by Anna Tsogyal
Since there have been some rumours that Alan Ball is interested in Buddhism it seemed that it might be a good idea to have a look at some of the True Blood symbolism from a Tibetan Buddhist point of view.
There’s a great Tibetan image called the Wheel of Life that sums all the emotions and attitudes that lead to suffering.
The outer rim shows the cycle that leads from ignorance to old age and death.
The spokes of the wheel divide it into six different worlds.
In the middle circle or hub of the wheel are three animals.
The cock represents greed, the snake hatred, and the pig ignorance.
These three animals sum up the negative emotions that cause suffering and their symbols can been found in True Blood as an image on a wall, on a poster or even as someone’s name.
The cock of greed means that people are driven by lust and desire.
The pig means ignorance, the inability to see the truth about people or situations.
The snake drives people through hatred and anger to do evil things.
It’s possible that these animals could sum up the main driving forces behind each season, the cock Season 1, the pig Season 2, and the snake Season 3.
For Sookie this could mean that in Season 1 she is driven by her lust for Bill, in Season 2 by her ignorance about his true motives, and in Season 3 her anger and hatred leads her to stake Lorena.
As long as she is trapped by these negative emotions she will continue to suffer.
There is a way out of this continual round of the wheel but she would need to change her life style and develop some wisdom and awareness.
life is Suffering){kind=link}
I love this idea, Anna! How about applying it to Sam since he is a shifter? He is greedy like the cock, ignorant to what is right in front of his face until someone finally points it out (the dog fighting and Tommy’s illiteracy), and we learned all about his hatred this season.
Thank you Renée!
I do think you can apply it to Sam especially this season. Since he had Bill’s blood at the end of S2 he’s been driven by hatred and anger.
Ann, this is great! I have a few thoughts I’ll expand on below, but I think the application to Sam is dead-on. In Season 1, he is driven by his lust for Sookie. In Season 2, he is ignorant of Daphne’s malevolent intentions and in Season 3, his hatred (both residual from the past and also new manifestations) bubbled up to the surface in a major way.
Wow…this is actually a very good, well thought out interpretation of the past seasons. I wonder, if by the lame exit Sookie took, will that all be completely reveiled to her by Claudine and she will begin to break away from the negativity that has surrounded her in one name of Bill.
I wonder if Eric is going to be the integral part in helping her push away all the negative and start believing in herself…
***SPOILER ALERT***
with him having amnesia (like in the books) and showing her more of that side she saw of him while on the rooftop with Godric’s last moment. I think, while she knows Eric does things for Eric, he hasn’t lied to her about any motives and has been loyal (even when she viewed it as being two-faced) in keeping her alive…IMO
Thank you Michelle, I was just looking at all the imagery that keeps coming up and it seemed to make some kind of sense.
Hopefully Claudine & the Fae will help her gain some perspective on things but Bill is probably not going to give up easily. He’s too motivated by his greed for Sookie & her blood, whatever he says about his “love” for her.
anna this is so interesting. Could the same be applied to the Godric sequence? He was trying to tell Eric that hate and vengeance only promotes more of the same.
The only issue I have with Sookie and Tara leaving is that external forces (good or evil?) do not change a person. That change must come from within and understanding that life is a temporary journey and an illusion to teach us. I’m sorry I can’t explain myself better.
Thanks Bobsgran, I know what you mean about change coming from within but sometimes people need a change of scene to get a different perspective on things.
In terms of the Tibetan Wheel of Life Godric is a bit like the Buddha appearing to point the way and until Eric starts listening to Godric he’ll be caught on the wheel.
Also, just wondering if this maybe has any tie-in into this whole discussion…but in the TB season 3 poster of all of them, there is a snake near Bill’s arm pointing towards Sookie…would that mean anything??
That’s one of the images that started this whole thing off but I know that the snake can be read lots of different ways.
Of course with TB there is never just one interpretation. I think the overt Christian symbolism in the series is because Sookie is narrating and that is her frame of reference, but AB seems committed to digging down deep and exploring the universal transcendental truths that underlie the world’s various religions. Since he is reportedly Buddhist himself, I would think that including symbolism like this would be a no brainer.
The Christian symbols are probably the most easily accessible to people but there’s an an awful lot of different iconography on the show from all sorts of cultures.
Just had a quick look and there are so many references to AB being a Buddhist that it does make more sense than I thought it might.
A few weeks ago I wrote something on TBU about the possibility of an enlightened Buddhist vampire turning up on the show…
“For Sookie this could mean that in Season 1 she is driven by her lust for Bill, in Season 2 by her ignorance about his true motives, and in Season 3 her anger and hatred leads her to stake Lorena.”
Anna, I think all of Sookie’s motivations you’ve outlined above were actually CAUSED by Bill.
