You guys are being unfair I think...this film is a legitimate masterpeice. Most Eastern philosophy is rooted in the ideas of eternal return, the cycle of suffering, denial of the sense-world to attain peace (nirvana), and so on. Now I may have my own opinions on these ideas, but I cannot deny that there is a great amount of wisdom at the heart of Eastern mysticism. And these ideas are borne out in beautiful guise in this movie.