1 00:00:00,341 --> 00:00:02,500 Blade Runner four years of life 2 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:04,057 Why does he live more lucidly than you 3 00:00:04,621 --> 00:00:06,878 A replicant with only hours left to live 4 00:00:06,900 --> 00:00:09,837 Pulled his human pursuer back onto the roof 5 00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:11,298 Rain streamed across his face 6 00:00:11,660 --> 00:00:12,859 He spoke a few words 7 00:00:12,861 --> 00:00:13,917 Then he died 8 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:15,298 It was only five sentences 9 00:00:15,621 --> 00:00:16,899 Yet more than forty years later 10 00:00:16,900 --> 00:00:18,510 No one can forget them 11 00:00:18,693 --> 00:00:19,010 Hello 12 00:00:19,292 --> 00:00:19,769 Hello everyone 13 00:00:20,053 --> 00:00:21,109 I am Leo Wang 14 00:00:21,373 --> 00:00:22,652 Today we are talking about 15 00:00:22,652 --> 00:00:25,569 Ridley Scott and his 1982 film Blade Runner 16 00:00:26,213 --> 00:00:26,890 First a quick note 17 00:00:27,252 --> 00:00:29,429 This film has several different cuts 18 00:00:29,533 --> 00:00:30,510 I am discussing 19 00:00:30,533 --> 00:00:34,931 The Final Cut approved by Scott himself which differs from the theatrical cut 20 00:00:34,933 --> 00:00:36,409 In several crucial ways 21 00:00:36,772 --> 00:00:37,909 We will come to them later 22 00:00:38,492 --> 00:00:42,349 On the surface the film is about hunting escaped replicants 23 00:00:42,653 --> 00:00:44,669 But by the end you realize 24 00:00:44,693 --> 00:00:47,442 It is really asking an unsettling question 25 00:00:47,452 --> 00:00:50,449 What makes you think you are real 26 00:00:51,351 --> 00:00:53,089 When I first watched this film 27 00:00:53,152 --> 00:00:54,928 It was not the fighting that struck me 28 00:00:55,031 --> 00:00:55,708 Nor the flying cars 29 00:00:56,071 --> 00:00:58,089 It was the test in the opening scene 30 00:00:58,431 --> 00:00:59,869 A new employee named Leon 31 00:01:00,272 --> 00:01:01,528 Sits at a table 32 00:01:01,872 --> 00:01:04,849 The man opposite watches his pupils with a machine 33 00:01:04,911 --> 00:01:06,489 And asks him some strange questions 34 00:01:06,992 --> 00:01:08,528 You are walking through a desert 35 00:01:08,551 --> 00:01:10,649 You see a tortoise lying helpless on its back 36 00:01:10,712 --> 00:01:11,729 You do not help it 37 00:01:11,729 --> 00:01:12,308 Why not 38 00:01:13,734 --> 00:01:15,070 Leon cannot answer 39 00:01:15,454 --> 00:01:16,871 Not because he is unintelligent 40 00:01:17,174 --> 00:01:19,710 His intellect and strength surpass ordinary humans 41 00:01:20,094 --> 00:01:21,231 He cannot answer 42 00:01:21,334 --> 00:01:23,853 Because these questions do not test knowledge 43 00:01:23,853 --> 00:01:25,350 They test emotional responses 44 00:01:25,853 --> 00:01:28,231 When a human hears about the helpless tortoise 45 00:01:28,374 --> 00:01:30,710 Their pupils flicker involuntarily 46 00:01:30,853 --> 00:01:32,630 Even if they claim not to care 47 00:01:32,814 --> 00:01:34,630 But the pupils of Leon do not 48 00:01:34,974 --> 00:01:38,471 This is called the Voight Kampff test 49 00:01:38,534 --> 00:01:41,087 It distinguishes humans from replicants 50 00:01:41,269 --> 00:01:43,847 Buddhism offers a remarkably similar insight 51 00:01:44,150 --> 00:01:45,246 Yogacara teaches 52 00:01:45,430 --> 00:01:47,647 We think we are feeling the world 53 00:01:47,749 --> 00:01:49,087 But most of the time 54 00:01:49,109 --> 00:01:50,927 We are discriminating the world 55 00:01:51,150 --> 00:01:53,326 You see a tortoise lying helpless on its back 56 00:01:53,469 --> 00:01:57,126 Your mind does not first feel sympathy then decide what to do 57 00:01:57,269 --> 00:01:59,447 Your seventh consciousness Manas 58 00:01:59,469 --> 00:02:01,287 Before you can even react 59 00:02:01,310 --> 00:02:04,746 Has already judged whether this concerns me 60 00:02:05,269 --> 00:02:05,906 If it does 61 00:02:06,029 --> 00:02:06,626 You feel moved 62 00:02:07,029 --> 00:02:07,667 If it does not 63 00:02:07,749 --> 00:02:08,647 You ignore it 64 00:02:09,070 --> 00:02:11,487 You think you chose to be kind 65 00:02:11,549 --> 00:02:12,726 But much of the time 66 00:02:12,790 --> 00:02:15,966 Manas is merely running an old program for you 67 00:02:16,516 --> 00:02:17,753 Leon fails the test 68 00:02:17,996 --> 00:02:19,533 Draws a gun and kills the examiner 69 00:02:19,757 --> 00:02:22,894 But the second test is where things get interesting 70 00:02:23,236 --> 00:02:25,413 This time the subject is Rachael 71 00:02:25,836 --> 00:02:27,274 She works for the Tyrell Corporation 72 00:02:27,716 --> 00:02:28,454 Beautiful 73 00:02:28,516 --> 00:02:28,954 Composed 74 00:02:29,317 --> 00:02:30,813 And perfectly articulate 75 00:02:30,996 --> 00:02:33,514 The examiner Deckard who is also our protagonist 76 00:02:33,956 --> 00:02:35,573 Asks her more than a hundred questions 77 00:02:36,077 --> 00:02:38,214 Usually twenty or thirty are enough 78 00:02:38,357 --> 00:02:40,454 But Rachael responds so much like a human 79 00:02:40,597 --> 00:02:42,973 That Deckard cannot reach an immediate conclusion 80 00:02:43,556 --> 00:02:44,675 After the test 81 00:02:44,676 --> 00:02:48,334 Doctor Tyrell gives Deckard the answer she is a replicant 82 00:02:48,357 --> 00:02:49,693 But she does not know it 83 00:02:50,260 --> 00:02:51,677 Doctor Tyrell explains 84 00:02:51,739 --> 00:02:53,837 They implanted memories in Rachael 85 00:02:53,899 --> 00:02:55,618 Not memories they simply invented 86 00:02:55,619 --> 00:02:58,497 But memories from real humans including someones childhood 87 00:02:58,860 --> 00:03:01,237 A mother and a spider spinning its web 88 00:03:01,459 --> 00:03:03,716 Rachael thinks those memories are her life 89 00:03:03,779 --> 00:03:05,779 But they belong to someone else 90 00:03:05,779 --> 00:03:08,156 Copied and pasted into her consciousness 91 00:03:08,619 --> 00:03:09,177 Honestly 92 00:03:09,420 --> 00:03:11,397 The first time I encountered this idea 93 00:03:11,499 --> 00:03:12,797 It stunned me 94 00:03:12,940 --> 00:03:14,636 But later when I studied Yogacara 95 00:03:14,660 --> 00:03:19,805 I found Buddhist thinkers saying nearly the same thing over a thousand years ago 96 00:03:20,188 --> 00:03:20,906 Yogacara teaches 97 00:03:21,228 --> 00:03:22,747 That the memories of each one of us 98 00:03:22,749 --> 00:03:25,485 Do not sit somewhere waiting to be retrieved 99 00:03:26,029 --> 00:03:27,925 They are more like traces 100 00:03:28,388 --> 00:03:29,626 An experience happens 101 00:03:29,948 --> 00:03:31,365 And leaves an imprint 102 00:03:31,749 --> 00:03:33,745 The imprint itself contains no image 103 00:03:34,029 --> 00:03:34,988 No sound 104 00:03:34,989 --> 00:03:36,085 No emotion 105 00:03:36,549 --> 00:03:38,325 But when the right conditions arise 106 00:03:38,589 --> 00:03:42,686 It comes alive again as an experience you take to be real 107 00:03:43,348 --> 00:03:45,886 Yogacara calls this imprint a seed 108 00:03:46,029 --> 00:03:48,126 And its coming alive a manifestation 109 00:03:48,628 --> 00:03:49,726 