In S1, she was merely curious about him and her incredulousness that he was the first vampire she’d set her eyes on. I think that there may have been a mild attraction, but the lust you speak of didn’t occur until AFTER she had his blood.
In S2, I completely agree that she was ignorant about his true motivations, which caused her to stop looking within for the answers. She searched for them THROUGH Bill in an exterior manner instead.
In S3, I don’t think it was Sookie’s own anger and hatred that caused her to stake Lorena. It was still Bill’s. I don’t think Sookie would have done it if Bill hadn’t held her down and basically egged her on.
Sookie was hesitant to do it……so I think that she was occupying the same space on the wheel until the very end of the season. She’s only just beginning to break free and move along in her path to enlightenment.
The seeds of Sookie’s negative motivations were already there otherwise when Bill’s blood watered them they wouldn’t have turned into Triffids.
Her better nature did surface from time to time but Bill was always there pulling her back into to his world.
Warning: Lengthy but easy read. Tried to make it short and sweet but it didn’t work. I have only a tiny knowledge of Buddhism. Correct me at anytime. Be gentle.
As you’ve mentioned the 3 animals represent greed, hatred, and ignorance. As soon as I read your post this afternoon, I looked up Buddhist symbols one of them reminded me of a cap I have in Gran’s kitchen, where Sookie is standing next to the cupboard, which has, on the door, a circle with 8 rods. Possibly the Buddhist 8-spoked Dharmachakra or Wheel of Life, representing the *Noble Eightfold Path? Gaining enlightenment by eliminating greed, aversion, and delusion.
The eight principles being:
1. The Right View: *to see and to understand things as they really are. It ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things* {“Maybe you don’t know the real Bill”…”Cold and crazy”} Sookie has managed to rationalize nearly everything Bill has done. It even seemed as if she was going to let Bill back in her life at the end before Eric showed up. Playing a twisted game of pin the tail on the donkey. Disoriented and she couldn’t spot the jack***. I’m glad Eric took the blindfold off. I hope her hiatus at least puts her in the right direction. Who knows?
2. The Right Intention: *the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion* To Amy: {“You know my brother’s a dog…You seem like a sweet girl…I don’t want you to get hurt…Because I am all about protecting Jason.“} Sure you were. I’m sure him smacking you, stealing Gran’s things, or inviting the uncle (who he didn’t know abused her) to the funeral had nothing to do with that warning. Understandable but Jason sincerely apologized. Still she stayed so wrapped up in her anger towards Jason that she couldn’t see that Amy, Bill’s alter, was the psycho in that relationship. Sounds like Sookie/Eric/Bill current situation. But like Gran said, where it counts, her heart is in it the right place. She just needs to remove the bad seed that’s been planted.
3. Right Speech: *to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others* Take your pick. Mine are: {Eric: Big hat, no cattle; Eric’s the phony? Jason: You ain’t got enough sense to pour piss out of a boot. Ouch. Tara: Jason will never care about you the way you care about him. Sheesh that hurt my feelings and that was before Bill’s blood. Wow Sookie haha.} Let’s see, Bill hates Eric; Jason and Tara both told her to stay away from Bill before she made those remarks. Season Finale. {”Watch your ***** language”} She used to be so opposed to foul language. Her words contradicts her own words now huh. Thanks Bill.
4. Right Action: *unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind* Dumping Talbot’s remains down the disposal, with that crazed, maniacal laughter. Unsettling. I would’ve been sure that we lost Sookie at that point but her saving Eric in spite of Bill’s blood says otherwise.
5. Right Livelihood: *one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully*. Merlotte’s is a bit of a mini hooters but harmless enough to me. Eye of the beholder I guess. I’m sure there was a time where she felt grateful to have a job there. Near to tears when she thought she’d been fired. As opposed to her daring Sam to fire her on account of Bill. She also only agreed to help Eric at Fangtasia if he turned the thief over to the proper authorities.
6. The Right Effort: *often seen as a prerequisite for the other principles. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas *misguided effort* distracts the mind from its task, and *confusion will be the consequence*.* Sookie was a bit naïve and wanted to experience life outside of Bon Temps and Bill wanted to open up Sookie’s eyes but only in the confines of his own world. So now she’s at her breaking point. (Tara with LM/MA/FM/Eggs/)
Right effort is marked by four actions, one of which she has done so far: to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen. She rejected Bill and seemingly with more resolve than she has in the past. And one she has yet to: to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen. Just waiting for her to reconnect with Eric as she did Jason after the FOTS ordeal. My own dream. Sorry.
7. Right Mindfulness: It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness.
8. Right Concentration: Refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness
Being her alter, just as Sookie, this also applies to Tara. In some ways already there and others ways trying to get there. And in lieu of ridiculously saying that they need to die or get over it *sighs*, I hope they don’t. I hope they heal and deal and become stronger than they were. 7 and 8. Sam and Bill tried to just get over it and they are still feeling the ramifications of that. And it’s only growing stronger now.
