Buddhism
Cooper, much like Lynch himself, has an interest in Buddhism. Cooper enjoys practicing various forms of meditation, and uses this state as a way to have visions of what is to come. Lynch has a particular fascination with Emersonian Transcendentalism, which basically can be summed up by "the mind perceives the whole by applying its reason". (11). This can be applied to Buddhism in a number of ways, namely how it relates to meditation and what is derived from it. The series focuses on the benefits of meditation, and the inner enlightenment found when you become in touch with yourself. It also highlights the journey into liberation and willpower.
"The stage is thus set for Cooper to be much more than a clever detective, but rather we see the emergence of his role as an other-world traveling shaman." (12) Cooper is acknowledged as the man who is able to communicate with the Black Lodge, and be able to notice the spiritual changes within Twin Peaks that nobody else can see. This is a result of his connection to his inner self, something Buddhism preaches. Cooper is constantly enlightened within his own mind and body, thus enabling him to see and understand things. Cooper's recurring visions to the Giant are a great example of this.
The Giant comes to Cooper to tell him "three things that...would come true: 'there's a man in a smiling bag,' 'the owls are not what they seem,' and 'without chemicals, he points.'" (13). Cooper uses these clues to find who killed Laura Palmer, and Cooper's meditation directly brought him the answers. "At its core, visio-narrative has three interconnected components: the vision, the visionary and the source. The vision is the message, while the visionary is its receiver and the source– its possibly omniscient sender. Their interaction suggests that all events proceed according to a plan, that characters must fulfill their destiny, so nothing is incidental." (14) This idea of a viso-narrative is essentially that a main character is thrust into knowledge from an unknown source. Cooper himself does virtually no explaining of his ability to see prophetic visions, leading us to believe that he thinks it is just destiny.
"In the second episode, for example, Cooper employs what he calls the Tibetan Method to narrow the list of suspects in the murder case. The Tibetan Method involves Sheriff Truman calling out the names of the various suspects as Cooper throws a rock at bottles lined up precisely sixty feet and six inches away. If he hits the bottle or breaks it, that person remains a suspect whereas if he misses, the name is crossed off the list." (15). One article suggests that Cooper's bizarre approaches to the case relate to his eccentricities and how they aid him in his meditative states and ability to have prophetic visions. By being "different", Cooper is able to access a part of his mind that the others cannot.
"In the second episode, for example, Cooper employs what he calls the Tibetan Method to narrow the list of suspects in the murder case. The Tibetan Method involves Sheriff Truman calling out the names of the various suspects as Cooper throws a rock at bottles lined up precisely sixty feet and six inches away. If he hits the bottle or breaks it, that person remains a suspect whereas if he misses, the name is crossed off the list." (15). One article suggests that Cooper's bizarre approaches to the case relate to his eccentricities and how they aid him in his meditative states and ability to have prophetic visions. By being "different", Cooper is able to access a part of his mind that the others cannot.
“Following a dream I had three years ago, I have become deeply moved by the plight of the Tibetan people, and have been filled with a desire to help them. I also awoke from the same dream realizing that I had subconsciously gained knowledge of a deductive technique, involving mind-body coordination operating hand-in-hand with the deepest level of intuition.” -Cooper
Cooper mentions that he reads The Tibetan Book of the Dead, which acts as a guide of the afterlife and the stage of waiting for the next life once you have passed. "In this opened space, the will’s relationship to the divine, even to divine grace, lays itself bare, and we rather ask, 'What should I do…or not do?'" (4). Cooper is shown reciting excerpts from The Tibetan Book of the Dead when Leland (Laura's father and murderer) is dying in the jail cell (see video above!!). The passage, as said by Cooper, reads:
Leland, the time has come for you to seek the path. Your soul has set you face-to-face with the clear light, and you are now about to experience it in all its reality, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like a transparent vacuum, without circumference or center. Leland, in this moment, know yourself, and abide in that state... Look to the light Leland. Find the light.
A little bizarre for an FBI agent to be so kind to a incestuous murderer? Perhaps. Here is a passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead:
O, nobly-born [so-and-so by name], the time hath now come for thee to seek the Path [in reality]. Thy breathing is about to cease. Thy guru hath set thee face to face before with the Clear Light; and now thou art about to experience in its Reality in the Bardo state, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like unto a transparent vacuum without circumference or center. At this moment, know thou thyself, and abide in that state.(16)
So, Cooper is clearly drawing from this passage in his odd spiel to Leland before his death. This passage, according to this translation, is to be recited when someone is about to die, to let them peacefully pass into the next world. So from the Buddhist standpoint, Cooper would have to be an avid believer in this to say his own translation to Leland.
Cooper mentions that he reads The Tibetan Book of the Dead, which acts as a guide of the afterlife and the stage of waiting for the next life once you have passed. "In this opened space, the will’s relationship to the divine, even to divine grace, lays itself bare, and we rather ask, 'What should I do…or not do?'" (4). Cooper is shown reciting excerpts from The Tibetan Book of the Dead when Leland (Laura's father and murderer) is dying in the jail cell (see video above!!). The passage, as said by Cooper, reads:
Leland, the time has come for you to seek the path. Your soul has set you face-to-face with the clear light, and you are now about to experience it in all its reality, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like a transparent vacuum, without circumference or center. Leland, in this moment, know yourself, and abide in that state... Look to the light Leland. Find the light.
A little bizarre for an FBI agent to be so kind to a incestuous murderer? Perhaps. Here is a passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead:
O, nobly-born [so-and-so by name], the time hath now come for thee to seek the Path [in reality]. Thy breathing is about to cease. Thy guru hath set thee face to face before with the Clear Light; and now thou art about to experience in its Reality in the Bardo state, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like unto a transparent vacuum without circumference or center. At this moment, know thou thyself, and abide in that state.(16)
So, Cooper is clearly drawing from this passage in his odd spiel to Leland before his death. This passage, according to this translation, is to be recited when someone is about to die, to let them peacefully pass into the next world. So from the Buddhist standpoint, Cooper would have to be an avid believer in this to say his own translation to Leland.
"The dualistic theme of Twin Peaks is displayed via twinning, mirroring, doppelgangers, double lives, psychological splintering, mimicking and the constant theme of pairs...seemingly contrasting forces such as night and day, male and female, good and evil, are viewed as complimentary and interdependent of one another." (17). In Tibetan Buddhism, the concept of pairings and opposites having a tremendous effect on one another is shown through the multiplicity of Twin Peaks' characters and settings. (18) Notably, the idea of doppelgangers is heavily relied upon in The Return. Cooper's evil doppelganger aligns himself with BOB when the "good" Cooper is stuck in the Black Lodge.
Cooper has a connection to Twin Peaks that the others seem to miss. He proclaims "Life has meaning here", and often remarks on the beauty of nature surrounding him. In an interview regarding Cooper's possession by BOB at the end of season 2, Lynch says "It's the doppelganger thing- the idea of two sides to everyone. He's really up against himself" (11). If we take Lynch's explanation into account, we can say that as Cooper screams "How's Annie?" (his lover), he is experiencing a struggle between his sensual desires and his desired state of meditation and purity. This struggle is common for those practicing meditation, as the idea of meditation involves being mindful of your surroundings and allowing for ideal mental states. So by this standpoint, BOB acts as a symbol for the wrongdoings otherwise good people commit. And as Cooper falls in love with Annie and begins to risk his own life to save her, he is punished for straying from his norm.