The names do not matter 110 00:03:50,188 --> 00:03:51,886 What matters is the process 111 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:53,638 You remember your childhood 112 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:55,777 And the images seem vivid 113 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:57,858 But this is not a video replay 114 00:03:58,281 --> 00:03:59,717 It is your present consciousness 115 00:04:00,001 --> 00:04:01,479 Using the traces that remain 116 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,457 To generate a new experience that feels real 117 00:04:04,881 --> 00:04:06,138 Every time you remember it 118 00:04:06,161 --> 00:04:10,818 The memory is recolored by your present emotions and understanding 119 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,117 How is this different from the situation of Rachael 120 00:04:13,721 --> 00:04:15,777 Her memories were implanted by others 121 00:04:15,961 --> 00:04:19,298 Yours were generated by your own storehouse consciousness 122 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,718 But neither kind is an original 123 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,577 Both are reconstructed by consciousness in the present 124 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,000 Yogacara calls this state 125 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,637 The imagined nature where you believe in a real 126 00:04:31,721 --> 00:04:33,317 Unchanging past that belongs to me 127 00:04:33,761 --> 00:04:35,858 But such a thing has never existed 128 00:04:35,961 --> 00:04:36,598 What exists 129 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,867 Is only this present activity of consciousness 130 00:04:40,090 --> 00:04:41,826 Rachael later learns the truth 131 00:04:42,290 --> 00:04:43,346 Deckard tells her 132 00:04:43,490 --> 00:04:47,946 That memory from age six of playing doctor with your brother in an empty house 133 00:04:48,129 --> 00:04:50,987 And running away in fear was never yours 134 00:04:51,329 --> 00:04:52,427 It belonged to someone else 135 00:04:52,809 --> 00:04:54,627 Tears run down her face 136 00:04:55,009 --> 00:04:55,766 I often wonder 137 00:04:56,249 --> 00:04:58,026 What she was crying for in that moment 138 00:04:58,449 --> 00:04:59,927 Was it because the memory was false 139 00:05:00,490 --> 00:05:01,466 I do not think so 140 00:05:01,929 --> 00:05:04,146 She cried because the feeling was real 141 00:05:04,410 --> 00:05:08,867 The fear the childhood warmth and the longing for her mother 142 00:05:09,129 --> 00:05:10,346 Within her consciousness 143 00:05:10,369 --> 00:05:12,107 Had truly happened 144 00:05:12,569 --> 00:05:13,846 The source was false 145 00:05:14,290 --> 00:05:15,266 Not the experience 146 00:05:16,039 --> 00:05:17,236 Buddhism teaches three natures 147 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,476 One is the dependent nature 148 00:05:19,959 --> 00:05:20,798 It means 149 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,878 Every experience arises through causes and conditions 150 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:25,536 It does not appear from nowhere 151 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:27,377 Nor is it fixed and unchanging 152 00:05:27,479 --> 00:05:29,599 Your happiness dependently arises 153 00:05:29,599 --> 00:05:31,976 And so does your suffering 154 00:05:32,039 --> 00:05:33,918 They are processes that truly occur 155 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,017 But not entities