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10 Questions for the Dalai Lama

2006

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Documentary

2
Documentary

Subtitles:
English

Nevertheless, after examining Ahimsaka's cursed

Asoka

Runtime: 80 min

6
2001

Drama

Runtime: 168 min

Overview:

A Buddhist monk decides to disrobe and get married


after sixteen years of monkhood. Filmed for over ten
years.

Asoka traces the life of Emperor Asoka, the grandson of


Chandragupta Maurya who ascended the throne of
Magadha in the 3rd century BC.

Robert T. Edison was born and raised in Nottingham,


England. When he was fourteen years old he began to
practice Buddhism. At eighteen he became a monk and
went to Thailand where, for a decade, he spent his time
in monasteries. He became the first Buddhist monk in
Iceland when he moved there in 1994 and founded a
Buddhist sect. Five years later Robert decided to
disrobe and get married. After sixteen years of
celibacy Robert had to deal with being normal getting
employment, paying his bills and dealing with the needs
of his partner. After four years in the real world Robert
travelled back to Thailand to become a monk again. Act

To extend the borders of his empire, Asoka waged one


of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighboring
kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated.

3
Documentary

Language:
Hindi
Subtitles:
English

Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest in which


hundreds of thousands lost their lives, Asoka is
overcome with remorse and renounces the path of war
to dedicate his life to spreading the teachings of
Buddhisn across the world.
This is a story based on legends. This film does not
claim to be a complete historical account of Asoka's life

Baraka

Runtime: 86 min

7
1992

Documentary

Runtime: 96 min

Overview:

Overview:

An unforgettable journey into the hidden tradition of


China's Buddhist hermit monks Amongst White Clouds
is an intimate insider's look at students and masters
living in scattered retreats dotting China's Zhongnan
Mountain range. These peaks have reputedly been
home to recluses since the time of the Yellow Emperor,
some five thousand years ago. It was widely thought
that the tradition was all but wiped out, but this film
emphatically and beautifully shows us otherwise. One of
only a few foreigners to have lived and studied with
these elusive practitioners, American director Edward
Burger is able, with humor and compassion, to present
their tradition, their wisdom, and the hardship and joy of
their everyday lives among the clouds. Filmed on
location in China Written and Directed by Edward
Burger Produced by Chad Pankewitz A Cosmos

"Baraka" was photographed on six continents in 24


countries including Tanzania, China, Brazil, Japan and
Nepal together with major U.S. and European locales. In
capturing the planet's glories and violent calamities,
"Baraka" tells the spellbinding story of man's diversity
and his impact on the world. This is a film that
transcends geographical and language barriers to
inspire audiences around the world!

4
1966

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Thai

Following his predestination, Ahimsaka was sent to be a


disciple of Sati, the head of the Dhisapamoka Academy
in Taxila. His father knew of Ahimsaka's destiny but was
only interested in postponing the problem. His mother
wished that Sati, a promising guru who wished to reach
nirvana in the near future, could deliver her son from
worldly suffering.

Overview:

Amrapali

Language:
Hindi

Runtime: 101 min

Overview:

2007

Subtitles:
English

Drama

More than 2,500 years ago at Savatti in Jambudipa, the


Land of the Rose Apple, Ahimsaka was born of Brahmin
parents, the social group of high virtue in the Hindu
caste system. Despite his noble birth, Ahimsaka was
predestined to become a murderous bandit, killing the
people to whom he owed a debt of gratitude.

Amongst White Clouds

Language:
Mandarin

5
2003

Overview:

2006

Subtitles:

Angulimala

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence


when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem
happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions
in order to move into the future? These are some of the
questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by
filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some
of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving
together observations from his own journeys throughout
India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an
extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told
and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his
monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of
several months. Also included is rare historical footage
as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great
personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.
Part biography, part philosophy, part adventure and part

Act Normal

Language:
English

1
Runtime: 85 min

Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:

The Book of the Dead

Runtime: 121 min

2005

8
Drama

Runtime: 69 min

Overview:

Overview:

Amrapali is a 1966 historical Hindi film, directed by Lekh


Tandon, starring Vyjayanthimala and Sunil Dutt as
leads.

In this ravishing film of mystical beauty, master animator


Kihachiro Kawamoto's tour de force adventure tale tells
the story of a young noblewoman in 8th-century Japan
who leaves her home to follow the apparition of an
executed prince.

It was based on the life of Amrapali (Ambapali), the


nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of Vaishali, the capital of
the Licchavi republic in ancient India around 500 BC
and Ajatashatru, the king of the Magadha empire, who
falls in love with her. Though he destroys Vaishali to get
her, she in the meantime has been transformed by her
encounter with Gautama Buddha, of whom she
becomes a disciple and an Arahant herself. Her story
finds mention in old Pali texts and Buddhist traditions.
The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best
Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards,

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

The Book of the Dead takes place as Buddhism


is being introduced to Japan from China. Iratsume, a
woman of noble desent, becomes obsessed with this
mysterious new religion. One night, in a rapturous
trance, she sees a luminous vision that she believes to
be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and
journey to a sacred temple. Once there, she sees Otsu,
a young prince who was executed 50 years earier.
While Iratsume mistakes the prince's spirit for the
incarnation of the great Buddha, the ghost mistakes

Page: 1 of 29

The Buddha (PBS)

9
2010

Language:
English

Documentary

An Imperial Japanese Army regiment surrenders to


British forces in Burma at the close World War II and
finds harmony through song. A private, thought to be
dead, disguises himself as a Buddhist monk and
stumbles upon spiritual enlightenment. Magnificently
shot in hushed black and white, Kon Ichikawa's The
Burmese Harp is an eloquent meditation on beauty
coexisting with death and remains one of Japanese
cinema's most overwhelming antiwar statements, both
tender and brutal in its grappling with Japan's wartime
legacy.

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

10
Documentary

The Cave of the Yellow Dog

Runtime: 93 min

2005

14
Drama

Runtime: 93 min

Overview:

Overview:

A rare look at life way beyond the view of most, filmed


on location among the hill tribes in the border regions of
Burma and Thailand, the Golden Triangle infamous for
its drug lords and violence. A nomadic, horseback-riding
Buddhist monk, Phra Kru Ba, a former boxer known as
the "Tiger Monk," devotes his life to helping the isolated
communities there, and rescuing orphan children. With
his Golden Horse Temple he's built an orphanage,
school and clinic a haven for the children of the region,
who see him as a shaman, father figure and coach.

Engaging tale of nomadic life in Mongolia from the


director of The Story of the Weeping Camel. Nasal is
growing up fast but only has her family for company.
When she finds a young pup, she wants to adopt him
despite the disapproval of her father. As they prepare to
move on, she must make one of the hardest decisions
of her young life so far. A blend of documentary real-life
and improvised drama, it features a real-life family who
bring naturalness and warmth to a gently
thought-provoking film.

Stunning cinematography, intimate filmmaking and a


compelling story make this film an extraordinary
experience of a hidden realm. Buddha's Lost Children
gives the term "grassroots Buddhism" new meaning,

Buddha's Sons: The Story Of Himalaya's Little Lamas


2008

Documentary

11

Language:
Mongolian
Subtitles:
English

Cloud Path, Journey of a Wandering Monk

Runtime: 64 min

2006

Documentary

15
Runtime: 53 min

Overview:

Overview:

Himalayan children, barely of school age, are sent to


Buddhist monasteries to apprentice as young Iamas.
This film takes us along on the journey of three such
children through daily rituals, games, a scripture
contest, and festival preparations. On a winter holiday
break, they return home and reunite with their families.
Through the rare glimpse of this homecoming we see
that-like any other children-they carry the collective
hopes of their families an dthose of their teachers.

?Cloud Path, Journey of a Wandering Monk? is a


documentary about a distinguished Buddhist monk. This
was originally a locally produced TV program that had
been aired in Korea and was selected by the Korea
Foundation as an outstanding work for introducing
Korean culture abroad. The original content has been
dubbed into English, French, and Spanish. The
documentary records the activities of Paul Muenzen
(Buddhist name: Hyongak ??), a Harvard University
graduate who became a monk, as he learns the
Manhaeng (??), experiences of the secular world. Along
with its highly acclaimed cinematography, various
aspects of Korea's rich traditional culture, such as
samulnori (????) and onggi (crockery ??), are seen
through the eyes of this American monk.

Language:
Mandarin

Language:
Korean

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country


2008

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 116 min

Overview:

2007

Language:

Drama

Overview:

Buddha's Lost Children

Subtitles:
English

13
1956

Two and a half millennia ago, a new religion was born in


northern India, generated from the ideas of a single
man, the Buddha, a mysterious Indian sage who
famously gained enlightenment while he sat under a
large, shapely fig tree. The Buddha never claimed to be
God or his emissary on earth. He said only that he was
a human being who, in a world of unavoidable pain and
suffering, had found a kind of serenity that others could
find, too. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker
David Grubin tells the story of his life, a journey
especially relevant in our own bewildering times of
violent change and spiritual confusion. Richard Gere
narrates.

Subtitles:

Language:
Thai

The Burmese Harp

Runtime: 120 min

Documentary

12

Come Come Come Upwards

Runtime: 84 min

1989

16
Drama

Runtime: 120 min

Overview:

Overview:

Burma VJ (English: Burma VJ Reporting from a Closed


Country) is a 2009 documentary film directed by Anders
stergaard. It follows the September 2007 uprisings
against the military regime in Burma. It was filmed
entirely on hand-held cameras, and the footage was
smuggled out of the country.

This Buddhist classic, starring Kang Su Yeon and Jin


Yong Mi, follows the divergent paths of two young nuns.
Both leave the temple and weather the challenges of an
earthly world that tests their faith. When the two women
finally return to the temple, their fates could not be more
different.

Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious


band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose
the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007,
after decades of self-imposed silence, Burma became
headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist
monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000
people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship
that has held the country hostage for more than 40
years. Foreign news crews were banned, the Internet

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon


2000

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

Drama

21
Documentary

Overview:
Boston Globe
"Jewel of a documentary."
Product Description
First time on DVDAs Seen on PBS

Set against 19th-century China's breathtaking


landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the
action-packed, box office smash from acclaimed
director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice
Storm) featuring stunning martial arts choreography by
Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Runtime: 57 min

The Secret World of a Tibetan Lama


Unprecedented access and intimate knowledge inform
this richly detailed and beautifully filmed portrait of a
secret Tibetan Buddhist ritual, the Mani Rimdu festival,
and the remarkable spiritual teacher, Trulshik Rinpoche,
who leads and preserves this centuries-old tradition.
Richard Gere narrates with the clarity and resonant
depth of an insider. This is a very special chance to
witness a private sacred realm as if you were there.
Filmed on location in Nepal

18
Drama

The Devil's Temple

Runtime: 93 min

22
1969

Drama

Runtime: 76 min

Overview:

Overview:

Inspired by a true story, "The Cup" (written and directed


by Buddhist monk Khyentse Norbu) is set in a
monastery-in-exile in the foothills of the Himalayas
where hundreds of young boys study the Tibetan
Buddhist tradition. Two refugee boys, Nyima and
Palden, new to the monastery and immediately become
involved in the daily routine of monastic life, meeting
others like the soccer-obsessed Orygen and the
easy-going Lodo. Against the wishes of their master
Geko, Orygen convinces Palden and Lodo to sneak out
to watch a soccer match. Caught by their master Geko,
this growing soccer craze was brought to teh attention of
teh Abbot who ponders how to deal with the boys'
interest in such modern attractions. Despite being
reprimanded, Orygen is determined to see the
impending World Cup match, even if it means bringing

An abandoned temple in the mountains outside of the


old capital city of Kyoto is the scene of a fated meeting
between a traveling priest, two women, and a vicious
killer, known thoughout Japan as "Mumyo no Taro".
Katsu Shintaro is brilliant as the young lord, turned thief
in this stunning masterpiece from filmmaker Misumi
Kenji. Bloody violence erupts whenever strangers
approach the temple. Can the traveling priest bring his
belief in the Buddha and rid the three temple residents
of the devils that hold their souls?

Dalai Lama - Discourse on the Heart Sutra


2004

Language:
English

2006

Overview:

1999

Subtitles:
English

Destroyer of Illusion

Two master warriors (CHOW YUN FAT and MICHELLE


YEOH) are faced with their greatest challenge when the
treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young
aristocrat (ZHANG ZIYI) prepares for an arranged
marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents
and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles
for justice, they come face to face with their worst
enemy and the inescapable, enduring power of love.

The Cup

Language:
Tibetan

17
Runtime: 120 min

Documentary

19

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

The Dhamma Brothers

Runtime: 58 min

2007

23
Documentary

Runtime: 76 min

Overview:

Overview:

The Dalai Lama discusses and explains the Heart


Sutra, the succinct but profound sutra regarded as the
summation of the wisdom of Buddha.

The Dhamma Brothers is a documentary film released


in 2007 about a prison meditation program at Donaldson
Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama. The film
concentrates on four inmates, all convicted of murder. It
also includes interviews of guards, prison officials, and
local residents.[2] It includes reenactments of the
inmates' crimes.[3] Music for the film is by Low, New
Order and Sigur Rs.[4]

An interview with the Dalai Lama by Japanese producer


Kozo Otani in which His Holiness answers questions
about the Heart Sutra, its practice and meaning,
including its use in daily life. The Dalai Lama explains
the meaning of the mantra in the Heart Sutra and
discusses emptiness, interdependence and infinite
altruism. He also particularly recommends combining
the study of the Heart Sutra and Prajnaparamita with the
understanding of Buddha nature.

Subtitles:

Language:
English
Subtitles:

The film has been compared to an earlier documentary,


released in 1997, titled Doing Time, Doing Vipassana.
That film documented a large scale meditation program
at Tihar Prisons in India with over a thousand inmates
using the same meditation retreat format.[5][4]
The film is directed by Jenny Philips, a cultural

Departures

20
2008

Drama

Discovering Buddhism

Runtime: 131 min

2004

24
Documentary

Runtime: 343 min

Overview:

Overview:

When his orchestra disbands, Daigo Kobayashi


(Masahiro Motoki) decides to start over and moves back
to his small hometown. Desperate for work, he secretly
takes a job as a "Nokanshi", a funeral professional who
prepares the deceased for burial and entrance into the
next life. But while working with the families of the
departed, Daigo embarks on a spiritual journey of his
own as he finally experiences the joy and wonder of
living.

