are fields for contemplation. Buddhism penetrates apparent contradictions, seeing beyond distinctions such as illusion versus reality or subjectivity versus objectivity. Film is especially suited to rendering a fluid shifting of reality which can suggest the nondualism of Buddhist insight. Whether through ghosts, dreams, memory, or the details of daily existence, film convincingly shows that all phenomena can reveal human truths. Thursday November 4 Visions of the Dharma Visions of the Dharma: Reflections in Japanese Cinema is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. Additional support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Museum Collections Accessibility Initiative. This series is curated by Mona Nagai, PFA Film Collection Manager. We wish to thank Daiei Co., Ltd.; The Japan Foundation; The Seiyu, Ltd.; and Shochiku Co., Ltd.