that exist forever 156 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,438 The memories of Rachael dependently arise 157 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:40,616 Your memories dependently arise too 158 00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:42,399 Only the conditions differ 159 00:05:42,399 --> 00:05:44,457 One is not real while the other is false 160 00:05:45,014 --> 00:05:45,972 But in the film 161 00:05:45,974 --> 00:05:48,190 The person I kept thinking about 162 00:05:48,293 --> 00:05:49,051 Was not Rachael 163 00:05:49,414 --> 00:05:50,510 Nor Deckard 164 00:05:51,014 --> 00:05:52,190 It was Roy Batty 165 00:05:52,573 --> 00:05:55,430 Roy is a Nexus Six combat replicant 166 00:05:55,854 --> 00:05:56,570 With the highest intelligence 167 00:05:56,894 --> 00:05:57,950 And the greatest strength 168 00:05:58,133 --> 00:06:00,390 Designed to fight in outer space 169 00:06:00,733 --> 00:06:02,551 His lifespan is only four years 170 00:06:03,121 --> 00:06:03,921 Four years 171 00:06:04,334 --> 00:06:06,671 He escapes to Earth with several companions 172 00:06:06,774 --> 00:06:10,591 With one goal to find his maker Doctor Tyrell 173 00:06:10,654 --> 00:06:12,570 And ask for a longer life 174 00:06:12,832 --> 00:06:14,810 He gets inside through a chess game 175 00:06:15,152 --> 00:06:17,370 Tyrell has been playing the game for a long time 176 00:06:17,592 --> 00:06:20,529 Roy sees the winning move at a glance 177 00:06:20,633 --> 00:06:23,010 And wins the game for his opponent 178 00:06:23,073 --> 00:06:25,409 Earning the chance to meet Tyrell 179 00:06:25,832 --> 00:06:27,770 When he finally stands before Tyrell 180 00:06:27,873 --> 00:06:29,250 He does not attack first 181 00:06:29,392 --> 00:06:32,632 He first says I want more life 182 00:06:32,632 --> 00:06:33,380 Father 183 00:06:33,712 --> 00:06:35,409 He says it very softly 184 00:06:35,633 --> 00:06:37,751 But the weight of the word father 185 00:06:37,753 --> 00:06:40,089 Is heavier than every gunfight in the film 186 00:06:40,672 --> 00:06:41,429 Tyrell tells him 187 00:06:41,672 --> 00:06:42,449 It cannot be changed 188 00:06:42,792 --> 00:06:45,230 Once the cellular lifespan limit is set 189 00:06:45,232 --> 00:06:46,208 It cannot be reversed 190 00:06:46,552 --> 00:06:48,689 You are already the most perfect creation 191 00:06:49,071 --> 00:06:51,249 Your light burns very brightly 192 00:06:51,631 --> 00:06:52,968 But life is brief 193 00:06:53,631 --> 00:06:55,168 Roy kills Tyrell 194 00:06:55,471 --> 00:06:56,148 With both hands 195 00:06:56,432 --> 00:06:58,048 Cradling the head of his creator 196 00:06:58,232 --> 00:07:00,648 Like a vessel that is no longer useful 197 00:07:01,140 --> 00:07:01,577 This scene 198 00:07:01,861 --> 00:07:03,637 Once looked like pure rage to me 199 00:07:03,700 --> 00:07:04,697 But I kept thinking about it 200 00:07:05,101 --> 00:07:06,598 Until one day I suddenly understood 201 00:07:06,820 --> 00:07:07,657 Roy kills Tyrell 202 00:07:07,901 --> 00:07:08,918 Not because of hatred 203 00:07:09,101 --> 00:07:10,180 But because he discovers 204 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:12,517 Even his own maker cannot save him 205 00:07:12,700 --> 00:07:13,538 He goes looking for his father 206 00:07:13,820 --> 00:07:16,180 And his father says you are already the best 207 00:07:16,180 --> 00:07:17,717 But even I cannot change your fate 208 00:07:17,940 --> 00:07:19,478 In that moment he understands 209 00:07:19,541 --> 00:07:22,717 No one in this world can solve death for