Discovering Buddhism is a unique production,


beautifully conceived, designed and photographed to
give a brief, yet profound, introduction to the vast
subject of Buddhism. The thirteen topics range from
Mind and Its Potential, How to Meditate, Wisdom of
Emptiness to Introduction to Tantra. These topics
include segments on Bodhichitta, Refuge, The Path,
and Daily Practice. Each 30-minute video is presented
in the form of a complete practice: Introduction,
Motivation, Teachers, Students, and Dedication.
Opening each video, and between each segment, there
are a series of visual montages in which we experience
stunning images of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama
Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, processions of monks,
and many other precious vignettes accompanied by
Tibetan music and chanting. There is wisdom, blessing

Language:
Japanese

Language:
English

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:

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Dreaming Lhasa

25
2007

Language:
Tibetan

Drama

Fancy Dance

Runtime: 90 min

Drama

Runtime: 101 min

Overview:

Overview:

Tibetan filmmaker Karma travels from New York to


Dharamsala, the Dalai Lamas exile headquarters in
northern India, to produce a documentary about former
political prisoners who have escaped from Tibet. There
she meets Dhondup, an enigmatic ex-monk who has
come to India is to fulfill his dying mothers last wish - to
deliver a charm box to a long-missing resistance fighter.
Soon Karma finds herself in love with Dhondup and is
pulled deeper into his quest, which becomes both a
journey into Tibets fractured past and a voyage of
self-discovery.

Yohei (Masahiro Motoki), a punk rocker, has to struggle


between the appeal of modern life in Tokyo and his
obligation as an eldest son to take over his father's
position as abbot of a rural Zen temple. Though initially
rebelling against the tough monastic discipline, Yohei
learns to adjust. However his girlfriend shows up,
enticing him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots...

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
Chinese

Enlightenment Guaranteed
2000

26
Drama

Festival: Im Kwon Taek Collection

Runtime: 105 min

1996

Drama

30
Runtime: 106 min

Overview:

Overview:

Two very different brothers get together for a temporary


stay in a Japanese zen monastry. The trip from
Germany to Japan brings up some unexpected quests
they have to manage. Soon both really have to leave
their ordinary lifes behind and are on a voyage to
themselves.

The death of the matriarch brings the entire family back


to the home village. New and old conflicts are raised
when the family reunites, even as they try to cope with
their lost. Festival takes a look at the glorious tradition of
Korean funerals, a culture rarely seen by outsiders.

Language:
German

Language:
Korean

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Eve & the Fire Horse

27
2005

Language:
English

29
1989

Drama

Fight Club

Runtime: 92 min

31
1999

Drama

Runtime: 139 min

Overview:

Overview:

Eve is a precocious nine year-old girl with a wild


imagination growing up in a traditional Chinese
immigrant family in Vancouver where Confucian
doctrines, superstitious obsessions and divine visions
abound. When Buddhism and Catholicism are thrown
into the mix, life for Eve and her 11-year-old prim and
authoritative sister, Karena, escalates into a fantasia of
catastrophe, sainthood and cultural confusion. 'Eve and
the Fire Horse' will pierce viewers' hearts with its lyrical,
humorous and emotional journey of a young girl and her
sister striving to grow up in a world where childhood is
lonely and the world is full of wonder.

A ticking-time bomb insomniac (Edward Norton) and


a slippery soap salesman (Brad Pitt) channel primal
male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy.
Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs"
forming in every town, until a sensuous eccentric
(Helena Bonham Carter) gets in the way and ignites
an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

Subtitles:

Language:
English

The New York Times raved that FIGHT CLUB "just


might require another viewing." Here's your chance.
Brace yourself.

Subtitles:

Faith & Reason: Pema Chodron


2006

Documentary

28

Gandhi

Runtime: 50 min

32
1982

Drama

Runtime: 191 min

Overview:

Overview:

One of North America's most prominent practitioners of


Buddhist monasticism, Ani Pema Chdrn has written
extensively on Buddhist principles in the context of
everyday living. Bill Moyers talks with the author of
When Things Fall Apart, The Places That Scare You,
and No Time to Lose about ideas and teachings that
have special significance for western Buddhists-and will
resonate with non-Buddhists as well.

Gandhi was not a ruler of nations, nor did he have


scientific gifts. Yet this small, modest man did what
others before him could not. He led an entire country to
freedom - he gave his people hope. Gandhi, the man of
the century, is explored in this breathtaking,
unforgettable motion picture.

Language:
English

Language:
English

Subtitles:

Subtitles:

After 20 years in the making, this masterful epic


garnered nine 1982 Academy Awards, including Best
Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original
Screenplay. In stirring detail, Gandhi's life, principles
and power explode on the screen with vivid scenes such
as the horrific massacre at Amristar, where the British
opened fire on 15,000 unarmed men, women and
children, and the dramatic march to the sea where
Gandhi led thousands of his fellow Indians to prove that

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Groundhog Day

33
1993

Language:
English

Drama

Overview:

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

34
Drama

Himalaya, Where The Wind Dwells

Runtime: 140 min

2008

Drama

38
Runtime: 94 min

Overview:

Overview:

From three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker


Oliver Stone*whose Platoon took you to the
Vietnam battlefront and whose Born on the Fourth
of July took you to the American homefront
comes an acclaimed movie about the fight to survive on
both fronts. Tommy Lee Jones and Joan Chen turn in
award-caliber performances (Peter Travers, Rolling
Stone) in the powerful story of a man who fought, a
woman who enduredand a love caught up in the
explosive wartime upheaval of a land and a people
caught between Heaven and Earth.

Choi (Choi Min-sik) has some problems concerning his


job and to make things even worse one day one of his
colleagues dies in an accident at work. Choi takes the
ashes of the nepalese worker Dorgy and wants to hand
them over this his family. However, when he gets to
Nepal he realizes that he isn't prepared for the
enormous struggles that come with climbing the
Himalaya. Fighting the elements he somehow manages
with great efforts to get to the place where Dorgy's
family lives, but he almost dies due to mountain
sickness. Dorgy's wife (Tsering Kipale Gurung) and the
rest of the family nurses him until he gets better and in
the following days Choi makes friends with Dorgy's son
(Tenjing Sherpa). Choi finds a completely different
culture and way of life on the Himalaya which has a
special appeal on him. Nonetheless, he still has to

*Best Director for Platoon (1986) and Born on the


Fourth of July (1989) and Best Screenplay Based on
Material from Another Medium for Midnight Express.

Hi, Dharma!

35
2001

Drama

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Himalayas: Science of the Mind

Runtime: 95 min

2006

Documentary

39
Runtime: 186 min

Overview:

Overview:

In this critcally acclaimed action comedy from Korea, a


group of thugs running away from an escalating gang
war find refuge in a Buddhist monestary. As they don
the robes and settle in, the gangster's rascal-like
behavior begins to wear on the monks who decide to
come up with a series of games for their obnoxious
guests.

Ethnobotanist and anthropologist Wade Davis takes us


with him on a journey to four remote parts of the Earth
for a meditation on what it means to be human, and
what the loss of human cultures signifies.

Language:
Korean

Language:
English

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:

Hi, Dharma 2: Showdown in Seoul


2004

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 104 min

Tinle is the central character of the film, which is based


on his real life. Tinle is upright, proud, enthusiastic,
passionate, full of wisdom and humor. An old chief, who
when faced with the mysterious death of his son,
decides to resume leading the ritual yak caravan and
prevent a rival clan from assuming power. We had
known each other for twenty years and had dreamt
about making this film for some time. He had all the
discipline, patience, perseverance the film needed.
Despite many unexpected events - delays due to bad
weather, or disagreements - Tinle and his friends have
held on to a common dream to capture Tibetan culture
on film.

1993

Language:
Korean

Drama

Overview:

Heaven & Earth

Subtitles:

37
1999

Bill Murray at his wry, wisecracking best in this riotous


romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a
personal time warp on the worst day of his life. Teamed
with a relentlessly cheerful producer (Andie MacDowell)
and a smart-aleck cameraman (Chris Elliott), TV
weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual
Groundhog Day festivities. But on his way out of town,
Phil is caught in a giant blizzard, which he failed to
predict, and finds himself stuck in small-town hell. Just
when things couldn't get worse, they get worse; Phil
wakes the next morning to find it's Groundhog Day all
over again... and again... and again.

Subtitles:

Language:
English

Himalaya

Runtime: 101 min

Drama

36

Episodes
3. Himalayas: Science of the Mind
Buddhism asks the fundamental question: What is life
and what is the point of existence? Wade Davis goes on
an anthropological and spiritual journey into the
Himalayas of Nepal to learn the deepest lesson of
Buddhist practice. Parts of this documentary feature
H.H.Trulshik Rinpoche and Matthieu Ricard.

Hoichi the Earless

Runtime: 99 min

40
1964

Drama

Runtime: 62 min

Overview:

Overview:

As a sequel to box office smash "Hi, Dharma!" released


two years ago, "Hi, Dharma 2 - Showdown in Seoul"
continues to offer a hilarious tale over its monks versus
gangsters plot.

The blind boy Hoichi (Nakamura Katsuo) lives at a


temple near Dan-no-ura, the place of the final epic battle
between the declining Taira clan and their Minamoto
rivals in 1185. Hoichi's peerless musicianship raises the
ghosts of the fallen Taira warriors and the drowned
Emperor Antoku from their watery graves. They
command Hoichi to perform the Heike tale and he
agrees, not knowing that he is obliging ghosts. The
nightly efforts soon drain his strength and the head
priest (Shimura Takashi) takes notice. When the priest
discovers the true nature of Hoichi nightly
disappearances, he orders his body covered with sacred
writings. When the ghost warrior (Tanba Tetsuro)
returns, he cannot see Hoichi whose entire body is
protected by the magical charms. Entire, that is, with the
exception of his ears, which the negligent priest has

Following the last wish of an old master, three monks


head to Seoul to rest his remains in the Mushim
Temple. However, they discover that the heavily
indebted host monk has abandoned the temple and its
inhabitants. Aware of the difficult situation the remaining
monks that also include children have to face, the three
monks make every effort to help the temple by
promoting it to the public and raising funds through
donations. Just when things begin to look much brighter,
a team of four gangsters reach the temple indicating
their need to reclaim it for an urban redevelopment

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Page: 5 of 29

The Holy Man

41
2005

Drama

Into the Wild

Runtime: 107 min

Overview:
Into the Wild is inspired by the true story of
Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man
who abandons his life of comfort to pursue the freedom
of life on the road, a quest that leads him to the Alaskan
wilderness and the ultimate challenge of his life.
Screenplay and directed by Sean Penn and featuring an
all-star cast including William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden,
Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook,
Into the Wild is "as stirring, entertaining and
steadfastly thrilling as it is beautiful." (Joe Morgenstern,
The Wall Street Journal)

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:

House M.D. - "The Tyrant" / Compassionate Violence


2009

Drama

42

King of the Hill/The Simpsons

Runtime: 180 min

2001
Overview:

King of the Hill - "Won't You Pimai Neighbor?" Season


4 Episode 18

Prof. Steve Jenkins of Humboldt State University


delivered a lecture at the IBS titled
Compassionate Violence, Torture and Warfare in the
Bodhisattva Ideal
Buddhist allowances for compassionate torture, killing,
and warfare are dissonant with with the established
perception of Buddhist pacifism. While academic
studies of Buddhism have accepted that Mahayana and

2007

43
Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

The Simpsons - "She of Little Faith" Season 13


Episode 6
Bart orders a model rocket and Homer builds and tries
to launch it. With help from some nerds and a hamster
named Nibbles, a new rocket is built and launched, but
results in the church being destroyed. The church looks
to rebuild and Montgomery Burns offers his help, but

Korean Seon (Zen) Story

Runtime: 88 min

2008

47
Documentary

Runtime: 174 min

Overview:

Overview:
A 3 DVD KBS News documentary on Korean Zen.

Brown became the head cook at the Tassajara


Mountain Centre in California when he was in his early
20s, and has been practicing the art of Zen Buddhism
and cooking for more than 40 years. As a chef, he is
typically short-tempered and exacting, but as a Buddhist
master he is exactly the opposite. Director Drrie (Men,
Naked) sets her camera on Espe Brown as he travels

44
2004

Subtitles:

A group of Buddhist monks suspects that Bobby might


be the reincarnation of the Lama Sanglug. Bobby enjoys
getting caught up in Buddhism, until he and Connie
learn that Lamas are not allowed to have girlfriends.

This documentary profiles Zen Master Edward Espe


Brown and shows the art of Zen and cooking. Espe
Brown first became interested in baking as an 11-year
kid when he realized the startling difference between
mass-produced supermarket bread and the fresh
homemade stuff. When he asked his mother to teach
him how to bake, however, she said "No, yeast makes
me nervous."

I Heart Huckabees

Language:
English

Runtime: 50 min

Overview:

How to Cook Your Life

Subtitles:

46
Drama

Season 6, Episode 3
When a controversial African politician falls ill, he is
brought to Princeton Plainsboro for treatment. The team
struggles with whether to help a merciless dictator being
subpoenaed for crimes against humanity in his country.

Language:
English

Runtime: 148 min

Overview:

Language:
English

Subtitles:

Drama

Brother Theng, a young monk, moves to a village whose


inhabitants still believe in ghosts and spirits. He
attempts to convert the villagers' beliefs to more
conventional ones, but he has to deal with tough
situations that come along with humor

Language:
Thai

Language:
English

45
2007

Drama

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Kundun: Widescreen

Runtime: 106 min

1997

48
Drama

Runtime: 134 min

Overview:

Overview:

An exuberant offbeat comedy in which Dustin Hoffman


and Lily Tomlin play detectives hired by kindhearted
local poet & activist Albert Markovski (Jason
Schwartzman) to investigate the meaning of three
coincidences that could hold the key to life. The
investigation soon involves other clients such as
passionate, vulnerable fireman Tom Corn (Mark
Wahlberg), cunning sales exec Brad Stand (Jude Law)
and hot spokesmodel with an identity crisis Dawn
Campbell (Naomi Watts). The hilarious case is further
complicated when the detectives' seductive French
nemesis Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) lures
Albert and Tom into her way of seeing things.
Outstanding performances and outrageous comedy
make this smart, elating, poignant film from director
David O. Russell "a snort-out-loud-funny masterclass of

Praised as one of the best films of the year,


Kundun is a motion picture masterpiece directed
by five-time Academy Award-nominated* director
Martin Scorsese. It's the incredible true story of one of
the world's most fascinating leaders Tibet's Dalai
Lama and his daring struggle to rule a nation at one of
the most challenging times in its history. Powerfully told
and set against a backdrop of world politics the film's
release created an international uproar! Featuring a
striking, Oscar-nominated** score by renowned
composer Philip Glass, this extraordinary motion picture
has been greeted with both controversy and worldwide
acclaim experience it for yourself!

