Audience: Allegory Of The Groundhog
When people look back on their past there are inevitably things that they would want to go back and change, wondering what effects those changes would have on their future and how it would potentially improve their life. If an individual could live their life without the fear of consequence, what would they do and how would they act? This is an idea that is expanded upon in Harold Ramis classic film, Groundhog Day that is far from just another Bill Murray comedy. The film contains deeper-seeded Buddhist themes, particularly those of Mahayanist tradition, and works as a symbolic showcase of the ideas of rebirth, suffering and eventually awakening. Furthermore, the film tells an emblematic story that portrays the Mahayanist belief that awakening is not found through oneself but through selfless acts done to help others. In the film, Phil Connors, an incredibly arrogant man finds himself trapped in a state of constant repetition, forced to relive “‘the same day over and over. ’” He does not understand why this is happening to him and why he cannot seem to escape. This endless cycle of déjà vu is symbolic of the Buddhist concept of samsara. Phil Connors resents his rebirth each day because “rebirth is undesirable” due to the fact that “life is marked by suffering. ” It does not matter what Connors does to try and make the most of each day because it will never live up to his expectations and he will continue to fall short.
Throughout the course of the film, Connors continues to make mistakes with each day engaging in “self-centered advantage of his unique predicament. ” He attempts to stop his suffering by appeasing himself and doing whatever his heart desires. However, he doesn’t find solace in this, but rather even more disappointment. By failing to realize that, because he is in a loop, everything is ephemeral and will not last longer than a single day and therefore he cannot find true, everlasting joy through succumbing to his own wants and desires. Engaging in selfish desires only causes further suffering to Connors. He is not aided by his own greed, but it only furthers his desire to be freed from this seemingly eternal cycle.
Slowly, Connors starts to learn from his mistakes. Discovering that he can find happiness but that it won’t stem from an egoistic approach but rather a selfless approach. This is where the film begins to explore the Buddhist concept of awakening or nirvana. He begins to, day after day, discover ways to improve his life through selfless acts rather than acts driven by his own wants and desires. Despite being stuck reliving the same day again and again, Connors begins to find pleasure in “compassionately helping others. ” The film presents to the audience a Mahayanist idea of awakening. For most of the film, Connors is “focusing selfishly on his own private nirvana” when in reality, he could not achieve liberation “when there was so much suffering among those he was leaving behind. ” Once Connors began to focus on the wants and needs of the citizens of Punxsutawney, his life began to transform around him.
The fact is, according to the Buddhist message that the film presents to its audience, Phil Connors could not and would not achieve true happiness if he continued to live his life as the “same-old, same-old” Phil Connors. He had to be willing to change himself so as to better the individual lives of others, something that Mahayanist Buddhists are called to do. It was not until Phil Connors deduced the root of his suffering was due in part to his own selfishness and that to get rid of his pain would require him to achieve a higher purpose that he finally was freed from the cycle of rebirth and reached nirvana. Once he had identified that his “suffering has a cause” he was able to find a way to get rid of it.
Once Connors realized his own personal faults and spent each repeated day working to benefit others rather than himself alone he realized that “there is a path to the goal of nirvana” and that all he had to do was stay “clear of the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. ” When Phil Connors was willing to give up his own wishes and desires he ended up gaining much more. The film showcases how Connors did not escape samsara and achieve nirvana based on what he did for himself, but rather what he did out of charity, sympathy and kindness.
Groundhog Day is a family comedy on the outside, but if one digs a little deeper there is a deeply symbolic film that fully embraces the Mahayanistic Buddhist foundation of its themes. It tells the story of a man, riddled with arrogance, forced into a never-ending cycle of rebirth and suffering that cannot be escaped until he ultimately humbles himself — being willing to give up his own wishes and desires — and helping others. Through this, Phil Connors can finally reach nirvana and live a life where he can truly be happy. Groundhog Day is at its core an allegory of the selfless teachings of the Mahayanist Buddhists. Despite the pain, anger, and frustration that came with being plagued to repeat Groundhog Day over and over, Connors divergence from selfishness and journey into selflessness allowed him to escape rebirth and achieve enlightenment.