him 210 00:07:23,060 --> 00:07:25,358 This is the deepest despair in the film 211 00:07:25,740 --> 00:07:26,877 And it is the moment 212 00:07:26,901 --> 00:07:31,478 Every one of us must face when no one else can carry this for us 213 00:07:31,781 --> 00:07:32,457 Not a doctor 214 00:07:32,740 --> 00:07:33,418 Not our parents 215 00:07:33,700 --> 00:07:35,510 Not God 216 00:07:35,774 --> 00:07:37,731 Buddhism has a concept called impermanence 217 00:07:38,214 --> 00:07:40,533 It means all conditioned existence 218 00:07:40,533 --> 00:07:42,870 Must change and eventually dissolve 219 00:07:43,053 --> 00:07:44,310 This is not bad news 220 00:07:44,373 --> 00:07:46,190 The Buddha called it reality 221 00:07:46,373 --> 00:07:48,550 The problem is not that things disappear 222 00:07:48,613 --> 00:07:51,550 The problem is your attachment to their not disappearing 223 00:07:51,853 --> 00:07:53,332 The four year lifespan of Roy 224 00:07:53,334 --> 00:07:55,950 Is simply impermanence in its most extreme form 225 00:07:56,293 --> 00:07:57,610 Humans live seventy or eighty years 226 00:07:57,813 --> 00:07:59,110 And think that is a long time 227 00:07:59,293 --> 00:08:01,870 Long enough to forget they will eventually die 228 00:08:02,173 --> 00:08:03,170 Roy lives for four years 229 00:08:03,334 --> 00:08:04,870 He cannot forget it for even one day 230 00:08:04,973 --> 00:08:08,313 That is why he is more lucid than every human 231 00:08:08,657 --> 00:08:10,553 In the final chase of the film 232 00:08:11,137 --> 00:08:12,714 Deckard is chasing Roy 233 00:08:12,816 --> 00:08:15,113 But in truth Roy is chasing Deckard 234 00:08:15,496 --> 00:08:16,714 He does not chase very hard 235 00:08:16,777 --> 00:08:18,914 It almost feels like a game 236 00:08:19,416 --> 00:08:19,813 Come on 237 00:08:20,017 --> 00:08:20,714 Deckard 238 00:08:20,816 --> 00:08:23,513 Let me see what you are made of 239 00:08:24,137 --> 00:08:25,453 Deckard is chased onto the roof 240 00:08:25,777 --> 00:08:26,873 And hangs from the edge 241 00:08:27,017 --> 00:08:28,474 About to fall 242 00:08:28,897 --> 00:08:31,034 Roy could simply watch him fall 243 00:08:31,416 --> 00:08:33,073 Deckard came to kill him 244 00:08:33,457 --> 00:08:34,133 Letting him die 245 00:08:34,537 --> 00:08:35,714 Would be entirely reasonable 246 00:08:36,217 --> 00:08:38,073 But Roy pulls him up 247 00:08:38,496 --> 00:08:41,154 A replicant with only minutes left to live 248 00:08:41,256 --> 00:08:44,834 Pulls the human trying to kill him back from death 249 00:08:45,098 --> 00:08:46,354 Then he sits down 250 00:08:46,377 --> 00:08:48,295 And speaks the words the whole world remembers 251 00:08:48,897 --> 00:08:51,954 I have seen things you people would not believe 252 00:08:52,178 --> 00:08:55,474 Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion 253 00:08:55,698 --> 00:09:00,834 I watched C beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate 254 00:09:01,137 --> 00:09:04,434 All those moments will be lost in time 255 00:09:04,578 --> 00:09:06,594 Like tears in rain 256 00:09:06,857 --> 00:09:08,474 Time to die 257 00:09:08,818 --> 00:09:09,175 After saying this 258 00:09:09,377 --> 00:09:10,474 He lowers his head 259 00:09:10,617 --> 00:09:13,053 And the white dove in his hand flies away 260 00:09:13,236 --> 00:09:14,512 Later I read the Lankavatara Sutra 261 00:09:14,795 --> 00:09:16,612 And encountered the idea of Buddha nature 262 00:09:17,116 --> 00:09:18,193 Buddha nature teaches 263 00:09:18,476 --> 00:09:19,573 That every sentient being 264 00:09:19,596 --> 