Language:
English
Subtitles:

*GoodFellas 1990 Director, Best Adapted


Screenplay; The Last Temptation Of Christ 1980

Page: 6 of 29

Letter from the Mountain


2002

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

49
Drama

Overview:

Takao also reunites with Koda-sensei (Takahiro


Tamura), his beloved junior high-school teacher, now

50
Documentary

Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei

Runtime: 90 min

2002

Documentary

54
Runtime: 57 min

Overview:
The greatest athletes in the world today are neither the
Olympic champions nor the stars of professional sports,
but the "Marathon Monks" of Japan's sacred Mount Hiei.
Over a seven year training period, these "running
Buddha" figuratively circle the globe on foot. During one
incredible 100-day stretch, they cover 52.5 miles daily twice the length of an Olympic marathon. The prize they
seek is not a pot of gold, but enlightenment in the here
and now.

51
Documentary

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

This documentary program is about one of these


amazing men - Tanno Kakudo and the magic mountain
where he trains. It is the philosophy of Tendai
Buddhism, which inspires him in his quest for the
supreme. The viewer will learn about the monk's
death-defying fast, his vegetarian training diet, his

The Matrix

Runtime: 50 min

55
1999

Drama

Runtime: 136 min

Overview:

Overview:

The Classic Profile of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa

Perception: Our day-in, day-out world is real.

This is the masterful portrait of the late 16th Gyalwa


Karmapa, the great Tibetan Buddhist master known as
the Black Hat Lama. His line of successive
reincarnations has its origins in the 13th century when it
was the first to identify tulkus, reincarnations of Buddhist
teachers. He is recognized as the embodiment of the
teachings of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism,
one that traces its source through Tibets greatest
teachers Milarepa and Marpa to Indias Naropa and
Tilopa all the way back to the Shakyamuni Buddha
himself.

Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception


spun by all powerful machines of artificial intelligence
that control us. Whoa.

Features rare footage of renowned Tibetan Buddhist


lamas Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche,

52
1994

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Overview:

Little Buddha

Language:
English

Language:
Korean

Even though 20 year-old Jung-sim (Kim Min-kyo) has


been living as monk for quite a few years, he also has
not been able to get rid of his ordinary feelings
whenever he sees a girl. Since he is unable to pass this
final test, he decides to give up being a monk and to
return to his common life. The temple elder does not
know whether to laugh or cry about the behavior of his
disciples...

The quest for enlightenment known as Buddhism is


rapidly attracting followers in the western world today.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a best-selling author and
his personal appearances in the U.S draw huge crowds.
Popular films such as LITTLE BUDDHA, KUNDUN, and
SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET have also fueled American
curiosity. LIFE OF BUDDHA breaks new ground in
revealing the fascinating story of Prince Siddhartha and
his spiritual transformation into the Buddha, the great
teacher who changed the entire world. This beautifully
produced DVD, featuring nearly an hour of additional
materials from the worlds leading Buddhist scholars
and spiritual leaders, is a must-see for anyone seeking
answers to lifes mysteries.

2006

Subtitles:

Runtime: 100 min

Three monks born in totally different generations are


thrown together by fate living together in a secluded
mountain temple. Nine year-old Do-nyeom (Kim Tae-jin)
still cannot shake off the memory of his mother and
refers to a widow that frequently visits the temple as
substitute mother.

The Lion's Roar

Language:
English

Drama

As the film begins, Takao (Akira Terao) and Michiko


(Kanako Higuchi) have already pulled up their Tokyo
roots and moved to a village that is Takao's ancestral
home. They visit a thatched cottage that serves as a
memorial shrine (amidado) for the village dead and chat
with the attendant, the spry 96-year-old Oume (Tanie
Kitabayashi). Together they admire the view -- from an
inspiring distance. Oume, it turns out, is a kind of sage,
whose thoughts and observations are a popular feature
in a column in a local newsletter. Her amanuensis is a
mute, sweetly smiling young woman named Sayuri
(Manami Konishi), who is as devoted to Oume as Oume
is to the souls of her beloved dead.

2001

Subtitles:

53
2003

Overview:

Life of Buddha (BBC)

Language:
English

A Little Monk

Runtime: 128 min

Drama

Language:
English

Mind-warp stunts. Techno-slammin' visuals. Mega-kick


action. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne lead the
fight to free humankind in 'The Matrix', the
see-and-see-again cyberthriller written and directed by
the Wachowski brothers ('Bound'). The story sears, the
special effects stake out new moviemaking territory - the
movie flat-out rocks.

Subtitles:

Meditate and Destroy

Runtime: 123 min

2007

56
Documentary

Runtime: 81 min

Overview:

Overview:

Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) and Bridget Fonda


(Jackie Brown) star in this motion picture spectacular
from Academy Award-winning director Bernardo
Bertolucci (The Last Emperor). In a big American
city, a boy and his family (Fonda and Chris Isaak
The Silence Of The Lambs) discover a story about a
prince in a land of miracles. But the miracle becomes
real when Tibetian monks appear, searching for their
leader's reincarnation who they believe has been
reborn in the boy. Suddenly their worlds meet, leading
the Americans on an extraordinary adventure!

MEDIATE AND DESTROY takes you into the world of


punk rock, spirituality and internal rebellion through the
eyes of bestselling author Noah Levine (Dharma Punx,
Against the Stream). This powerful film examines the
driving forces that transformed Levine from a violent,
addicted rebel to a dedicated teacher and community
leader. Tattoos, motorcycles, music, peace and Buddha
all work to tell the inspiring story of finding new paths.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Page: 7 of 29

Mekhong Full Moon Party


2002

Language:
Thai

57
Drama

Overview:

Drama

Mountain Patrol

62
2004

Drama

Runtime: 89 min

Overview:

Overview:
From the award-winning director of "The Missing Gun"
comes a powerful and uncompromising film based on a
true story.

59
Drama

Under the heavenly blue sky of Kekexili lies a


wilderness of unimaginable beauty. Is it heaven or is it
hell? Or is it a battleground between conscience and
greed? Only those who have been there know the
answer.

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

When GaYu (Zhang Lei), a journalist from Beijing,


arrives at the mystical camp of the Kekexili Mountain
Patrol, he witnesses Tibetan funeral rites and a village
in mourning. GaYu is determined to uncover the real
story behind the mysterious disappearance of patrol
volunteers, the cruel slaughtering of Tibetan antelopes,

My Dinner with Andr

Runtime: 101 min

1981

63
Drama

Runtime: 112 min

Overview:

Overview:

A ping pong ball, found floating in a stream, becomes


the source of wonderment for three young boys who live
in the remote grasslands of Mongolia, a magnificent
landscape little changed since the time of Genghis
Khan.

In Louis Malle's captivating and philosophical My


Dinner with Andr, actor and playwright Wallace
Shawn sits down with friend and theater director Andr
Gregory at an Upper West Side restaurant, and the two
proceed into an alternately whimsical and despairing
confessional on love, death, money, and all the
superstition in between. Playing variations on their own
New Yorkhoned personas, Shawn and Gregory, who
also wrote the screenplay, dive in with introspective,
intellectual gusto, and Malle captures it all with a
delicate, artful detachment. A fascinating freeze-frame
of cosmopolitan culture, My Dinner with Andr
remains a unique work in cinema history.

Bilike, the ball's discoverer, assumes it's a bird egg. His


wizened grandmother proclaims it a magic pearl.
Unconvinced, the boys take the ball to the monastery,
but even the grasslands' most knowledgeable
inhabitants are stumped. When a television show (seen
on the region's only set) reveals that the object is the
"national ball of China," the determined young scouts
decide to embark upon a journey to return the precious
talisman to the Chinese capital.

The Monkey Goes West


1966

Subtitles:
English

58
Runtime: 90 min

In his directorial debut, Buddhist lama Neten Chokling


vividly presents the captivating story of Milarepa, the
man who would become Tibet s greatest yogi and saint.
In the dramatic setting of 11th century Tibet- a time of
roaming sorcerers and yogis, according to Buddhist
legend- a young Milarepa falls into a world of betrayal
and hardships. The greed of others upturns his
privileged life, dropping him into a void of despair,
humiliation, pain and anger. He sets out to learn black
magic- and exact revenge on his enemies- encountering
magicians, demons, an enigmatic teacher and
unexpected mystical power along the way. But it is in
confronting the consequence of his quest for vengeance
that he learns the most. Filmed on the breathtaking
scenic Indo-Tibetan border, with Tibetan monks serving
as most of the cast and crew, Milarepa glows with a

2005

Language:
Mandarin

Language:
Japanese

They have wrestled control of the palace, plundered its


riches and transformed tHe royal family into terrapin
tortoises. Mischievous monkey, Sandy, Pigsy and
Tripitaka must combine their strength to defeat the evil
warlords and prevent the world from being plunged into
darkness forever!

Subtitles:
English

Mongolian Ping Pong

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 120 min

On the way to India to collect ancient holy scrolls, the


sacred priest, Tripitaka, and his loyal band of followers
led by monkey are implored by a mysterious princess to
protect her people from a powerful demon warlord, King
Gold horn, and his tyrannical brother, King Silver Horn.

2006

Language:
Mongolian

61
Drama

Overview:

Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint

Subtitles:
English

2007

More than 100,000 people gather by the Mekong River


in Northeast Thailand on November Full Moon each
year. After sunset, mysterious fireballs rise up from the
river and disappear into the sky. While the locals still
adhere to the traditional myth of the dragon, Great
Naga, making a sacred offering to Buddha, the Western
visitors take a more skeptical stance: Dr. Norati sets out
to prove that the fireballs are natural; Dr. Surapol wants
to prove the phenomenon a hoax. Meanwhile,
temple-custodian Abbot Loh believes his monks have
been responsible for the "miracle" for the past 30 years.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Tibetan

Monkey Magic: The Movie

Runtime: 120 min

60
Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Nichiren & The Great Mongol Invasion

Runtime: 111 min

1958

Drama

64
Runtime: 145 min

Overview:

Overview:

By order of Emperor Tai Tsung, Tang Hsuan-chuang,


also known as Tripitaka, leaves for the West with his
attendants in search of certain scriptures.
After several days of arduous trekking, the group
reaches a forest at sundown and camps for the night.
To his consternation, Tripitaka finds all his men have
been devoured by wild beasts during the night, and he
himself made prisoner of the King of Demons. He
manages to flee the devil's clutches and starts scaling
the Five-Finger-Mountain in pitch darkness. He spots
Monkey King, Sun Wu-kung, who has been imprisoned
under rocks for several thousand years. Tripitaka sets
him free. In gratitude, Monkey subdues the Dragon
Prince and gives his White Dragon Steed to Tripitaka
for the long and dangerous journey ahead. The grateful
Monkey, now converted by the Goddess of Mercy,

As Japan prepares to face the greatest crisis in that


countrys glorious history, a solitary Monk named
Nichiren proposes a theory that, while it goes against
commonly held beliefs of the time, still offers a possible
solution. His firm belief in the teachings of the Lotus
Sutra lead first to grave problems, including attempts
on his life, and exile to a penal colony on Sado Island; a
place from which nobody has ever returned. How
Nichiren overcame these obstacles to lead Japan in
prayer as the Mongol fleet approached is one of the
great stories from Japanese history, and must be seen
to be believed. Never before, and never since, has a
motion picture told the story of how the Japanese
battled on the beaches, while the Gods themselves
massed their great Typhoon, called Kamikaze to
defeat Kublai Khans overwhelming hordes!

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Page: 8 of 29

OK Baytong

65
2003

Language:
Thai
Subtitles:
English

Drama

A poet and master storyteller, JEONG pioneered a new


genre called fairy tales for adults with his popular
publications, many of which were translated into French
and German. A fairy tale about a five-year-old boy who
enters Nirvana, Oseam weaves heart-wrenching
episodes of a child who goes on a search for his mother
and finds her in a miraculous finale. Since its first
publication in 1983, it sold more than 100,000 copies in
Korea.

In looking to put his sister's affairs in order, Tum finds


himself conflicted. Should he take over his sister's
business? His sister has a daughter, by a Muslim man
who lives on the Malaysian side of the border. Should
Tum try to take a greater role in the raising of the child?
But first, Tum must figure out how to zip up his trousers

66
Documentary

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Blind girl, Gami, and her five-year-old brother, Gilson,


only have each other in the world. Having no home to
return to in the cold winter, the two kids start their life at
a Buddhist temple. Wanting to see his mother, even if
for just one brief moment, Gilson decides to follow the
monk to a temple on a remote mountain to learn to see

Passage to Buddha

Runtime: 78 min

70
1993

Drama

Runtime: 126 min

Overview:

Overview:

From first-time filmmaker Lee Chung-Ryoul comes an


award-winning feature documentary, Old Partner, which
broke box office records in Korea as the highest
grossing independent film in Korean history. Old Partner
is an eloquent, touching, yet gut-wrenching peek into the
reality of Mr. Choi Won-Kyun and his relationship with
his 40-year-old ox. In the backdrop of what seems to be
a dying way of life for many farmers in modern-day
South Korea, the old couple perseveres while his wife,
Lee Sam-Soon, bickers and complains about her own
unlucky fate. There is no denying that this particular ox
is a beast of burden, but it is also cherished and loved
as the old man s constant and dependable companion.
The original Korean title of the film, Wonangsori, literally
translates to sound of a cowbell which dominates the
audio track throughout the 78-minute documentary as a

A young boy mourns the death of his father, and begins


a quest to find his mother. He encounters many people
on the way who quote Buddhist precepts: an eccentric
monk, a girl who grows up into a young woman, a prison
inmate, a foul-mouthed doctor and the young son of a
hard drinking astronomer. Each of them tell the boy to
seek someone to help him find the truth and his mother.

67
2005

Documentary

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

A Path to Happiness: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Runtime: 80 min

2006

Documentary

71

Runtime: 240 min

Overview:

Overview:

In a divided post 9-11 world, first-time filmmaker Ward


Powers asks life's ultimate questions of world renowned
spiritual leaders and ordinary people. ONE: The Movie
weaves the diverse answers, exploring topics of war and
peace, fear and love, suffering, god, life after death, and
the ultimate meaning of life. The answers reflect global
diversity, while emphasizing the oneness of humanity.

Considered one of the greatest influencers of our time,


the Dalai Lama has spent his life teaching people how
to be happy. Being happy is not only our right, he
teaches, but is clearly the principle force that drives our
lives. Our ability to attain a lasting happiness, however,
is not so clear. The path of inner transformation begins
with developing an understanding of our true nature.
Once this door opens, one naturally develops a feeling
of compassion and acceptance for oneself and others.
In these difficult times, people are looking for answers to
finding inner peace and happiness and arguably the
greatest teacher shares important insights to getting
there.

