Dharma in Drama

[DS Star]

With the number one spot in viewers' ratings, KBS weekend drama "You're the Best" is not just another TV drama about love between the hero and heroine; it depicted the problems faced by today’s society: the wrong pursuing of make-believed happiness where looks, status and money are everything.

The synopsis of the drama stated (I highlighted in bold the main issues I agreed) :

"Our society seems to be suffering from collective depression or in a group trance.

Everyone is just running, without knowing why or to where, because we were taught that falling behind is a terrible fate. 

We are enjoying unprecedented materialistic abundance, but we seem to be more miserable than ever before.

Suicide rate soars, people are judged by their looks or school background, and materialism is overwhelmingly widespread. The gap between the rich and the poor is at its widest yet. Everyone seems unhappy regardless of how much or how little one has.

Why have we become like this? For what have we been running so hard for so long?

This drama plans to deliver a message of comfort, hope, and healing to our exhausted society. Happiness is not found in possessions or outward qualifications. Happiness cannot be found by having more stuff or climbing higher on the corporate ladder.

What really makes us happy is simple yet heartfelt love from those around us. If only there are more people who can share such love, we would not have to run so hard anymore.

This drama is about a mother and her youngest daughter searching for happiness after the death of her husband, which plunges their lives into turmoil.

Thorough many trials and tribulations they find the real meaning of family, love, success, happiness, and life.

They come to realize that the real precious thing in life can be found within oneself and happiness is a blessing that comes to the courageous few who have high self-esteem and take charge of their own lives."

This TV drama has many important life lessons to remind us the value of our lives.

This is Dharma teaching, is it not?

[RedLantern]

Koreans typically view a moral upbringing as the central feature of human life.Moral education has thus been seen as the very core of the education process.Koreans have strongly believe that cultivating moral virtues is possible by way of continuous moral education and sincere self discipline.Korean cherished the cultivation of
moral character as a focal point of human life.
Thus Korean movies and dramas produced are based on respect for filial piety and the elderly,sense of community,cooperation,integrity and respect for life.

[Jessie Fong]

Every family should bring right and correct moral upbringing as the central issue in the family.  It so happens that Korean movies are more concentrated on this as a central theme.

I am sure that there are local shows prevalent in all countries that also concentrate on the core issue of good moral values; unfortunately they are not being marketed on the same intensity as Korean movies.
That does not mean that other countries are not instilling these values.

The Koreans have been very successful to market their movies with the style and flair that tug at the heart's strings, thus making their movies very popular.

[diablo1974]

The koreans are good in bringing moral values into their dramas, they did extensive research in this area of study. They do not just write stories but combine factual and instill values that we should learn or are learning on the way with life. Many of their historical factual drama series are morally scripted and quite inspiring. I can say, they are still continuing to make many more successful dramas.

[pgdharma]

Right and correct moral upbringing should be instilled in every family. Persons who are brought up with ethical and moral values will refrain from doing anything that can harm other people. They also have good attitudes towards work and other people. Korean dramas/movies are produced based on closed affection, loyalty, filial piety and respect for the elders and since Koreans dramas are very popular nowadays this is a good way to reach out to the mass.

[buddhalovely]

However teaching the lessons of dharma through the actions of on going drama. In my perspective, I believe that it would just abrupt the message intended. It would confuse the viewer, showing the complication of learning something that is meant to have simplistic values. I could be wrong.

On another note, it would immediately catch the attention of many viewers and so allowing more dharma to be received and understood in a form of entertainment. Clever but how effective would this continue to be?

[Rihanna]

THANK YOU for sharing. For the longest time I cannot understand how could anyone sit down and watch such LONG series of dramas (be it Korean, Taiwanese... etc.) and there is no way I could tell who is who as all Korean stars look extremely similar to each other... LOL

From the synopsis, there is dharma and positive thinking, at least those viewers would benefit from the 'teaching' besides going on emotional roller-coaster ride following the drama..

[Rinchen]

The Koreans are really clever to have valuable teachings like this about the correct upbringing. It would demostrate the points to the teens that also watch these shows. Hence they would know the correct values, and practice them from there.

It would be really pointless if a drama is about sex, drugs, deaths, etc. It would only mean that the country itself is trying to teach the citizens things that may harm them holistically.

Hence, I would say that it is definitely  good thing that they have did the drama in ways to improve their people by teaching them values.

[brian]

Every story in the movie actual gives a moral value or Dharma teachings. Just like our life stories, each of the stories behind from whether a successful man or a simple man actually relates a story that has Dharma values. For instance,  "a rich man who used to be very arrogant and unkind to his relatives became a bankrupt overnight and nobody helped him in the end" kind of story is a moral and Dharma teaching itself. So what is important for us viewer is to learn the moral of the story potrayed by the film director and do not repeat the mistakes kindly highlighted in the story.