00:09:21,232 Whether human or animal 265 00:09:21,516 --> 00:09:24,293 Or something that seems entirely devoid of spirit 266 00:09:24,396 --> 00:09:26,693 Carries the potential to awaken 267 00:09:27,236 --> 00:09:29,275 This potential is not learned later 268 00:09:29,276 --> 00:09:30,693 Nor is it granted by anyone 269 00:09:30,715 --> 00:09:31,593 It is simply there 270 00:09:31,795 --> 00:09:33,173 Only obscured 271 00:09:33,555 --> 00:09:35,933 Roy is a manufactured product 272 00:09:36,116 --> 00:09:38,755 His memories his emotions and his lifespan 273 00:09:38,756 --> 00:09:40,293 Were all designed 274 00:09:40,555 --> 00:09:41,992 But in his final few minutes 275 00:09:42,276 --> 00:09:43,194 He does something 276 00:09:43,195 --> 00:09:47,012 That was never designed he saves the man trying to kill him 277 00:09:47,236 --> 00:09:50,086 This compassion appears on no blueprint 278 00:09:50,350 --> 00:09:53,466 Buddha nature does not mean a true self hides inside everyone 279 00:09:54,109 --> 00:09:54,706 It means 280 00:09:55,070 --> 00:09:57,566 The possibility of awakening does not depend on conditions 281 00:09:57,989 --> 00:10:00,726 Whether your body is made of carbon or silicon 282 00:10:00,789 --> 00:10:03,686 Whether your memories were lived or implanted 283 00:10:03,749 --> 00:10:05,349 Whether you live only four years 284 00:10:05,350 --> 00:10:08,606 Or four hundred the capacity to see 285 00:10:08,629 --> 00:10:10,407 Is not limited by these conditions 286 00:10:10,629 --> 00:10:11,846 Roy sees 287 00:10:11,950 --> 00:10:14,686 He sees that his memories will disappear 288 00:10:14,950 --> 00:10:17,486 He sees that his life cannot continue 289 00:10:17,710 --> 00:10:19,767 But he does not fall into nihilism 290 00:10:19,909 --> 00:10:21,589 Instead in his final moment 291 00:10:21,590 --> 00:10:25,206 He reveals the fullest humanity in the film no 292 00:10:25,430 --> 00:10:26,527 Not humanity 293 00:10:26,749 --> 00:10:27,767 Awakened awareness 294 00:10:28,122 --> 00:10:29,220 At the end of the film 295 00:10:29,242 --> 00:10:31,659 There is another much debated detail 296 00:10:31,923 --> 00:10:33,140 Deckard returns home 297 00:10:33,163 --> 00:10:35,780 And finds an origami unicorn on the floor 298 00:10:36,242 --> 00:10:38,419 Folded by another officer named Gaff 299 00:10:38,722 --> 00:10:40,459 Deckard had dreamed earlier 300 00:10:40,642 --> 00:10:42,100 About a unicorn 301 00:10:42,122 --> 00:10:45,839 Running through a forest a scene absent from the theatrical cut 302 00:10:46,203 --> 00:10:48,339 And restored only in the Final Cut 303 00:10:48,563 --> 00:10:51,140 He had never told anyone about this dream 304 00:10:51,443 --> 00:10:52,659 But Gaff knows 305 00:10:53,203 --> 00:10:54,280 How could Gaff know 306 00:10:55,002 --> 00:10:58,059 Unless Deckard is also a replicant 307 00:10:58,403 --> 00:10:59,199 Unless his dream 308 00:10:59,563 --> 00:11:01,020 Was implanted too 309 00:11:01,753 --> 00:11:03,370 The film stops here 310 00:11:03,753 --> 00:11:04,809 Without giving an answer 311 00:11:05,352 --> 00:11:06,370 But think about it 312 00:11:06,873 --> 00:11:08,511 If Deckard is a replicant 313 00:11:08,513 --> 00:11:10,130 The whole film turns inside out 314 00:11:10,432 --> 00:11:12,210 He has been hunting replicants 315 00:11:12,312 --> 00:11:14,049 Only to be one himself 316 00:11:14,472 --> 00:11:15,230 He has been using 317 00:11:15,592 --> 00:11:18,090 The Voight Kampff test 318 00:11:18,153 --> 00:11:21,070 To draw the line between human and nonhuman 319 00:11:21,673 --> 