Just as Maryanne told Tara she had an ability to connect everything to her mother, we see here, in Sookie’s case, she connects everything back to Bill. Bill and Lettie. Two of the most preachy, self-serving people on TB. On to better things now ladies. That way Jason can stop killing off Tara’s would be “suitors”. Your relationships affect more than just you y’know.
*“Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering” added to my ever growing TB booklist.
I just have to thank Anna and Amil for sharing their knowledge and insights. This is much appreciated, guys.
Thank you Amil, that’s brilliant.
No brilliance. All of that and I didn’t even put in my email address correctly. tsk tsk lol
According to Buddhist philosophy the driving force of the three poisons binds all the TB characters to the wheel and they all need to cultivate wisdom, ethical conduct and mental development. Some of them may be further along the path than others.
The three poisons are also considered to be main cause of evil which could be seen to tie into the final episode’s title “evil is going on”.
(Bobsgran, I must try to re-watch the Godric scenes to see what it is he actually says before I jump to the conclusion I made above!)
Speaking of degrees of enlightenment, Bill could be the poster child for all three animals, and he is ‘The Dark.’
Sookie’s light is the illumination of wisdom.
Bill’s driven by all three evils but I think he might be much more than just “the dark”.
Totally agree. Once all Bill’s crimes have come out (which include raping Sookie in the van), it is Sookie’s forgiveness of him that is going to teach Eric to forgive RE.
What do you think might happen to Bill? All his motives & actions seem to be leading him further into evil
Oh yeah. In his desperation, Bill is going to go totally black. We’ll see him as a crazed drug addict denied his fairy fix.
Steve is waging an offensive war to destroy all vampires. RE was waging an offensive war to destroy The Authority. Bill will follow in the footsteps of his doppels. That will be another eye opener for Sookie late s4 the way it was for Sarah and Talbot. He’s going to be in charge of exterminating some undesirable group next season. That could be were witches, but I’m more inclined to think, in an effort to win Sookie back, he goes after all the innocents in HS when Jason turns up missing.
anna and Amil, you’ve both just blown my mind! LOVE IT. <3
Amil, I’m really glad you wrote about the eightfold path as I didn’t want to complicate things by putting it in the article and it’s really important.
I’m grateful that you (everyone on this site) inspire me to do so. Every time someone mentions one thing on this site, I find 5 other things in the process. The best time to learn something is when you want to, not when you’re forced to. So if I have to hang around here for the next 6 seasons (Entourage has 8. TB could definitely beat that, hopefully) and become more informed, so be it.
Thank you sunny, I’m really glad you like it.
I might write another one when I’ve done some more thinking.
Anna
Love it
Thank you!
I think some of the characters may have “come/started to come full circle”. There were quite a few epiphanies in the SF while others seemed to stop fighting and embrace their poisons. The only question is whether the former are going to continue to start anew or are they just going to start the cycle all over again? In a different place or with different people.
I can’t speak to the Bhuddist angle, but I do think the some charcters and the show are coming full circle. S3 complete one full alchemical cycle. s1 was the black phase with Bill turning to black ash but living, s2 was the white with Godric going up in white flames, and s3 was the red with Lorena catching on fire. The end of s3 started the cycle over again with RE charred to a crisp and surviving like Bill s1.
Neither Bill nor RE met the true death because they didn’t deserved the peace that death brings or were unwilling to give up their worldly existence. Bill knew about the effects of Sookie’s blood, so he wasn’t sacrificing himself to save Sookie in the s1 finale.
Godric was ready and worthy of a good death, but it was totally for himself. Lorena, for all her sins, did give up struggling and allowed Sookie to kill her as a sacrifice to her child and lover, so with each conflagration, we get closer to a noble, self-sacrificing death. The final season will either be Eric or Bill sacrificing himself for Sookie. This could be the way the blackhearted villain finally redeems himself.
That was such a great analysis I have nothing else to say but wow. I really need to catch up on all the posts I’ve missed.
It depends on how aware they are of how the poisons/afflictions arise. This is some of what I wrote sometime ago:
“Perhaps it’s not so much breaking free of the cycle, even though that image is often used, but becoming aware of the processes that bind people to the wheel of becoming that brings equanimity and freedom from suffering”
“As one affliction disappears another arises, it takes just a thought or a sensory input and a whole other world comes into being, arising from emptiness all things originate, dependent on each other”
Hope this makes some kind of sense and isn’t too philosophical!
Don’t worry, it does. My thoughts are far from linear at times so bear with me if this veers off. It’s my understanding that part of the reason the poisons/afflictions arise is because one tries to deny or suppress their true nature or just don’t have a clue/ignorant. Like Sam didn‘t. And we see that fruits of that today.
