Summary

Wright begins his analysis by summarizing the popular movie The Matrix. In the movie, the main character, Neo, realizes that the life he has been living is nothing but a hallucination. In the most famous scene from the movie, rebels give Neo a meaning-ridden choice. At this moment, Neo has the power to determine his future— he can take a blue pill in order to re-enter the hallucination, or take a red pill in order to come back to the real world.

While most audiences seemed to enjoy the movie, one audience in particular truly identified with it. This group, the Western Buddhists, practice meditation and believe in many elements of Asian Buddhism in order to break out of the illusion that they believe life is. They use the word “dharma,” which refers to Buddha’s teachings, to refer to the...