Filling in the Frame

I recently saw an actor being interviewed on television. He was talking about his early career experience in the film industry. Prior to acting in films he had only performed in one stage play.

One day his agent told him he needed to go to an audition for a movie that the famous movie director John Houston was casting for. On the appointed day he went to the studio and found about fifty other young actors who looked exactly like him waiting around for their moment to be auditioned. He left the room and walked around for a while. When he returned the waiting room was nearly empty and he signed his name at the bottom of the list.

Finally, when it was his turn to see Mr. Houston. He was quite candid with him. He told Mr. Houston that he did not have any film making experience at all. That he had only been in one play and did not even know how to act in front of a camera. The young actor added, "But if you give me the role you won't find a harder working actor around." He told Mr. Houston that, "I will put everything I got into the role." Mr. Houston nodded his head and called for one of his assistants to enter the room. Then Mr. Houston pointed to the young actor and said that he wanted the assistant to meet an "actor".

Later on the actor was surprised to have received the role. When he met Mr. Houston again he reminded him that he had no experience in acting before a camera. Mr. Houston mentioned to him at the right time he would tell him how to act in front of the camera. On several occasions before filming began the young actor insisted that Mr. Houston tell him how to act before the camera but Mr. Houston declined saying the time was not right. Right before the actor's first scene, the actor again pleaded. "Please tell me how to act in front of the camera". Finally, Mr. Houston said now is the time. He called the young actor over to where the camera was. He asked the cameraman to move aside and had the young actor look into the camera eyepiece. He said, "You see at the top of the picture there is a flat line, and on the bottom there is a flat line and on the sides there are flat lines. This is the border of the film. And this is what makes up a frame. Your job as an actor is to determine what needs to be inside this frame."

What needs to be inside this frame? When I heard the ending of this story I had to laugh a little. Isn't it just that, I thought to myself. As in film so it is in life. An actor's job is to determine what is essential to the role that he is playing, his movements, his inflection of his voice; his expressions are all critical. One cannot over act nor under act. It is easy to see when an actor is over acting, over playing his part or under acting, just going through the motions, in a lifeless manner.

The practice of Ch'an is just this way as well. In the practice of Ch'an we must be very clear as to what fills the frame of our lives. Ask yourself, what is essential to each moment of your life? What is necessary to feel, to experience, what movements, expressions, words are necessary in our interactions with others? Ask yourself, what thoughts and emotions are necessary to be in our minds, and what thoughts and emotions are extra?

When we let our selfish thoughts determine what we do we find that many of the actions of our body, speech and mind are truly unnecessary. We fill the present moment with thoughts of the past and concerns of the future. In the present much of what we do is heavily colored by our own selfish designs. We should take some time to think about the analogy of Mr. Houston telling this actor about filling in the frame. What truly needs to be in the present moment? It should not be useless worrying about events gone by or worrying of things that may or may not happen. This does not mean that we should not think about the past or think about the future. However, we should give each their due time and place without useless attachment to worrying, fear, greed, regret, desires and other emotions such as these.

When we meet people, do we fill the frame in with the appropriate conduct of friendship and humility? Or do we try to impress, intimidate, and deceive people by creating an illusion that simply is based on our selfish notions. I hope that you can give this great thought and reflection, and consider how you have been filing in the frames of your life. Proper reflection on this will help you to act in an unselfish and natural manner, free from clinging to selfish considerations. You will find that your life will be filled with peace, and such peace will spread to all of those who you come into contact with.