Language:
English

Language:
English

Subtitles:

Subtitles:

Only The Way

68
2008

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 117 min

Overview:

One: The Movie

Language:
Cantonese

Drama

Overview:

2008

Subtitles:
English

69
2001

Tum is a young man who has been a monk living in a


Buddhist temple in Thailand since he was 5 years old.
But after hearing that his sister has been killed in an
attack on a train by insurgents, he decides to leave the
monastery and make his way to southern Thailand
where his sister ran a beauty salon in a town called
Betong in a district in Yala Province on the border with
Malaysia.

Old Partner

Language:
Korean

Oseam

Runtime: 0 min

Drama

DETAILS OF PROGRAMS ON DVD:

Peace Is Every Step: The Life and Work of Thich Nhat Hanh72

Runtime: 109 min

2005

Documentary

Runtime: 142 min

Overview:

Overview:

A rare Buddhism-themed Hong Kong film, inspirational


effort Only the Way from director Tang Tak Wing follows
a wayward man whose life is transformed by Buddhist
teachings. Starring Cheung Kwok Keung (The Pye-Dog)
and 1980s and 90s action starlet Moon Lee, Only the
Way reflects on life with sensitive insight and a gentle
smile. Cheung Kwok Keung portrays a washed-out
songwriter whose bad karma begins to catch up with
him. His life goes into free fall as his girlfriend leaves
him, his career goes downhill, and his mother (Siu Yam
Yam, The Moss) passes away. All these setbacks make
him live in even greater spite of the world until one day
he encounters a Temple Street vendor (Tong Zhen) who
introduces him to Buddhism.

Leading Vietnamese Zen teacher and author of many


books (including the bestsellers Being Peace, Living
Buddha/Living Christ, The Miracle of Mindfulness and
Peace Is Every Step), Thich Nhat Hanh has had a
profound impact on contemporary thinking and,
importantly, social action. His efforts to achieve an early
peaceful end to the American war in Vietnam earned
him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and a forty-year exile from his
homeland.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Peace Is Every Step is an intimate and direct portrait of


of a monk who has lived through war and fought back
with meditation, love and grace under fire, testimony to
the faith that simple practices and insights drawn from
(but not by any means limited to) the Buddhist

Page: 9 of 29

Peaceful Warrior

73
2006

Language:
English

Drama

A testament to the goodness of humankind, Akira


Kurosawa's Red Beard chronicles the tumultuous
relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a
compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last
role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as
the dignified director who teaches his embittered intern
to appreciate the lives of his destitute patients. Perfectly
capturing the look and feel of 19th-century Japan,
Kurosawa weaves a fascinating tapestry of time, place,
and emotion.

74
Drama

The Saltmen of Tibet

Runtime: 117 min

1997

78
Documentary

Runtime: 109 min

Overview:

Overview:

The small community is that of a Catholic seminary,


where Seo-hyeon (Seo Jang-won) is studying to
become a priest. The young man has been there for
three years and has proved himself to be a top student,
but while theory is all very well, he is finding it much
harder to deal with the practical necessity of leaving his
old life behind him. It surely shouldn't be so difficult to
identify the correct way to behave in such situations, but
Seo-hyeon only sees the actions he believes to be right
causing pain in those around him.

Shot under extreme conditions in one of the world's


most remote locations, 'The Saltmen of Tibet' is a work
of sublime beauty and epic scale. Documenting the
ancient traditions and day-to-day rituals of a Tibetan
nomadic community, filmmaker Ulrike Koch transports
us into a realm untainted by the tides of foreign invasion
or encroaching modernity. Observing age-old taboos
and steadfast homage to the deities of nature, four men
meticulously plan their grueling three-month yak
caravan to fetch "the tears of Tara," the precious salt
from the holy lakes of northern Tibet. 'The Saltmen of
Tibet' is a breathtaking collage of image and sound-a
majestic tribute to the purity of a landscape, people and
tradition facing extinction.

Filming in Korea, Min Byung-hoon's third feature


confirms that he is not so much interested in making a
socio-political commentary on the places he films, as
much as using their situations to delve into basic human
nature, using remote locations whose "purity" can

1979

75
Drama

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

Samsara

Runtime: 115 min

79
2002

Drama

Runtime: 146 min

Overview:

Overview:

In China, religious positions have always been


controlled very closely. In this lavishly photographed
story, set in a Buddhist monastery during the Ming
Dynasty (14th-17th centuries), the monastery is in
turmoil, wondering who the government is going to
appoint as its next abbot. A number of outside
dignitaries have been invited for the announcement and
enthronement of the next abbot, and the tensions in the
monastery are only heightened when one of these
guests steals a venerated sutra from the Mahayana
canon of Buddhist scriptures.

What is more important: satisfying a thousand desires


or conquering just one? In the majestic setting of the
Himalayas, the brilliant young monk Tashi returns to the
world after three years of solitary meditation in a remote
hermitage. At a harvest festival he meets the beautiful
Pema, and chooses to quit monastic life for the
challenge and wonders of the sider world. But marriage
to Pema brings sorrow as well as joy, and a spiritual
quest mid the tribulations of everyday life is very
different from what Tashi has been accustomed to.
Soon Tashi has to decide again between his love and
his faith.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

The Razor's Edge

76
1984

Subtitles:

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Raining in the Mountain

Language:
English

Runtime: 185 min

Overview:

2007

Language:
Mandarin

Drama

An inspirational and triumphant film about the power of


the human spirit, 'Peaceful Warrior' is the incredible true
story based on Dan Millman's best-selling novel. A
gifted young athlete, bound for Olympic gold, Dan has it
all: trophies, talent, and all the women he wants. But
after a life-changing event, Dan comes to rely on
Socrates (Nick Nolte), a mysterious stranger, and Joy
(Amy Smart), an elusive young woman, to teach him the
secret to overcome incredible odds and tap into new
worlds of strength and understanding. Hailed by
celebrities and critics alike, 'Peaceful Warrior' is "an
inspiring film that could change lives." - Sting

Pruning The Grapevine

Subtitles:
English

77
1965

Overview:

Subtitles:

Language:
Korean

Red Beard

Runtime: 121 min

Drama

The Scent of Green Papaya

Runtime: 129 min

1993

80
Drama

Runtime: 104 min

Overview:

Overview:

'The Razor's Edge' Bill Murray ('Groundhog Day') makes


an unforgettable dramatic debut as Larry Darrell, the
free-spirited seeker, in this gripping adaptation of W.
Somerset Maugham's classic novel. When Larry returns
from World War I disillusioned with Jazz Age values, he
undertakes a quest which leads him to reject his rich
fiancee (Catherine Hicks, TV's '7th Heaven') and his
superficial lifestyle to go search for truth in the
Himalayas. But Larry learns that the path to
enlightenment is as difficult as treading "the sharp edge
of a razor" and returns to civilization, where he tastes
life's dark side when he tries to save a hometown girl
turned prostitute (Theresa Russell, 'Wild Things').

A love story of exquisite beauty and originality, THE


SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA is the Cannes favorite
that won the coveted Camera d'Or and was nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language
Film of 1993.

Language:
Vietnamese
Subtitles:
English

Set in Vietnam in the 1950s and '60s, it is the story of a


shy peasant girl who goes to Saigon at the age of ten as
a household servant. Beneath the calm exteriors of the
lovely home where she works is an undercurrent of lost
love and marital discord. Attuned to the people around
her and enchanted by nature, Mui grows into a beautiful
young woman who inspires her upper-class lover to
break with convention.
A visual feast as well as an emotional triumph, THE

Page:10 of 29

Seven Years in Tibet


1997

81
Drama

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring

Runtime: 136 min

2003

Overview:

Overview:
A tiny Buddhist monastery floats on a raft amidst a
breathtaking landscape, tended to by a solitary Monk.
Into this serene setting comes a young child, who will
become the Old Monk's protg... and so begins a
lifelong journey of hope, despair, passion and
redemption in a film hailed as "a triumph of sheer
cinematic craft," (Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald).

Language:
Korean

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Shortcut to Nirvana

82
2004

Documentary

Runtime: 113 min

Overview:
Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent
whose mundane existence is transformed when he
hears a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help
of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold
discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress
and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma
Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing her
main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly
track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a
way to finish him off.

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

83
Drama

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

Runtime: 83 min

1958

Drama

87
Runtime: 99 min

Overview:

Overview:

When filmmaker Conrad Rooks decided to film


'Siddhartha', the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Hermann
Hesse, he traveled to India with legendary
cinematographer Sven Nykvist. There, bewitched by the
shimmering beauty and magic of this ancient land, they
transformed Hesse's tale into widescreen poetry.

Film directed by Kon Ichikawa and adapted from the


Yukio Mishima novel "The Temple of the Golden
Pavilion". It stands as one of his better known films.
Also known as "Conflagration", the film has come to be
best known by its Japanese title "Enjo". Told in an
intricate flashback structure, Enjo dramatizes the
psychological collapse of Goichi (Raizo Ichikawa), a
young Buddhist acolyte from a dysfunctional family who
arrives at a Kyoto temple - the Golden Pavillion - for
further study. Goichi is haunted by two events - the
discovery of his psychologically abusive mother's
infidelity, and the effect of the revelation upon his father,
who suddenly falls ill and dies shortly thereafter. Shy
and idealistic - and hindered by a stuttering problem Goichi arrives at the temple haunted by his dying
father's sentiment that "the Golden Pavillion of the

'Siddhartha' is the story of a young Brahmin who leaves


his wealthy parents to become a "sadhu", a wandering
ascetic. Siddhartha meets and is awed by the Buddha,
but chooses to follow his own path. His spiritual search
leads him to sexual passion and material wealth. He
finds these pleasures empty and abandons them.
Eventually, he discovers enlightenment as a poor
ferryman, learning tranquility from the river itself.

Sleeping Man

84
1996

Subtitles:
German

86
Drama

Overview:

1972

Language:
Japanese

2006

This enthralling documentary treks to the heart of the


largest gathering of humanity on Earth: the Kumbh
Mela. The huge festival has been held in India every 12
years for over two millennia, but is little known in the
Westuntil now. The film spectacularly captures the
sheer spiritual bliss, eternal wisdom and candid joy that
envelop both the festivals pilgrims and world-renowned
gurus in attendance. SHORTCUT TO NIRVANA also
features a special appearance by His Holiness the Dalai
Lama.

Siddhartha

Subtitles:

From the brash actions of youth, through the dawn of


adolescence and the fullness of adulthood, one man's
life lessons are learned as seasons pass, his emotional
inner life changing as the landscape around him.
Award-winning Korean writer/director/editor Kim Ki-duk
has crafted a lushly exotic, yet universal story about the
human spirit and its evolution, from Innocence to Love,
Evil to Enlightenment, and ultimately to Rebirth that

Stranger Than Fiction

Runtime: 85 min

Subtitles:

Language:
English

85
Runtime: 102 min

Brad Pitt stars in the soaring adventure and incredible


true story of an Austrian prisoner of war who is
transformed by his friendship with the young Dalai
Lama.

Language:
English

Language:
English

Drama

Drama

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Temptation of a Monk

Runtime: 103 min

1993

88
Drama

Runtime: 118 min

Overview:

Overview:

Ein Mann ist um die Welt gereist und in sein


heimatliches Dorf zurckgekehrt. Am Berg hinter dem
Haus strzt er ab, bleibt bewusstlos liegen und wird vom
Dorftrottel gefunden. Der Schlaf dieses Bewusstlosen ist
es, der uns in Kohei Oguris Film die Sinne ffnet, denn
von ihm ausgehend lsst uns der Filmemacher in
Bildern und Klngen von rarer Reinheit ber das Leben
nachdenken. In meditativer Weise dringt er in Sphren
des bersinnlichen vor, die hier mit einem Mal sinnlich
fassbar werden. Aus kleinen Stcken entsteht vor
unseren Augen ein Mosaik: Das Kommen und Gehen,
das Sein und Scheinen, das Trumen, das Leiden, das
Irren, das Erkennen, die Wrme, das Warten finden
darin ihren Ausdruck. Seine schiere Existenz ist eine
Provokation, denn fr die anderen geht das Leben
einerseits weiter, andererseits stellt es der schlafende

Set in 7th century China, Temptation of a Monk stars


Joan Chen as both a beautiful princess and destructive
temptress who wreaks havoc in a young general's life. It
tells the epic story of a disgraced man's journey in to
self-discovery. When General Shi is betrayed by rival
General Hno, he is forced to take refuge in a Buddhist
temple in order to confront his mistakes. Hno
relentlessly pursues Shi by destroying all those close to
him including his mother and lover leading to the
ultimate showdown between the two generals.

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

Page:11 of 29

Three Monks

89
1980

Language:
Music Only
Subtitles:

Drama

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Runtime: 20 min

1994

Overview:

Overview:
Death is real, it comes without warning and cannot be
escaped. An ancient source of strength and guidance,
The Tibetan Book of the Dead remains an essential
teaching in the Buddhist cultures of the Himalayas.
Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this enlightening two-part
series explores the sacred text and boldly visualizes the
afterlife according to its profound wisdom.

The film is based on the ancient Chinese proverb "One


monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will
share the load, but add a third and no one will want to
fetch water." The film does not contain any dialogues,
allowing it to be watched by any culture, and a different
music instrument was used to signify each monk.

2003

Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

2003

Runtime: 108 min

Overview:

Overview:
Mystical journeys of spiritual discovery are set against
the spectacular, evocative landscape of the remote
kingdom of Bhutan in Travellers & Magicians. Young
government official Dondup (Tshewang Dendup)
dreams of escaping to America while stuck in a
ravishingly beautiful but isolated village. But when he
misses his bus to the city (and an awaiting visa),
Dondup is forced to hitchhike with an elderly apple
seller, a sage young monk, and old man, and his
beautiful daughter (Sonam Lhamo). Along the way, the
mischievous monk tells Dondup a story of another
young man who sought a land far away: a tale of lust,
jealousy, and murder that holds up a mirror to the
restless Dondup and his blossoming attraction to the
innocent young woman.