00:11:24,250 Only to find himself on the other side 320 00:11:24,753 --> 00:11:26,950 Buddhism calls this the collapse of subject and object 321 00:11:27,673 --> 00:11:28,490 It means 322 00:11:28,513 --> 00:11:32,529 Once you divide the observing subject from the observed object 323 00:11:32,793 --> 00:11:35,009 You have already fallen into duality 324 00:11:35,273 --> 00:11:36,370 True insight 325 00:11:36,472 --> 00:11:38,850 Sees that even this line does not exist 326 00:11:39,682 --> 00:11:40,960 The whole of Blade Runner 327 00:11:41,362 --> 00:11:43,220 Is really dismantling this line 328 00:11:43,842 --> 00:11:44,399 At first 329 00:11:44,842 --> 00:11:46,299 The line seems perfectly clear 330 00:11:46,682 --> 00:11:47,960 Humans deserve to live 331 00:11:48,202 --> 00:11:49,299 Replicants do not 332 00:11:49,682 --> 00:11:50,840 Humans have real memories 333 00:11:51,043 --> 00:11:52,539 Replicants only false ones 334 00:11:52,883 --> 00:11:53,799 Humans have souls 335 00:11:54,163 --> 00:11:55,539 Replicants are merely machines 336 00:11:56,003 --> 00:11:58,659 But the film erases this line step by step 337 00:11:59,082 --> 00:12:00,679 The pupils of Leon do not react 338 00:12:01,003 --> 00:12:02,059 But he feels anger 339 00:12:02,403 --> 00:12:04,162 The memories of Rachael are implanted 340 00:12:04,163 --> 00:12:06,059 But her tears are real 341 00:12:06,243 --> 00:12:07,940 Roy has only four years of life 342 00:12:08,003 --> 00:12:10,580 But understands its weight better than anyone 343 00:12:10,842 --> 00:12:12,522 Deckard believes he is human 344 00:12:12,523 --> 00:12:14,379 But perhaps he never was 345 00:12:14,643 --> 00:12:15,792 The line is gone 346 00:12:16,135 --> 00:12:17,052 What remains 347 00:12:17,534 --> 00:12:21,391 The third of the three natures the perfected nature 348 00:12:21,654 --> 00:12:22,591 It teaches 349 00:12:22,654 --> 00:12:26,192 When you stop clinging to the question what am I 350 00:12:26,495 --> 00:12:28,152 Reality can finally reveal itself 351 00:12:28,495 --> 00:12:31,212 Reality is not that you are human or a replicant 352 00:12:31,735 --> 00:12:33,131 Reality is this moment 353 00:12:33,495 --> 00:12:34,351 You are seeing 354 00:12:34,414 --> 00:12:35,414 You are feeling 355 00:12:35,414 --> 00:12:37,991 You are experiencing and this process itself 356 00:12:38,014 --> 00:12:40,165 Needs no label to be valid 357 00:12:40,547 --> 00:12:44,507 The last episode on Ghost in the Shell asked if my whole body is false 358 00:12:44,507 --> 00:12:45,864 What makes me real 359 00:12:46,308 --> 00:12:47,666 Pursued to its end that question 360 00:12:47,667 --> 00:12:51,484 Investigates consciousness itself and asks where it resides 361 00:12:51,787 --> 00:12:53,444 Blade Runner asks something different 362 00:12:53,588 --> 00:12:55,685 It does not ask where consciousness resides 363 00:12:55,708 --> 00:12:58,405 It asks since everything disappears 364 00:12:58,428 --> 00:13:00,364 Since memories may be false 365 00:13:00,428 --> 00:13:04,306 Since even who I am may have no answer is being alive 366 00:13:04,308 --> 00:13:05,464 Precious at all 367 00:13:06,215 --> 00:13:08,593 Roy answers with his final five sentences 368 00:13:08,815 --> 00:13:10,613 He does not say I matter 369 00:13:11,136 --> 00:13:12,733 He does not say remember me 370 00:13:13,376 --> 00:13:15,493 He says I have seen 371 00:13:16,416 --> 00:13:17,753 I have seen 372 00:13:18,176 --> 00:13:18,993 Three words 373 00:13:19,055 --> 00:13:20,775 Not what I possessed 374 00:13:20,776 --> 00:13:22,494 Not what I