The story is divided into five parts according to seasons: Spring-the old monk and the child monk live in the solitary temple. The old monk went out to buy, the child monk playfully tied the stone to the little fish and the snake, and slept on the side. Seeing his deeds, the old monk drew a gourd and tied the stone to him, educating him to look at everything around him with the same mood. Summer-The child monk has grown into a young monk. One day a sick girl came to the temple. The buddha heart of the young monk swayed, and finally he and the girl became a joy in fish and water. The old monk found out about the two of them and sent the girl away. The young monk followed his lover and secretly left the lonely temple. Autumn-Uninvited guests came to the temple on this day. The police chased the murderer into the monastery-it was the young monk who had run away. The old monk enlightened him and ordered him to seal the Prajna sutras on the ground with heart to purify his violent heart. After dawn, the murderer was safely taken away by the police. Winter-The murderer who was released from prison is middle-aged. He returned to the monastery to practice, and the old monk has passed away. One night, a woman abandoned her baby at the gate of the temple. The middle-aged monk adopted him. It's another spring-the child monk is doing exactly the same prank, the murderer who has become an old monk teaches the child monk in the same way as his master.
The four seasons of "spring, summer, autumn and winter" represent exactly the four stages of life: from a young monk who abused a small animal and was punished by an old monk (spring), to a hormonally prosperous teenager (summer), who could not help but grow up to The adult monk (Autumn) who committed the crime of murder due to jealousy is ultimately the old monk (Winter) who has come to the end of his life. He wants to live a life of simplicity, but he can't do it. The cycle of life, just like this, repeats itself again and again.
The film is divided into four chapters according to the four seasons, describing the various emotions and desires experienced by children and monks as old monks over the years: playing and killing as a child, first taste of love when young, killing in middle age, and taking in orphans in the monastery when returning to old age. Director Ki-duk Kim also participated in the film for the first time, playing the role of the old monk in the film.
Chun: A child monk held a stone and pressed the tail of a fish by the river, and treated a frog and a snake in the same way. As a result, the old monk punished the child monk and asked him to retrieve the fish and frogs he had abused by him.
Xia Xiaowan: A seventeen-year-old monk felt very depressed when he was living in the simplest form. Suddenly, a young girl recovered from illness and went to the temple to recuperate. The young monk couldn't bear the temptation and warmth brought by the attraction of the opposite sex.
Qiu: A 30-year-old youth committed suicide in the temple. The old monk found him dead in front of the big Buddha statue. The old monk led a young man who had just visited the temple to recite sutras, hoping that the deceased would rest in peace.
Dong: An old monk has come to the end of his life. Just when he wanted to escape from the life of many years, a woman suddenly visited the temple and left her baby boy. As a result, the old monk and the baby boy continued their peaceful life in the temple, as if restarting the cycle of life.