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy


2006

91
Documentary

Un Buda

Runtime: 134 min

95
2005

Drama

Runtime: 115 min

Overview:

Overview:

Part 1: The Dalai Lama, The Monasteries, and the


People

Un Buda is the story of two brothers who have


responded to a childhood tragedy in two completely
different ways: one growing into a solitary loner who
seeks truth through aesthetic practices, the other a
college professor who only finds truth in fact. Now as
adults, they have to face each other again in order to
find peace. An extreme Un Buda is the story of two
brothers who have responded to a childhood tragedy in
two completely different ways: one growing into a
solitary loner who seeks truth through aesthetic
practices, the other a college professor who only finds
truth in fact. Now as adults, they have to face each other
again in order to find peace. An extremely personal
journey into the lifetime practice of Zen Buddhism, this
film educates on the Zen philosophy while bringing a
human face to faith, love and healing. The film

Filmed in the Dalai Lamas residence in Dharamsala,


North India, and in the re-built Sera Monastery, the
second largest monastery of the old Tibet, this opening
part of the Trilogy observes the Dalai Lama in his dual
role as political leader and spiritual teacher. In an
elegant cinematic style, at one with its subject, the film
interweaves this personal portrait with an intimately
observed exploration of the ways in which the inner
knowledge of Tibetan Buddhist culture is developed in
the monasteries, through vigorous debate and solitary
meditation, and communicated in to the lay community.
Part 2: Radiating the Fruit of Truth

Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion


2003

Subtitles:

94
Drama

Thus I Have Heard is a selection of highlights from five


public teachings given by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
ranging from meditation instruction at the first summer
session of Naropa University in 1974 to a vision for
enlightened society to an audience in Boston in 1982.

Language:
Other

Language:
English

PART 1
A Way of Life reveals the history of The Tibetan
Book of the Dead and examines its traditional use in
northern India, as well as its acceptance in Western
hospices. Shot over a four-month period, the film
contains footage of the rites and liturgies for a deceased
Ladakhi elder and includes an interview with the Dalai
Lama, who shares his views on the books meaning and

Travellers and Magicians

Runtime: 65 min

Language:
Tibetan

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 90 min

Three Monks (Chinese: San ge he shang) is a Chinese


animated feature film produced by the Shanghai
Animation Film Studio. After the cultural revolution and
the fall of the political Gang of Four in 1976, the film was
one of the first animation created as part of the rebirth
period. It is also referred to as "The Three Buddhist
Priests".

Thus I Have Heard: Teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche


90

Language:
English

93
Documentary

92
Documentary

Language:
Spanish
Subtitles:
English

Unmistaken Child

Runtime: 104 min

96
2008

Documentary

Runtime: 104 min

Overview:

Overview:

Ten years in the making, this award-winning


documentary was filmed during a remarkable nine
journeys throughout Tibet, India and Nepal. CRY OF
THE SNOW LION brings audiences to the
long-forbidden "rooftop of the world" with an
unprecedented richness of imagery from rarely-seen
rituals in remote monasteries, to horse races with
Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy
city of Lhasa, to the magnificent Himalayan peaks still
traveled by nomadic yak caravans. The dark secrets of
Tibets recent past are powerfully chronicled through
riveting personal stories and interviews, and a collection
of undercover and archival images never before
assembled in one film. A definitive exploration of a
legendary subject, TIBET: CRY OF THE SNOW LION is
an epic story of courage and compassion.

A visual stunning, spellbinding spiritual journey to a


world rarely seen by outsiders.

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both


mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most Westerners
to grasp. UNMISTAKEN CHILD follows the
4-year-search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a
world-renowned Tibetan master who passed away in
2001 at age 84. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased
monk s devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who had been in
his service since the age of seven), to search for his
master s reincarnation -- a child who may be anywhere
in the world. Tenzin sets off on foot, mule and even
helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote
traditional Tibetan villages. He listens to stories about
children with special characteristics, performs rituals

Page:12 of 29

Waking Life

97
2001

Drama

Why has Bodhi-Dharma left for the East?

Runtime: 99 min

1989

Overview:

Overview:
Bae Yong-kyun's Zen masterpiece. Acclaimed by critics
and audiences throughout the world, "Why Has
Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" is simply one of the
most ravishing films ever made. In a remote monastery
high up in the mountains, an old master, a young monk
and an orphaned boy devote themselves to their
Buddhist teachings. As the master faces death, he
becomes more desperate to lead his disciples away
from the outside world and point them toward their quest
for enlightenment. This magnificent film, astonishingly
rich in its formal beauty and affirmation of life, is not only
a cinematic gem but a transcendent evocation of the
mystery and humanity of Zen Buddhism. Selected by
three international film critics as "One of the Ten Best
Films of All Time" in the 1993 Sight & Sound Critics
Poll.

Language:
Korean

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Walking Pilgrims (Arukihenro)


2006

Subtitles:
English

Documentary

98

Drama

Runtime: 101 min

Overview:
Whisked away by a swirling tornado, 12-year-old
Dorothy, her dog Toto, and even her Kansas
farmhouse, sail over the rainbow and into the dazzling
land of Oz. Filled with playful Munchkins, enchanted
forests and endless surprises, this dream-come-true
world is one great adventure after another. But the most
wondrous adventure of all begins when Dorothy and her
newfound friends go in search of the kingdom's
mysterious Wizard and the secret that will lead her
home.

Over 1000 years old, the Shikoku Henro connects 88


predetermined sacred places along a 1400 km route
that circles Japan's fourth largest island, Shikoku. The
pilgrimage follows the path of the holy monk Kobo
Daishi (774-835), founder of Japanese Shingon
Buddhism, who is said to have attained enlightenment
on his ascetic wanderings through the prefectures of

99
Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

Words of My Perfect Teacher

Runtime: 77 min

2008

103
Documentary

Runtime: 103 min

Overview:

Overview:

What Remains of Us (original title: Ce qu'il reste de


nous) is a Canadian documentary film exploring the
survival of the nonviolent resistance movement in Tibet.
The documentary was shot over eight years without the
knowledge of the Chinese authorities.

From the World Cup in Germany to the remote Buddhist


kingdom of Bhutan, three students are on a quest they
hope will lead to wisdom. The catch is ... the teacher.
Soccer obsessed, charismatic filmmaker, and citizen of
the world, Khyentse Norbu may be one of the world s
most eminent Tibetan Buddhist teachers, but it's a job
description he slyly seems to reject at every turn.

A young Tibetan from Qubec, Canada, enters her


homeland for the first time carrying a clandestine
video message from the Dalai Lama to Tibetans inside
Tibet.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Tibetan

Filmed in the UK, Bhutan, Canada, the US, and


Germany.

Subtitles:
English

Wheel of Time

100
2003

Subtitles:

102
1939

Overview:

2004

Language:
English

The Wizard of Oz

Runtime: 73 min

For a great number of people, the main motive for


undertaking a pilgrimage consists in the journey itself wandering along a path leading away from the familiar
place and at the same time leading towards oneself.
The road movie and documentary Walking Pilgrims
(Arukihenro) focuses on today's Japanese wandering
pilgrims, as they undertake the 88 Temples' Pilgrimage
that circles the Japanese island of Shikoku.

What Remains of Us

Language:
Tibetan

101
Runtime: 137 min

One of the most imaginative animated features ever


made. This funny, ingenious film explores the
fascinating question: "Are we sleep-walking through our
waking state or waking-walking through our dreams?"
Join Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to life's
most important questions in a world that may or may not
be reality.

Language:
English

Language:
Japanese

Drama

Documentary

Zen

Runtime: 80 min

104
2009

Drama

Runtime: 127 min

Overview:

Overview:

'Wheel of Time' is acclaimed filmmaker Werner


Herzog's gorgeously photographed look at the largest
Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India. It is said that
Buddha found enlightenment under a tree in Bodh Gaya
and today, Buddhist monks are ordained in this holy
place. Herzog magically captures the lengthy pilgrimage
(which for some, is over 3,000 miles), the monk's
creation of the beautiful and intricate sand mandala (the
wheel of time) along with many secret rituals that have
never been seen before on film. He delivers a personal
and introspective look at what Buddhism really means to
its most ardent followers, as well as giving outsiders an
intimate look into a fascinating way of life.

Language:
Japanese

Directed by Takahashi Banmei, Zen is an elegant and


fascinating look into the life and times of 13th-century
monk Dogen, founder of the Soto sect in Zen Buddhism.
Offering a fairly faithful depiction of what is known of the
monk's life, the film follows Dogen, handsomely
portrayed by kabuki actor Nakamura Kantaro, from an
orphan child inspired by his mother's dying words to a
young monk wandering in China where he experiences
his awakening. After reaching enlightenment, he returns
to Kyoto to spread his teachings of silent meditation,
attracting both dedicated followers and fierce detractors
who cast him as a heretic.

Subtitles:
English

In his travels and teachings, Dogen encounters many


different people. Some guide him, some follow him, and
some test him, but all become crucial figures in his

Page:13 of 29

Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self


2007

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Documentary

Documentary

109
Runtime: 97 min

Overview:
Gendun Choephel is a legendary figure in Tibet.
Believed to be the reincarnation of a famous Buddhist
lama, this promising young monk turned his back on
monastic life and became a fierce critic of his country's
religious conservatism, cultural isolationism and
reactionary government. After leaving the monastery in
1934, and fueled by his intellectual curiosity and
free-spirited nature, Choephel traveled throughout Tibet
and India in order to understand the true history of his
country.

106
Documentary

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

Both a personal and political portrait of this pioneering


and visionary intellectual, Angry Monk features rare
archival footage, Choephel's paintings, and
contemporary scenes of sites he visited, along with
interviews with Tibetan historians, scholars, writers, and

Cherry Blossoms

Runtime: 77 min

110
2008

Drama

Runtime: 124 min

Overview:

Overview:

Review
Goldberg... approaches his subject with sensitivity and
insight, which he backs with solid research, excellent
and rare archival footage and an array of impressive
interviews. --Robert Avila, San Francisco Film
Society/Indie Wire
Review
Some strictly orthodox Zen masters may have grumbled
at his temerity in attempting to explain the unexplainable
mystery of their doctrine. But even they had to admit
that he became Zen's most successful and widely
respected missionary outside Japan, and that if anyone
could communicate Zen to the West, Dr. Suzuki was the
man... He radiates... a special serenity that makes him a
magnificent living example of the doctrine he preaches.
--Winthrop Sargeant, The New Yorker, 1957

One of Germanys foremost filmmakers, award-winning


Doris Drrie (Men, Naked, Am I Beautiful?), directs
this tender, emotionally intense and profoundly moving
story of marital love. Only Trudi knows that her husband
Rudi is suffering from a terminal illness. She decides not
to tell him and convinces him to visit their family in
Berlin. Then, suddenly, Trudi dies. Rudi is devastated
but vows to make up for her lost life. And so he embarks
on his last journey - to Tokyo - in the midst of the cherry
blossom festival, a celebration of beauty, impermanence
and new beginnings.

The Zen Mind

107
2006

Language:
Japanese

2005

Overview:

2008

Subtitles:
English

Angry Monk: Reflections on Tibet

Following a tradition dating back over 1000 years, two


dozen Buddhist nuns gather for a ninety day period of
meditation, fasting and contemplation deep in the
mountains of South Korea. With the singular goal of
attaining enlightenment, the women undertake a
rigorous schedule of meditation, at one point sitting for
seven days without sleep. In this first ever documentary
on the practice of Dong Ahn Geo (Winter Zen Retreat),
you'll be invited into the Baek Hung Buddhist Temple to
witness not only the nuns' strict meditation practice, but
their daily lives in which we see not only a deep spiritual
discipline but an almost childlike joy and simplicity.
Since the Great Monk Hyecheol built Baek Hung
Temple in the 10th century during the Silla Dynasty (AD
57-935), the temple has been known for the most
rigorous Cham Sun (Zen) practice. Forbidden until now,

A Zen Life: D.T. Suzuki

Language:
Japanese

105
Runtime: 65 min

Documentary

Language:
German
Subtitles:
English

Ikiru

Runtime: 60 min

111
1952

Drama

Runtime: 143 min

Overview:

Overview:

The Zen Mind is a journey across Japan to explore the


practice of Zen. We reveal the daily routine of a zen
monk and take you inside the walls of the zen
monastery and into a world never imagined by
outsiders. Step inside the zendo or meditation hall,
where the monks sit in zazen - searching for the middle
path to enlightenment - it is a long hard journey. Every
aspect of zen is uncovered - from a zen center in the
middle of the bustling streets of Tokyo, to the mountains
above Kyoto.

Considered by some to be Akira Kurosawas greatest


achievement, Ikiru presents the director at his most
compassionateaffirming life through an exploration of
a mans death. Takashi Shimura portrays Kanji
Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer
forced to strip the veneer off his existence and find
meaning in his final days. Told in two parts, Ikiru
offers Watanabes quest in the present, and then
through a series of flashbacks. The result is a
multifaceted look at a life through a prism of
perspectives, resulting in a full portrait of a man who
lacked understanding from others in life.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Zen Noir

108
2004

Drama

Into Great Silence

Runtime: 71 min

112
2005

Documentary

Runtime: 162 min

Overview:

Overview:

A nameless 'noir' detective, still mourning the loss of his


wife, investigates a mysterious death in a Buddhist
temple, but his logical, left-brained crime-solving skills
are useless in the intuitive, non-linear world of Zen.

Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the


Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the worlds
most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker
Philip Grning wrote to the Carthusian order for
permission to make a documentary about them. They
said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later,
they were ready. Grning, sans crew or artificial lighting,
lived in the monks quarters for six months - filming their
daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions.
This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to
embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one - it
has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage.
What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and
light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic
chronicles of spirituality ever created, 'Into Great
Silence' dissolves the border between screen and

Language:
English

Language:
French

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Page:14 of 29

Jacob's Ladder

113
1990

Language:
English

Drama

Pay It Forward

Runtime: 113 min

Overview:
Just imagine. You do a favor that really helps someone
and tell him or her not to pay it back, but to pay it
forward to three more - and on and on into a global
outpouring of kindness and decency. Impossible? Junior
high student Trevor McKinney won't accept that.

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

114
2008

Documentary

2009

118
Documentary

Runtime: 77 min

Overview:

Overview:

Edward T. Martin begins a seekers quest across 4000


miles of India in search of answers about where Jesus
was during the Hidden Years from ages 12 to 30.

Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D, a pioneer of this revolutionary


new perspective within science shares with us his vision
of the unlimited potential of consciousness as the
ground of all being, and how this revelation can actually
help us to live better.

Language:
English

To what extent are these traditions based on evidence,


and why does the Pope of Hinduism now insist that
Jesus was in India?

Language:
English

Subtitles:
English

Why does Professor Elaine Pagels of Princeton


University, a world-renowned Biblical scholar, say we

Subtitles:

Jigoku

115
1960

Drama

The Quantum Activist tells the story of a man who


challenges us to rethink our very notions of existence
and reality, with a force and scope not felt since
Einstein.
This film bridges the gap between God and Science.
The work of Goswami, with stunning precision and
without straying from the rigors of quantum mechanics,
reveals the overarching unity inherent in the worlds
major religions and mystical traditions.

Rivers and Tides

Runtime: 99 min

119
2001

Documentary

Runtime: 90 min

Overview:

Overview:

Shocking, outrageous, and poetic, 'Jigoku' ('Hell', a.k.a.