achieved 375 00:13:22,496 --> 00:13:24,593 Only I have seen 376 00:13:24,935 --> 00:13:27,792 Those ships moving through the fire of the stars 377 00:13:27,855 --> 00:13:30,272 Those beams flashing in the darkness 378 00:13:30,496 --> 00:13:31,473 I have seen 379 00:13:32,383 --> 00:13:33,141 This act of having seen 380 00:13:33,423 --> 00:13:34,921 Is awareness itself 381 00:13:35,423 --> 00:13:37,120 It does not depend on how long you live 382 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:39,521 Or whether your memories are true 383 00:13:39,903 --> 00:13:42,600 Or whether your body is flesh or machinery 384 00:13:43,023 --> 00:13:44,080 It happened 385 00:13:44,423 --> 00:13:45,401 It was real 386 00:13:45,903 --> 00:13:47,281 Then it dissolved 387 00:13:47,623 --> 00:13:49,441 Like tears in rain 388 00:13:49,784 --> 00:13:51,641 Impermanence is not the enemy of life 389 00:13:51,944 --> 00:13:53,721 Impermanence is life itself 390 00:13:54,064 --> 00:13:55,183 You fear loss 391 00:13:55,184 --> 00:13:58,601 Because you believe an unchanging self owns all this 392 00:13:58,983 --> 00:14:00,861 But what if there is no unchanging self 393 00:14:01,383 --> 00:14:02,840 Then nothing can be lost 394 00:14:03,263 --> 00:14:04,281 There is only experience 395 00:14:04,623 --> 00:14:06,021 In those final minutes 396 00:14:06,383 --> 00:14:07,601 Roy is no longer afraid 397 00:14:07,784 --> 00:14:09,960 Not because he solved some profound philosophy 398 00:14:10,064 --> 00:14:13,481 But because he reached a place with no time 399 00:14:13,503 --> 00:14:14,920 Left to waste 400 00:14:15,343 --> 00:14:16,141 In that place 401 00:14:16,463 --> 00:14:17,901 You do not need to know who I am 402 00:14:18,463 --> 00:14:20,340 You only need to know I am here 403 00:14:21,506 --> 00:14:22,723 Sometimes I wonder 404 00:14:22,746 --> 00:14:24,563 As Roy spoke those words 405 00:14:24,825 --> 00:14:26,163 How hard the rain was falling 406 00:14:26,585 --> 00:14:28,703 Hard enough for his tears to merge with it 407 00:14:28,945 --> 00:14:30,163 And vanish from sight 408 00:14:30,665 --> 00:14:32,242 But he knew he was crying 409 00:14:32,626 --> 00:14:34,203 He did not need anyone else to see 410 00:14:34,545 --> 00:14:36,843 He only needed to know himself 411 00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:39,163 Perhaps this is why Blade Runner 412 00:14:39,185 --> 00:14:42,002 Has haunted us for more than forty years 413 00:14:42,425 --> 00:14:43,923 It gives you no answer 414 00:14:44,305 --> 00:14:45,723 It gives you a question 415 00:14:46,266 --> 00:14:46,943 And the more you ponder it 416 00:14:47,466 --> 00:14:49,163 The quieter you become 417 00:14:49,665 --> 00:14:51,543 What makes you think you are real 418 00:14:52,346 --> 00:14:53,663 Perhaps the question itself 419 00:14:54,025 --> 00:14:55,522 Is the best answer 420 00:14:55,986 --> 00:14:56,543 You are asking 421 00:14:57,025 --> 00:14:58,163 Which means you are seeing 422 00:14:58,545 --> 00:14:59,102 You are seeing 423 00:14:59,585 --> 00:15:00,803 Which means you are awake 424 00:15:01,194 --> 00:15:01,993 That is enough 425 00:15:02,346 --> 00:15:02,902 Everything else 426 00:15:03,266 --> 00:15:05,046 Is tears in rain 427 00:15:05,069 --> 00:15:05,705 What do you think 428 00:15:06,228 --> 00:15:08,147 What did you see in Blade Runner 429 00:15:08,148 --> 00:15:08,866 What did you see 430 00:15:09,388 --> 00:15:11,685 Share your thoughts in the comments 431 00:15:11,868 --> 00:15:12,546 I am Leo Wang 432 00:15:12,829 --> 00:15:13,805 See you next time