We see the world as diverse not unified, we see everything as different from us, we discover enemies not friends, we fight, we kill, we suffer the consequences.

            This is a spiritual truth but not necessarily a religious one. All great spiritual masters teach the same message irrespective of the religions that are later formed in their name. The truth of life is in unity. They all teach Self-inquiry to lead the mind back to the inner Self, a unified state of existence.  Different traditions may use different terms for this, but they are all essentially the same. The religious organizations that follow in the wake of great teachers often lose sight of this message of unity and even fight wars in the name of their beliefs. If we are all one at the source, why would we want to fight with our Self?

            The approach of The Matrix Trilogy is very similar to the spiritual traditions. Like a teacher who trains the student to know the truth of the universe, Morpheus trains Neo to know the reality of his existence. After unplugging Neo from the Matrix world, he trains Neo to dispel the fear and other  imaginations of the mind. The spiritual teacher often uses a similar approach. He “unplugs” a student from his preconceived notions of Truth and points him inside to investigate his own reality with an open mind. The student discovers that he is neither the body nor the mind, but something greater and far more subtle. His mind is more like a steering wheel directing the motion of his body, the car. The driver at the wheel is his own Self, which can take the car in any direction he wants to go.

 Neo’s Spiritual Journey

            Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.   — The Quran

             A key part of The Matrix Trilogy is the transformation of Neo from an ignorant captive of the Matrix computer to a fully free individual able to defeat his enemies and save the world. In the process, he has to discover the real nature of his mind and body and the spirit that operates it. When he finally understands his full potential, he is capable of superhuman feats. His spiritual journey is the same one that we must all eventually take from individual identity to unbounded cosmic soul. The natural path of evolution makes the journey inevitable, just as Neo’s acceptance of his role in the cosmic drama is destined by fate. Evolution finally culminates in the understanding of who we really are.

            Questioning the nature of the soul and its progress through life has been at the core of all great spiritual traditions throughout time. It is a question I hope to answer as we investigate the hidden meaning of The Matrix Trilogy. I will follow Neo on his journey of discovery in search of his Self and his role in the world. His journey comes in three parts. The first part is the awakening to know the Truth; the second part is knowing the path of light and finding the inner strength to follow it; and the third part is walking the path to immortality. Not surprisingly, this is the essence of the   Brhadaranyaka Upanishad verse  used in the song “Navras” in Matrix Revolutions:

        Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor mamrtam gamaya. 

            These three verses are the backbone for the three parts of The Matrix Trilogy and for Neo’s spiritual journey. First awaken to the Truth, then discover the inner light that leads us out of ignorance, and finally, reach the goal of life, immortality. It is in the realization of the eternal nature of our soul that we become immortal, even though our physical body might die. Neo achieves this realization in the end of Matrix Revolutions. His body is carried into The Source. His soul lives on.

 The Search for One’s Own Identity

            What the under-developed man seeks is outside: What the advanced man   seeks is within himself.  — Confucius

             Scientific progress has helped mankind study the laws governing the universe and also the laws of the living body. However, inspite of our great achievements and advancements in technology, we still suffer from depression and a general lack of purpose and meaning in our lives. Let’s face it, most of the world is unhappy and we are beginning to realize that, no matter what material possessions we may have, we are still groping in the dark without an inner light. As we enter the 21st century, spirituality is becoming a much sought-after technology. We are like Buddha, who lived a life of material comfort, but eventually found real wealth inside. The pendulum has reached the outer limits of material well-being, and we are forced to look elsewhere for our happiness. The only place left to go is inside. We are being driven to ask fundamental questions about our own existence. We begin to question life and death. This is why the theme of The Matrix, knowingly or unknowingly, interests us so much.

            The kingdom of God is within.------------------ Jesus Christ.

             Jesus Christ meant that  we must go within, introspect, and examine ourselves in order to find what we are seeking. This internal being may be conceived of as the Higher Self, the Holy Spirit, Christ Consciousness, soul, Essence, Atman, etc. Different spiritual traditions call the soul by different names but they all denote the same.

            The journey to the inner Self is a spiritual journey that we must all take because the whole purpose of life is to know about life itself. Life is not an accidental phenomenon, nor did it arise and adapt to a challenging environment just to become the subject of research for a Ph.D. Life arose out of a cosmic state of pure intelligence that wanted to know and experience itself. The source, course, and goal of life is a journey of life discovering its own possibilities. It is more a subjective experience than an objective study. It is more art and poetry than science. In the scientific path of discovery we can demonstrate our findings to others. But in the spiritual journey our discoveries and experiences can be shown to no one. This is what Morpheus means when he tells Neo that no one can be told what The Matrix is. One have  to see it for oneself. We are helped by scientific studies that validate the psychological and physiological changes associated with the spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga. In the end, our spiritual quest takes us into the unknown, but in doing so answers all our questions. And just like Neo, as we learn more of our true inner nature and the deceptive illusion of the material world, we grow in integrity, compassion and selfless action, which can only be a good thing for oneself and the world.

            Many critics dismiss The Matrix Trilogy as a pretentious mishmash of influences without a clear ending. I think they are “looking at the finger and not the moon.” They are seeing only the surface value of the story and missing its epic mythological significance. The movie raises significant questions about the reason and meaning of life and brings the story to a conclusion true to the natural cosmic cycle of life. The chanting of the “Navras” song (Asatoma sad gamaya) at the end of Matrix Revolutions answers all the questions. The nature of life is known to be immortal.

From illusion lead me to Truth, From darkness lead me to light, From death lead me to immortality.

As we follow Neo to the fulfillment of his spiritual quest, I hope we will discover invaluable knowledge that we can apply to our lives and, like Neo, save our own world from destruction.

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