'The Sinners of Hell') is the most innovative creation
from Nobuo Nakagawa, the father of the Japanese
horror film. After a young theology student flees a
hit-and-run accident, he is plagued by both his own
guilt-ridden conscience and a mysterious, diabolical
doppelganger. But all possible escape routes lead
straight to hell--literally. In the gloriously gory final third
of the film, Nakagawa offers up his vision of the
underworld in a tour de force of torture and degradation.
A striking departure from traditional Japanese ghost
stories, 'Jigoku', with its truly eye-popping, and -gouging,
imagery, created aftershocks that are still reverberating
in contemporary world horror cinema.

In the timeless tradition of Winged Migration and


Koyaanisqatsi, the theatrical phenomenon RIVERS
AND TIDES depicts the magical relationship between
art and nature while painting a visually intoxicating
portrait of famed artist Andy Goldsworthy. Gorgeously
shot and masterfully edited, the film follows the
bohemian free spirit Goldsworthy all over the world as
he demonstrates and opens up about his unique
creative process. From his long-winding rock walls and
icicle sculptures to his interlocking leaf chains and
multicolored pools of flowers, Goldsworthys
painstakingly intricate masterpieces are made entirely of
materials found in Mother Naturewho threatens and
often succeeds in destroying his art, sometimes before
its even finished.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Jigoku (1960), a theatrical, surreal depiction of Hell by

Mother Ganga

116
2003

Subtitles:
English

Haley Joel Osment plays Trevor, who starts a chain


reaction of goodness for his social studies project in this
bittersweet and uplifting talk directed by Mimi Leder,
based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde and also
starring Academy Award winners Kevin Spacey and
Helen Hunt. How much impact can one heartfelt idea
have? Do yourself a favor and find out: see Pay it
Forward.

The Quantum Activist

Runtime: 97 min

The New Testament is silent on those years, however in


India there is an ancient tradition that young Jesus
joined a caravan and took the Silk Road to the East,
where He lived with both Hindus and Buddhists before
returning to begin His ministry.

Language:
Hindi

Runtime: 123 min

Overview:

Jesus in India

Subtitles:
English

Drama

Tim Robbins is Jacob Singer, a man who lives in a


nightmare. Wounded in Vietnam, he's now back at
home in New York City. Torn between the memories of
his son and terrifying wartime demons, Jacob is slowly
losing his grip on reality. His beautiful girlfriend
(Elizabeth Pena) only adds confusion to his life, drawing
him into a web of sexual intrigue; but ultimately, it's his
friend Louis (Danny Aiello, who turns out to he the only
one Jacob can truly count on. Based in part on The
Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Subtitles:

Language:
Japanese

117
2000

Documentary

Shin Don

Runtime: 55 min

120
2005

Drama

Runtime: 150 min

Overview:

Overview:

The film portrays a pilgrimage, starting at the Bay of


Bengal where the Ganges enters the sea (Ganga
Sagar), to Gangotri and Gomukh in the Himalayan
Mountains where the Ganges appears. Along the
journey, one can see images from significant places of
pilgrimage such as Mayapur, Jaipur, Varanasi,
Bodgaya, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri, and others.
The film depicts the love and devotion the people of
India have been exhibiting for thousands of years in the
worship of Gangamayi. The commentary consists of
narratives and related stories found in the Vedas
describing the Ganges spiritual origin, purifying power,
descent to the material world, personal feature, etc. This
film also contains footage capturing the atmosphere of
ancient worship ceremonies, magnificent temples,
impressive mystic yoga practise, etc.

Language:
Korean

Shin Don was a Buddhist priest who enjoyed King


Gongmins confidence. Though he was a Buddhist
priest, he relied on political power more than
compassion or loving kindness in order to survive the
troubled times. He was an innovative philosopher who
both despised and worshipped all the established ideas.
While some people considered him a man blinded by
greed for power, others believed that he was a true
social reformer who struggled to revive Goryeo during a
period of turmoil. Religion was his ideal; however, it was
also his tool of seizing political power and winning
popular support.

Subtitles:
English

Disc contains episodes 1-3. This is a historical drama,


prior background knowledge may be necessary.
Further episodes available upon request.

Page:15 of 29

Shower

121
1999

Language:
Mandarin

Drama

The Visitor

Runtime: 94 min

Runtime: 104 min

Overview:

Overview:
THE VISITOR stars Richard Jenkins in a "perfect
performance" as Walter, a disaffected college professor
who has been drifting aimlessly through his life.
When, in a chance encounter on a trip into New York,
Walter discovers a couple has taken up residence in his
apartment in the city, he develops an unexpected and
profound connection to them that will change his life
forever.

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

The Story of India

122
2008

Documentary

As challenges arise for his tenants Tarek and Zainab,


Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friends,
and rediscovers a passion he thought he had lost long
ago.

Windhorse

Runtime: 90 min

127
1998

Drama

Runtime: 97 min

Overview:

Overview:

In this captivating six-part adventure, Wood chronicles


the history of the subcontinent, the incredible richness
and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes,
the intense drama of its past and the originality and
continuing relevance of its ideas.

Based on true events, WINDHORSE focuses on the


lives of two siblings and their cousin who as young
children witnessed their Tibetan grandfather brutally
murdered over his resistance of Chine aggression.

Episode 1 - "Beginnings"
Episode 2 - "The Power of Ideas"

Language:
Tibetan

DISC ONLY CONTAINS EPISODES 1-2

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Throne of Blood

123
1957

Language:
Japanese

Drama

When successful businessman Da Ming is summoned


by his younger brother to come home to his father's
old-style bathhouse in Beijing, he can't wait to return to
his fast-paced modern life. But time amongst the crazy
cast of characters that frequent the bathhouse gives him
a new appreciation for traditional old ways. When a
tragic event causes sudden change, Da Ming must
choose between the prosperous life he's made for
himself and his responsibility to his family and jis
heritage.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
English

125
2007

Drama

Eighteen years later, the memory of losing their


grandfather has affected each of the kids differently. On
the verge of pop stardom, Dolkar has assimilated
herself comfortably into Chinese culture while her
disgusted brother Dorjee's hatred of the Chinese has
turned him into an embittered vagrant.
Their cousin Pema has since retreated to the solace of
life as a Buddhist nun until, like her grandfather before
her, she too risks her life by defying Chinese rule in
Tibet.

Alice in Wonderland

Runtime: 109 min

1951

128
Drama

Runtime: 75 min

Overview:

Overview:

One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of


Shakespeare, Akira Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood'
reimagines 'Macbeth' in feudal Japan. Starring
Kurosawa's longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and
the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the
film tells the tale of a valiant warrior's savage rise to
power and his ignominious fall. With 'Throne of Blood',
Kurosawa fuses one of Shakespeare's greatest
tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh
Theater to make a 'Macbeth' that is all his own - a
classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a
ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom.

The surprises begin when a daydreaming Alice


encounters a White Rabbit who is frantically running
late. She chases him and falls into the magical, madcap
world of Wonderland with a kaleidoscope of off-the-wall
characters - including Tweedledee and Tweedledum,
the Cheshire Cat, and the manic Mad Hatter, who
invites her to a memorable tea party! The crowning
confrontation begins when Alice meets the notorious
Queen Of Hearts and her enchanted deck of playing
cards. Tricked into a curious game of croquet, Alice,
and her patience, end up on trial. Is there no escape
from this whimsical escapade?

Subtitles:
English

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

Transparent Lama

124
2006

Documentary

Babel

Runtime: 64 min

129
2006

Drama

Runtime: 143 min

Overview:

Overview:

The film presents one of the great Tibetan Buddhism


teachers of the Karma Kagyu order, Lama Lopen
Tseche Rinpoche. The movie covers material from two
countries: Nepal - where he was a abbot of a monastery
in his final years, and Bhutan - his country of birth.

Pain is universal... but so is hope. From acclaimed


Director Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu comes the third film
in his trilogy, 'Babel', a critically celebrated and
emotionally gripping film about the barriers that separate
humankind.

His first western students Ole and Hannah Nydahl share


the memories about their spiritual teacher Tseche
Rinpoche.

A tragic accident in Morocco sets off a chain of events


that will link four groups of people who, divided by
cultural differences and vast distances, will discover a
shared destiny that ultimately connects them. Brad Pitt,
Cate Blancettand Gael Garca Bernal lead an
outstanding international ensemble cast in this
breakthrough film.

Language:
English

Language:
English

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Page:16 of 29

Ayurveda: The Art of Being


2001

Language:
Hindi
Subtitles:
English

130
Documentary

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Runtime: 102 min

2004

134
Runtime: 108 min

Overview:

Overview:

Under a timeless South Asian sky, fingers expertly


probe flesh, bones and hands. Healer Brahmanand
Swamigal is practicing Ayurveda, the "science of life",
one of the oldest holistic medical systems in the world.
Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, and
spreading to Tibet, China and Japan, this uncanny
intersection of science, medicine and magic is only now
receiving serious study in the West. Shot over three
years on three continents, Pan Nalin's AYURVEDA:
THE ART OF BEING is both a breathless globe trotting
travelogue that's "fascinating to watch" (Variety) and a
deeply spiritual testament to the power of Ayurvedic
medicine.

This is the story of a guy, Joel, who discovers that his


long-time girlfriend, Clementine, has undergone a
psychiatrist's experimental procedure in which all of her
memory of Joel is removed, after the couple has tried
for years to get their relationship working fluidly.
Frustrated by the idea of still being in love with a woman
who doesn't remember their time together, Joel agrees
to undergo the procedure as well, to erase his memories
of Clementine.

Founded on the belief that human disease is cured by


restoring an imbalance of individual life energies,

The Clone Returns Home


2009

131
Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

The film, which takes place mostly within Joel's mind,


follows his memories of Clementine backwards in time
as each recent memory is replaced, and the procedure
then goes on to the previous one, which is likewise
seen, and then erased. Once the process starts,
however, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget

Silence

Runtime: 110 min

135
1971

Drama

Runtime: 129 min

Overview:

Overview:

An astronaut dies on a mission, but never fear he's


got a clone, which has been imprinted with his
memories. Unfortunately, the upload malfunctions and
the clone fixates on a tragic memory from the dead
astronaut's youth, setting off a chain of events that will
result in tragedy and a profound exploration of what it
means to be human, and have a soul.

Adapted from the renowned novel by Shusaku Endo,


Masahiro Shinodas 1971 film Silence (Chinmoku,
co-written with Endo) explores the violent cultural
conflict amid the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in
seventeenth-century Japan. Shinodas excellent
direction coupled with a pensive score by the
legendary Toru Takemitsu gives cinematic
expression to inner spiritual paradox, and imbues with
religious mystery a landscape that seems already
sentient with wind, rain, and light.

Language:
Japanese

Language:
Japanese

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Dead Man

132
1995

Language:
English

Drama

Drama

Two Portuguese priests disembark upon an anonymous


Japanese shore. Under cover of nightfall, they seek to
infiltrate those Christian sects driven underground by a
ruthless magistracy, and re-establish the foothold of the
Church on the isolated island-nation. Soon, however,

Memento

Runtime: 121 min

136
2000

Drama

Runtime: 116 min

Overview:

Overview:

William Blake set out on an exciting journey to start his


life over in a new town with a new job. He never could
have prepared himself for what was to come. Through a
mysterious chain of events, he becomes involved in a
love triangle that ends in a double murder--with him as
the suspect. Alone and scared, he tries to escape, but
soon discovers that he is being hunted down by men
who have been paid to find and kill him, and befriends a
Native American loner, who teaches him to face the
dangers that follow a "dead man."

Leonard suffers from a rare brain disorder - the inability


to form any new memories. He can remember in detail
everything that happened before his injury, but anyone
he has ever met or anything he has ever done since that
fateful night, simply vanishes. Who are his friends? Who
are his enemies? What is the truth? In Leonard's world,
he answers to these questions shift and change from
second to second. And the more he tries to figure out
what is ture and real, the deeper he sinks into a
multi-layered abyss of uncertainty and surprises.

Subtitles:

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

Donnie Darko

133
2001

Drama

Valley of Flowers

Runtime: 113 min

137
2006

Drama

Runtime: 116 min

Overview:

Overview:

Troubled adolescent, Donnie Darko, receives a


disturbing vision that the world will end in 28 days. With
the help of various characters, including a 6 foot rabbit
called Frank, he slowly discovers the mysterious
physical and metaphysical laws that govern his life and
that will lead up to the destruction of the universe.

A greatest Asian love story, an unforgettable tale about


passion, death and reincarnation. A mesmerizing
Himalayan epic that spans two centuries, from the Silk
Route of the early 19th century to the bustling
metropolis of modern-day Tokyo.

Language:
English

Language:
Hindi

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Page:17 of 29

Owl and the Sparrow


2007

138
Drama

Buddha Wild

Runtime: 98 min

Overview:
Award winning documentary directed and presented by
Anna Wilding. A beautiful and moving film that is a
refreshing and entertaining synthesis of Eastern and
Western culture. Buddha Wild explores our lives as we
strive to live in one with nature, our environment, and
explores what really goes on behind the monastery
doors, through a group of remote monks adapting to the
Western world. This engaging movie touches on
hot-button issues like the roles of women, racism,
politics, the environment, and celibacy. Special Features
include interviews, and an appearance by His Holiness
the Dalai Lama.

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Aparajito

139
1957

Drama

Colors of Compassion

Runtime: 110 min

2004

Runtime: 49 min

Overview:

Overview:
This film documents the first retreat for people of color
to be given by Vietnamese Zen master, teacher, scholar
and poet Thich Nhat Hanh. It takes place at Deer Park
Monastery in spring, 2004. The film highlights interviews
with participants and monastics as they reflect on the
dharma and its meaning in their lives. Issues such as
discrimination, alienation, and displacement, all of which
give rise to anger and suffering, are discussed in candid
and heartfelt interviews.

Language:
English

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:

Blessings: Nuns of Tibet


2010

140
Documentary

Devotion of Matthieu Ricard

Runtime: 90 min

2009

144
Documentary

Runtime: 67 min

Overview:

Overview:

Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet tells


the story of 3000 nuns living in the remote nomadic
region of Nangchen in Eastern Tibet who practice an
ancient yogic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite
near extinction during the destruction of the Cultural
Revolution, these remarkable spiritual practitioners have
emerged to rebuild their monasteries by hand - stone by
stone. Now, their tradition of wisdom and compassion is
once again vital and growing. In 2005, Tsoknyi
Rinpoche III led a small group of western students to
meet the Nangchen nuns. Blessings is the story of this
extraordinary journey. A unique meeting of East and
West, the film is an inspiration to anyone seeking a
spiritual path through the challenges of 21st century life.

