BUDDHISM AND THE ARTS

PART ONE: AVOIDING AND LIVING WITH ENTERTAINMENT

QUESTION:

One of the precepts monks and nuns take is to abstain from certain kinds of entertainment, such as going to movies or concerts, listening to music or reading novels. Why is this? Should lay practitioners avoid entertainment, too? Would it be against Buddhist precepts to spread the Dharma through entertainment? I feel that I see Dharma in many non-Buddhist arts ─ music, film, literature. Is this beneficial or am I just rationalizing my desires?

SHIH-FU:

Monks and nuns take many precepts, one of which is to abstain from entertainment. Certain forms of entertainment become occasions for people to vent their emotions or moods. Obviously, actors vent feelings and emotions when they work, as does the audience if it connects with their performance. That is a primary function of entertainment.