Their seems to be a huge amount of self loathing with the supes on TB. Bill hates that he’s a vampire. Sam seems to just now be coming to terms with being a shifter. Alcide refused to have children with Debbie so as to not bring anymore weres into the world.
The constant refusal to accept yourself leads to delusion or wrong views of reality. Whoever pegged Bill’s faulty perception definitely hit the nail on the head. Not surprising at all. Self-understanding and acceptance go hand in hand. If don’t you have that, don’t begin to interpret the behavior/intentions of another with clear thought.
1. Sam was quite offended when Sookie called him a werewolf. He thinks of them as dangerous, nasty beasts. Although Alcide is seemingly sweet.
2. Calvin thinks that all shifters are all pretty much…well…you heard him. Sam showed him otherwise.
3. Sam (who Eric only referred to as shifter) and Alcide (despite his association with Eric) aren’t really fond of vampires.
4. And what RE said to Alcide about turning every full moon, killing and eating his prey, after Alcide dubbed himself the “good guy“. In which he replied only rabbits not people. {*Side note* Why does that sound like Bill? That makes me very excited to see where they are going with him S4.} I took that as RE telling Alcide not to delude himself into thinking that he’s any less of a monster than they all are. RE pretty much summed up a lot in a few words that episode.
5. And all of them are deeply attracted to the dainty fairies. Which apparently are the most fearsome of them all. Go figure.
Like you said it all comes back to awareness. You gain nothing from lying to yourself. The belief is that the original nature is essentially pure. And (depends on which Buddhist you’re talking to) not even your karma has power over you if you know yourself because your true self is incorruptible.
I don’t know! But here’s some random thoughts:
It seems that even if one’s original nature is essentially pure unless someone practices the Dharma they will continue to accumulate karma and hindrances.
Ego tends to get in the way as it involves clinging and they’re all monsters in one way or another.
RE may be able to see a truth about Alcide deluding himself but seems happy to cling to the idea of himself as a monster.
You’re right, they’ve not really revealed that much about Alcide yet.
I don’t think RE is denying or suppressing his true nature but rather seems to revel in it and used his werewolves to feed his ego. Talbot said he was a weak man who liked to surround himself with sycophants.
Awareness is only one eight of the path!
I jumbled no.4 up. I’m sorry. The list what meant to show how their self-deception clouds their perceptions of others. I went a little off there.
I don’t think RE suppressed himself either but Talbot basically kept the lid on him {The Bat S*** Crazy post}. Now that Talbot’s gone everyone needs to watch out for RE. Bill has lost Sookie so now, as he said, he has nothing left to lose. Everyone, especially those she loves, may be in danger. Well, more than they were before that is.
You’re right they haven’t revealed much about Alcide, but I think we can coun’t on him having a similar psychological profile as human Bill, and it’s not pretty.
He’s searching for his idolized woman. He’s a cold blooded killer. He’s self-loathing. I bet if Bill was a shifter in his human life, he was too.
I mentioned at TBU that the shot of Alcide arriving at FT was of his feet. Not a good sign.
Don’t know if this is relevant but Mary Anne was important for S2 whether you liked the storyline or not. She seduced people into her reality by playing on their gullibility and kept them ignorant but in the end she was gullible and ignorant and that’s what brought about her death.
However, and I can’t remember if anyone has said this already, since Bill has been finally revealed to be really devious it’s possible that he set Sam up by playing to his ignorance. That way Bill could control him too so he could interfere with Sam and Sookie’s connection.
Oh yes. Extremely relevant. He caught her at a vulnerable point. That’s how Tara broke free from Franklin and how Eric managed to dupe RE. Feeding their delusion by offering them their utmost desires.
{…interfere with Sam and Sookie’s connection.}
Kinda like how MA threw in Daphne and Eggs to distract Tara and Sam. We didn’t see any real interaction between them S2 when those two came in.
I mix things up too and often get things wrong and I haven’t worked out all the possible connections that there could be either.
I did notice something on the door at Fangtasia among all the notices and a couple of them say afflicted, whether that’s got anything to do with the Buddhist notion of affliction is anybody’s guess.
There also seems to be signs that say “Viva Hate” and “the end”!
Hey Anna, I found a huge photo of Gran’s kitchen s1. She has a collection of roosters by the fridge. The samplers in the middle of the collection say ‘Travel east. Travel west. After all home is best,’ but the west is covered up perhaps indicating that the cockerel symbolism is associated with the East.
Also of interest:
There’s an egg basket on the stove and a bag of Scooters (whatever they may be)in the lower cabinet. The ‘S’ is partially obscured, so at first glance it reads COOTERS.
http://www.trueblood-online.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_1037.jpg
Thanks a lot Renée, that’s absolutely brilliant especially the COOTERS catch.
Guess I’m going to have to re-watch everything very carefully over the next few months.