Nearly forty years ago Matthieu Ricard left his native


France and a promising career in cellular genetics to
become a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in
Nepal. He is now a translator, photographer and
bestselling author and an active participant in scientific
research on the effects of meditation on the brain. He is
involved in a number of humanitarian projects in Tibet
and Nepal, where he resides.

Brain Story

141
2000

Subtitles:

143
Documentary

Following Apu and his family to the city, Ray explores


the crowded streets and busy waterfront, introducing us
to a gallery of unforgettable images and characters. But
when tragedy strikes Apu's family, the boy becomes a
man and must choose between the life his father chose
-- a life of duty and disappointment -- or a life of his own

Language:
Hindi

Language:
English

Runtime: 80 min

Overview:

Language:
Thai

Subtitles:

Documentary

On the bustling streets of Saigon, three very different


people all seeking connection are about to collide. A
beautiful flight attendant looking for love. A zookeeper
hiding within his animal kingdom to nurse a broken
heart. And the young flower-selling runaway who brings
them together. But to avoid the authorities and a strict
uncle tracking her down, she will need all of her
cleverness and determination if she is going to grab any
chance at lasting happiness.

Language:
Vietnamese

Language:
English

142
2006

Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

This intimate portrait journeys with Matthieu as he


continues the work of his late teacher, Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche, in the Himalayas, and as he serves as
translator for the Dalai Lama in Europe and participates
in scientific research there. His vivid photography and
accessible stories of a monk s life in the Himalayas
feature throughout.

Down The River

Runtime: 294 min

145
2004

Drama

Runtime: 52 min

Overview:

Overview:

Why do we think and feel as we do? For years man has


sought to understand the workings of the mind. Now,
with advances in modern-day technology and
developments in neuroscience, a whole new world of
brain research is opening up.

Elegantly composed, dreamlike and ethereal, Down the


River is a stunning little treat from Thailand. Infused with
Buddhist theology, the film tells the story of two best
friends Krit and Vin. Down the River (Tam Sai Nam)
depicts Buddhist Philosophy through an old Thai poem
style, as it softly conveys the main character's feeling by
mixing these with beautiful cinematography. Krit wants
their relationship to be more, but Vin wants a wife and
children. Vin's brain can't embrace his homosexual side
as Krit has. Krit goes to gay bars, Win hangs out with
the straight people, but all these two men have on their
minds is each other. Krit and Vin love to hike in the
woods, and Krit keeps a book where he presses
flowers as memories of their walks. With scenes
juxtaposed in a non-linear fashion the story, as it is, is of
a hike Vin and Krit take with two women. Krit wants this

Understanding our minds is becoming a reality. Guided


by top neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, Brain Story
attempts to answer the question What is my mind and
who am I? We talk to philosophers, clinicians,
neurosurgeons and their patients to discover quite what
a finely balanced and complex machine the brain is.

Language:
Thai
Subtitles:
English

Page:18 of 29

Fearless

146
1993

Language:
English

Drama

Drama

Runtime: 97 min

Overview:

Overview:
Ganglamedo is a 2006 musical movie from Tibet,
directed by Dai Wei, written by Tashi Dawa. The movie
is about one of the most popular Tibetan folk songs,
Ganglamedo ("Snow lotus"), about two girls and two
men. The story begins sixty years ago, in Tibet. A local
girl, who sings the Ganglamedo, calls herself by same
name. She is in love with a Tibetan man, Acuo, and they
plan to marry. She disappears the night before the
marriage is to take place.

Fearless, the vivid story of how a near-death


experience impacts the lives of three people. Max, more
wildly alive and taking more risks than ever since
surviving a plane crash. Laura struggles to find in Max
the man she married. And fellow crash survivor Carla:
alive, yet devastated by a grievous loss. It seems that
no one can heal her pain. But then she meets the one
person who fearlessly knows how.

Language:
Tibetan
Subtitles:
English

Fire Under the Snow


2008

Subtitles:

150
2006

San Francisco architect Max Klein can see clearly now.


He's been transformed ever since he stared death in the
face - and discovered he was unafraid.

Subtitles:

Language:
English

Ganglamedo

Runtime: 122 min

147
Documentary

Sixty years later, a Chinese singer, An Yu, comes to


Tibet to find her lost voice. She meets young Tibetan
man Anzha, who helps her get to Lake Namucuo. One
day An Yu meets an old woman, Lamu, and discovers
she is Ganglamedo.

God and Buddha

Runtime: 75 min

151
2003

Documentary

Runtime: 90 min

Overview:

Overview:

Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was


arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He
spent the next 33 years in prison for the "crimes" of
peaceful demonstration and refusal to denounce his
apolitical teacher as an Indian spy. He was tortured,
starved and sentenced to hard labor. He watched his
nation and culture destroyed, his teachers, friends and
family displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese
occupation.

In this fascinating and unusual conversation, writer and


physician Deepak Chopra talks to religion professor
Robert Thurman about the connections and differences
between two of India's most important philosophical
beliefs: Vedanta and Buddhism. Chopra explores the
foundation of Vedanta, while Thurman -- the father of
actress Uma Thurman -- provides the Buddhist point of
view in this meeting held in 1999 at New York City's
Tibet House.

Fire Under the Snow reaches back to Palden's birth in


1933 and follows him through the Orwellian nightmare
that began with the Chinese invasion. We cut back and
forth between the past and Palden's present as an
activist, living in exile. Our P.O.V. becomes a "third eye"
hovering over Paldens current life, haunted by his

Fires on the Plain

148
1959

Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:

God Man Dog

Runtime: 105 min

152
2008

Drama

Runtime: 119 min

Overview:

Overview:

Language:
Japanese

An agonizing portrait of desperate Japanese soldiers


stranded in a strange land during World War II, Kon
Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain is a compelling descent
into psychological and physical oblivion. Denied hospital
treatment for tuberculosis and cast off into the unknown,
Private Tamura treks across an unfamiliar Philippine
landscape, encountering an increasingly debased cross
section of Imperial Army soldiers, who eventually give in
to the most terrifying craving of all. Grisly yet poetic,
Fires on the Plain is one of the most powerful works
from one of Japanese cinema's most versatile
filmmakers.

Language:
Mandarin

Follows the daily lives of different people, observing the


reserved way they go about their lives: a well off married
couple from Taipei who have become more and more
estranged and have slowly fallen silent since the birth of
their child; a fruit dealer from the countryside and his
wife who try together to battle his alcohol problem; a
young woman who works out her aggressions through
kickboxing; a young boy who roams around, and a
lonely man who delivers massive statues of the Buddha.
Some of these people take surprising turns while some
of them cross each other's paths and fates.

Subtitles:
English

Fires on the Plane (1959) represents Preta: Hungry


Ghost Realm. Perhaps the most fitting one for its
respective plane- the marooned Japanese soldiers

Subtitles:
English

The Fountain

149
2006

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Drama

The Hungry Ghosts

Runtime: 96 min

153
2009

Drama

Runtime: 105 min

Overview:

Overview:

Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future.


Through time and space, one man embarks on a bold
1000-year odyssey to defeat humankind's most
indomitable foe: Death.

According to Buddhists, hungry ghosts are the dead


who cannot bid farewell to the living. They are a
metaphor for spiritual hunger which we often try to
satisfy by chasing the superficial and material. This
directing debut by Michael Imperioli is filled with hungry
ghosts. A group of New Yorkers, of different ages, races
and backgrounds, hunger for emotional, sensual, and
spiritual fulfillment. Their intersecting and colliding paths
reflect the zeitgeist of our times, in which the
desperation of the West smacks up against the religious
teachings of the East.

Hugh Jackman plays that man, devoted to one woman


and determined to protect her from forces that threaten
her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of
Life...and to an adventure into eternity. Darren
Aronofsky directs, continuing his string of imaginative,
involving filmmaking with a tale alive with ideas and
filled with astonishing vistas.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Page:19 of 29

Journey into Buddhism


2007

Language:
English

154
Documentary

Overview:

Language:
Japanese

Dharma River: Laos, Thailand & Burma


Prajna Earth: Cambodia, Bali & Java
Vajra Sky Over Tibet: Central Tibet

Subtitles:
English

155
Drama

Tiryag-yoni a.k.a. Animal Realm is reflected in


Onibaba (1964, dir. Kaneto Shindo), a gritty tale of
survival and animal lust in feudal era Japan.

Please Give

Runtime: 99 min

159
2010

Drama

Runtime: 90 min

Overview:

Overview:

Hong lives simply with his wife and his daughters Ngek
and Gim. However the Japanese invade Thailand. The
village is bombed and Hong's house goes up in flames
even after she has prayed to the "Goddess of Mercy" to
prevent that from happening. Ngek almost loses her
faith in religion and the "Goddess of Mercy" as she has
met her every night in her dreams and had long
discussions seeking advice on her problems and fears.
Many years later the two girls become attractive women.
While Gim gets a boyfriend named Ling and has a
normal life approved by her parents, Ngek is interested
in Somsak and gets pregnant with twins. She is thrown
out of the house by her father. Somsak and her try to
start a new life with the help of the "Goddess" and with
her help get a successful clothing business running. Her
life changes from bad to good as she continues her

Kate and Alex, a married couple who run a successful


business reselling estate-sale furniture, live in
Manhattan with their teenage daughter, Abby. Wanting
to expand their two-bedroom apartment, they buy the
unit next door, planning to knock the walls out.
However, before doing so, they have to wait for the
occupant, Andra, a cranky elderly woman, to die. The
wait becomes complicated when the family develops
relationships with Andra and her two grown
granddaughters.

Naked in Ashes

156
2006

Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Nicole Holofcener infuses her story of love, death, and


liberal guilt with a rare balance of humor and complexity
that stems from her uncanny ability to understand
peopletheir motivations, interactions, and
contradictions. Her characters go to great pains to

Reincanation of Golden Lotus

Runtime: 103 min

1989

160
Drama

Runtime: 91 min

Overview:

Overview:

The bearers of a 5,000 year old legacy, the yogis give


up everything to seek self realization. A young boy
undergoes a secret initiation. On pilgrimage through the
Himalayas he journeys to the holiest festival on earth.

A woman living in modern Hong Kong experiences


flashbacks of an earlier life, in which she was a Chinese
beauty named Golden Lotus (Joey Wang). Slowly, the
events from her previous existence begin to re-enact
themselves in the modern world. In both incarnations,
Lotus is abused by the men in her life.

Language:
English

Language:
Mandarin

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

Not in God's Name

157
2010

Subtitles:

Runtime: 103 min

Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn


medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her
daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence.
Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings
for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole
and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled
neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and
rage threaten to destroy the trios tenuous existence,
before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals the
trios horrifying fate.

2004

Language:
English

Drama

Overview:

Miracle of Goddess Kuan Yin

Subtitles:
English

158
1964

This trilogy of visually stunning documentaries are


cinematic pilgrimages to the spiritual wonders and
wisdom of Southeast Asia and Tibet. Journey into the
living traditions, lost civilizations and luminous
landscapes of this vibrant part of the world. Discover its
radiant treasures of art, architecture and music. Explore
the universal ideals of wisdom, compassion, and inner
peace at the very heart of these ancient Buddhist
cultures

Subtitles:

Language:
Thai

Onibaba

Runtime: 255 min

Documentary

Secret Sunday

Runtime: 57 min

161
2010

Drama

Runtime: 107 min

Overview:

Overview:

Trapped in religious riots in Delhi, filmmaker Paula


Fouce follows the Dalai Lama on a journey to
understand religious intolerance. NOT IN GOD'S NAME
shows how the world is ravaged by extreme divisions
between religions. We examine the similar values of all
faiths, and their potential for drawing us together to
share a common ground. Featuring Tenzin Gyatso, the
14th Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman Ph. D., Joseph
Prabhu Ph. D., Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, Dr. Karan
Singh, Ph. D., Georg Feuerstein, Ph. D., Michael
Bernard Beckwith, and leaders of many faiths.

According to his mother's request, Nat, a young


architect, unwillingly takes a journey to visit 9 different
temples in order to clean up his bad karma. He is
accompanied by Poon, his beautiful columnist girlfriend,
and Sujitto, a young novice monk. All three characters
have different purposes for taking this trip. But later
they discover that they were put together for an
unforeseeable reason. The karma of one person can
effect the karma of others as well. Horrifying acts done
in their previous lives reveal themselves as the journey
goes by. The more they try to clean up Nat's bad karma
by making merit, the closer they get to them. This
journey is going to change their faith forever. How is Nat
going to clean up his own mess? Would Nat be
forgiven? How can an act of making merit overcome
relentless vengeance?

Language:
Thai
Subtitles:
English

Page:20 of 29

Secret Sunshine

162
2007

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Drama

A suicidal college student and his doctor enter a twisted


world of supernatural horror in Stay. Henry Lethem
(Ryan Gosling) plans to kill himself in three days, unless
psychologist Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) can stop
him. Henry's been hearing disturbing voices and
experiencing horrifying visions, but where does
imagination end and reality begin? Sam suddenly finds
he's losing his own grip on reality, as he, too, is thrust
into a hellish place between life and death. With the
help of his girlfriend (Naomi Watts), Sam races to
unlock the terrifying secret behind Henry's waking
nightmare before it's too late!

But their romance does not get a chance to develop


further when Shin-ae's son is kidnapped and she has no
one to turn to. She tries everything she can to get her
son back, but life is cruelly indifferent to her wishes
again.

163
Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Sun Behind the Clouds

Runtime: 57 min

2010

167
Documentary

Runtime: 79 min

Overview:

Overview:

In Secrets of the Mind we gain insights through various


tragedies that have affected others, thanks to the logic
and insights of Professor Ramachandran regarding
what he calls the most complex organized matter in the
universe.

In The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibets Struggle for


Freedom, Tibetan filmmaker, Tenzing Sonam, and his
partner, Ritu Sarin, take a uniquely Tibetan perspective
on the trials and tribulations of the Dalai Lama and his
people as they continue their struggle for freedom in the
face of determined suppression by one of the worlds
biggest and most powerful nations. The filmmakers had
intimate access to the Dalai Lama and followed him
over the course of an eventful year, which included the
2008 protests in Tibet, the international response to it,
the Beijing Olympics, and the breakdown in talks
between his representatives and the Chinese
government.

Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran, an eloquent


neuroscientist, is fascinated by patients who have
unusual abilities or defects in the way they perceive the
world. These include such puzzling phenomena as the
phantom pain experienced in a missing, amputated
limb, or the inability to recognize a familiar face following
a stroke. From these strange cases, Ramachandran is
building a novel vision of how the brain works. In
"Secrets of the Mind," NOVA dramatizes the intimate
stories of Ramachandran's encounters with his

2001

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 99 min

Overview:

Shaolin: Wheel of Life

Language:
Mandarin

Drama

Overview:

2001

Subtitles:

166
2005

The fragile mind beset by a mercilessly harsh reality is


represented by Shin-ae, a piano teacher who is already
struggling to stand on her own feet emotionally after the
death of her husband. To escape from her predicament,
she moves to Milyang,her late husband's hometown. In
Milyang ("Secret Sunshine"), Shin-ae has a brief chance
to brighten up her depressing life when she meets
Jong-chan, a local car repair shop owner. Jong-chan
falls in love with her and helps her settle down smoothly
in Milyang.

Secrets of the Mind

Language:
English

Stay

Runtime: 142 min

164
Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Set against this backdrop, the film explores the interplay


between the personal and the historic, spirituality and

The Sword of Doom

Runtime: 84 min

168
1966

Drama

Runtime: 121 min

Overview:

Overview:

For more than 1,500 years, the Shaolin monks from


China's Henan Province have applied the discipline of
martial arts as a unique manifestation of their religion,
performing feats of astonishing physical prowess and
mental concentration within their Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist
practice. Originally a means of daily exercise and a form
of meditation, the fighting actions evolved into what is
now known throughout the world as Kung Fu. Now,
GREAT PERFORMANCES presents an exciting
theatrical performance featuring the ordained Soldier
Monks of the Shaolin Temple. With music, lighting, and
a stage set evoking the ancient East, SHAOLIN:
WHEEL OF LIFE tells the story of the monks' early
struggle to establish and protect their temple in a
performance that celebrates their history, religion, and
tremendous physical and mental skills.

Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune star in the story of


a wandering samurai who exists in a maelstrom of
violence. A gifted swordsman - plying his trade during
the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule - Ryunosuke
(Nakadai) kills without remorse, without mercy. It is a
way of life that ultimately leads to madness. The
Criterion Collection is proud to present director Kihachi
Okamoto's swordplay classic 'The Sword of Doom', the
thrilling story of a man who chooses to devote his life to
evil.

Shinran

165
2008

Drama

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Ashura/Demigod Realm is represented by Kihachi


Okamoto's bloody samurai epic Sword of Doom
(1966). Ashura is filled with jealousy, struggle and
combat stemming from being envious of Deva
Realm. As Tatsuya Nakadai's merciless swordman

Ashes of Time Redux

Runtime: 108 min

1994

169
Drama

Runtime: 94 min

Overview:

Overview:

This movie is a wonderful presentation of the most


important aspects of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
Passages from Tannisho or from the letters of Shinran
(Mattosho) are put into dialogue form so that we can
better savour them. Events from Shinrans life are also
accurately presented so that newcomers can thus have
a picture of who was Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), the
Founder of Jodo Shinshu school.

From director Wong Kar Wai comes the definitive


version of Ashes of Time, an epic martial arts
masterpiece of larger-than-life characters, breathtaking
landscapes and exquisite fight scenes.

Language:
Japanese

Language:
Cantonese

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

The story centers on Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung), a


heartbroken and cynical man who spends his days
alone in the desert, connecting expert swordsmen with
those seeking revenge and willing to pay for it. As
Ouyang narrates his tale, interweaving the stories of his
unusual clients, old friends and future foes, he begins to
realize the mistakes of his own past, and how his fear of
rejection may have led him to a life of exile.

Page:21 of 29

Inception

170
2010

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

Drama

Bodhisattva, Superstar

Runtime: 148 min

2010
Overview:

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an


international cast in this sci-fi actioner that travels
around the globe and into the world of dreams. Dom
Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best there is at
extraction: stealing valuable secrets inside the
subconscious during the mind's vulnerable dream state.
His skill has made him a coveted player in industrial
espionage but has also made him a fugitive and cost
him dearly. Now he may get a second chance if he can
do the impossible: inception, planting an idea rather
than stealing one. If they succeed, Cobb and his team
could pull off the perfect crime. But no planning or
expertise can prepare them for a dangerous enemy who
seems to predict their every move. An enemy only Cobb
could have seen coming.

Bodhisattva, Superstar, a new film by multimedia artist


Michael Trigilio, confronts American popular culture's
habit of addressing the subject of religion with
alternating degrees of deluded piety or flippant scorn.
Popular culture's treatment of Buddhism often is
ensnared by the language of marketing, using Buddhist
language or images to sell shampoos, candy bars, or
self-help recipes of one kind or another.

171
2003

Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Documentary

Runtime: 0 min

Overview:

Overview:

The emotionally and physically charged lives of three


people, a college professor (Sean Penn), an ex-con
(Benicio Del Toro) and a young mother with a reckless
past (Naomi Watts), collide unexpectedly in this gripping
suspense thriller.

Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche


chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation
master, one of Tibet's most revered 20th-century
Buddhist teachers. Known as the instructor of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Royal Family of
Bhutan, his life and teachings were an inspiration to all
who encountered him. Richard Gere and Lou Reed
provide the narration for his dangerous journey out of
China and the subsequent spread of his influence
around the world.

Language:
English

Subtitles:

Subtitles:

After Life

172
1998

Drama

Brilliant Moon was filmed in Tibet, India, Bhutan, the


United States and Nepal, and uses animation, rare
archival footage and interviews with some of Tibet's
great thinkers, to tell his moving life story, from birth to
death to rebirth.

Every War Has Two Losers

Runtime: 118 min

2009

176
Documentary

Runtime: 32 min

Overview:

Overview:

From the award-winning director Koreeda Hirokazu


(Maborosi) comes a remarkably touching film exploring
the profound human need to discover meaning in
everyday life.

Every War Has Two Losers is based on the journals of


poet and conscientious objector, William Stafford.
Stafford refused to fight in World War Two as he
believed that war was not the answer. The film draws
from Staffords journals to present another point of view
on warmaking and its ability to create security. For all
those who think war is envitable, Stafford said 'No'. That
war is a choice among choices and there are other
methods of reconciliation to be pursued before the
bullets fly.

Many films have offered insight into the unexplainable


realm of the after life. In Koreeda's thought-provoking
vision, the newly deceased find themselves in a way
station somewhere between Heaven and Earth.
With the help of dedicated caseworkers, each soul is
given three days to choose one cherished memory from
their life that they will relive for eternity. As the film
reveals, recognizing happiness and finding a life's worth
of meaning in a single event is no simple task. If
Heaven is only a single memory from your life, as

Aogeba Totoshi

173
2006

Subtitles:
English

175
2010

Language:
English

Language:
Japanese

Bodhisattva, Superstar is a documentary insofar as it


features Buddhist authors, chaplains, monks, and
scholars speaking about the nature of Buddhism in
America. However, the film also relies on an apparently
scripted character (played by actress Deanna Erdmann)
who navigates her own emotional landscape of wonder,
wandering, and contemplation. Trigilio refers to this form

Brilliant Moon

Runtime: 125 min

Fate brought them together. Now vengeance will take


them to the heights of love, the depths of revenge and
the promise of redemption.

Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 83 min

Overview:

21 Grams

Language:
Japanese

174
Documentary

Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Facing Death

Runtime: 82 min

177
2010

Documentary

Runtime: 53 min

Overview:

Overview:

Aogeba Totoshi deals with the issues of mortality and


death through the eyes of a lonely student who has an
morbid and albeit naive fascination with death. His
teacher, Koichi (played by popular TV personality and
media commentator Terry Ito) is also grappling with the
issue of mortality as he deals with the impending death
of his ailing father, who has decided to spend his final
days in the family home. As the story progresses, Koichi
finds unexpected solace from his grief by letting his
troubled student visit and meet with his father in the
hopes that he will understand the meaning of life and
death.

How far would you go to sustain the life of someone you


love, or your own? When the moment comes, and
you're confronted with the prospect of "pulling the plug,"
do you know how you'll respond?

Language:
English
Subtitles:

In Facing Death, FRONTLINE gains extraordinary


access to The Mount Sinai Medical Center, one of New
York's biggest hospitals, to take a closer measure of
today's complicated end-of-life decisions. In this
intimate, groundbreaking film, doctors, patients and
families speak with remarkable candor about the
increasingly difficult choices people are making at the
end of life: when to remove a breathing tube in the ICU;
when to continue treatment for patients with aggressive
blood cancers; when to perform a surgery; and when to
call for hospice

Page:22 of 29

Megane

178
2007

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Drama

Runtime: 0 min

Overview:
How does one integrate lessons learned from nature in
daily life?

There's a lot of talk about the 'visceral power of film.'But

179
Drama

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

This feature documentary is an experiential journey into


the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism.
In Shugend (The Way of Acquiring Power),
practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism,
Shint, Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek
experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs
in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of
the natural world, practitioners purify the six roots of
perception, revitalize their energy and reconnect with
their truest nature all while grasping the fundamental
interconnectedness with nature and all sentient beings.
How does one return to the city after an enlightening

This Transient Life

Runtime: 48 min

183
1970

Drama

Runtime: 143 min

Overview:

Overview:

Monkey King at Spider Cave, inspired by an episode


from Journey to the West, the beloved 16th Century
Chinese epic, unfolds an adventure of a Buddhist High
Priest and his animal disciples in their quest to bring the
Buddhist scriptures to China. Their journey is
relentlessly endangered by mythical demons and
monsters this time by demonic spider women and an
evil alchemist. Journey to the West is a frequent subject
of operas and cartoons throughout Asia. The most
famous and beloved of characters from the epic is Sun
Wu Kong, The Monkey King, popular for being cunning
and acrobatic, but with a playful and childish attitude
that hides great wisdom.

The son and daughter of a wealthy Japanese merchant


embrace the modern era and turn their backs on the
traditions of their elders. The young woman eschews
kimonos for miniskirts, and the long haired son ends up
sleeping with her when the duo dons traditional religious
masks. A Buddhist priest says nothing of her pregnancy
when she is married off to the son of a faithful servant.
The parents have pegged the servant's son to be the
one who seduced their daughter. The son of a noted
sculptor tries but fails to kill the incestuous brother and
ends up killing himself. The brother goes to work for the
sculptor and ends up sleeping with both the sculptor and
his wife...

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

The Nature of Existence


2010

Subtitles:
English

Documentary

Among the most memorable things about Megane are


an empty white beach, a luminous turquoise sea, and a
verdant country road. Descending on this paradise,
Taeko, a buttoned-up, bespectacled woman dragging a
very large suitcase, checks into a tiny seaside inn.
Expecting to be left alone, she's put off when the hotel's
proprietor, Yuji, sits down to eat with her. She's even
more disgruntled when Sakura, a placid, revered older
woman, takes the liberty of entering Taeko's room to
wake her up! But seeking haven at another hotel proves
farcical, and Taeko sheepishly returns to her
unconventional hosts. Relieved, she gradually tunes into
their simple community and cultivates what Yuji calls
"the talent to be here."

2009

Language:
English

182
2009

Overview:

Monkey King at Spider Cave

Language:
English

Shugendo Now

Runtime: 106 min

180
Documentary

FILM CONTAINS SOME NUDITY. VIEWER


DISCRETION ADVISED

Uncle Boonmee Who Recalls His Past Lives

Runtime: 93 min

2010

Drama

184
Runtime: 114 min

Overview:

Overview:

Why do we exist and what are we supposed to do about


it? What started the Universe and was it a mistake?
Does God exist and why does he seem so interested in
our sex lives?

The film centers on the last days in the life of its title
character. Together with his loved ones including the
ghost of his dead wife and his lost son who has returned
in a non-human form Boonmee explores his past lives
as he contemplates the reasons for his illness

I wrote the toughest 85 questions I could think of, about


our purpose and the nature of existence, and then
asked hundreds of people all over the globe, such as:
Indian holy man Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The Art of Living),
evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The God
Delusion), 24th generation Chinese Taoist Master
Zhang Chengda, Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind
(co-discoverer of string theory), wrestler Rob Adonis
(founder of Ultimate Christian Wrestling), confrontational
evangelist Brother Jed Smock, novelist Orson Scott
Card (Enders Game), director Irvin Kershner (Star

Priest

181
1994

Drama

Language:
Thai
Subtitles:
English

Yi Yi

Runtime: 98 min

185
2000

Drama

Runtime: 173 min

Overview:

Overview:

The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic


young priest are challenged when he must face
extraordinary events within his own congregation. Soon,
he is forced to make the impossible choice between
keeping faith and exposing the truth!

With the runaway international acclaim of this film,


Taiwanese director Edward Yang could no longer be
called Asian cinema's best-kept secret. Yi Yi swiftly
follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of
one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a
funeral. Whether chronicling middle-aged father NJ's
tenuous flirtations with an old flame or precocious young
son Yang-Yang's attempts at capturing reality with his
beloved camera, Yang imbues every gorgeous frame
with a deft, humane clarity. Warm, sprawling, and
dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed
masterworks of the new century.

Language:
English

Language:
Mandarin

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Page:23 of 29

12 Lotus

186
2005

Drama

Mandala

Runtime: 120 min

Overview:
In a motel near the Sea of Japan, two university
students from Kyoto, Shinichi - an ex-activist and
Hiroshi - a trotskyist and an individualist at the same
time, and their girlfriends are exchanging partners.
Shinichi and his girlfriend are attacked by two followers
of the owner of the motel on the seashore, and then
experience a queer pleasure. After having returned to
Kyoto, they go back to the seashore so as to learn about
the incident and meet the owner, who turns out to be the
leader of a small community. They follow him to a
village in the mountains, where he is creating a sort of
Utopia based on the idea of primitive communism,
which has auto-sufficient agriculture and eroticism as its
principles. In Kyoto, the other couple worry about their
disappeared friends, and also go back to the seashore.
There, they are attacked by the members of the

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Around the World in 80 Faiths


2009

187
Documentary

2007

191
Drama

Runtime: 122 min

Overview:

Around the World in 80 Faiths is a British television


series which was first broadcast by the BBC on 2
January 2009. The series is presented by the Anglican
vicar, Pete Owen-Jones, who is researching the various
faiths from around the world.

The film begins by showing the inevitable outcome of


the events of the film: the viewer is shown a scene of a
man who is disabled by Alzheimer's Disease, set in the
year 2010. The story then begins proper by switching
back to an earlier stage in the life of the man, Masayuki
Saeki in 2004. Masayuki Saeki is a brilliant and
successful advertising company executive. Saeki is
shown to be a prime example of an ideal Japanese
white collar worker. He is strict, well organised, hard
working, devoted to his job, and sets very high
standards for himself and his subordiates. However he
is soon shocked to realise that he is failing to meet up to
his perfect standards. He starts inexplicably forgetting
things - appointments, details of his work, and his
knowledge of the layout of Tokyo. Following this he is
diagnosed with alzheimer's disease, to which he reacts

Episode Two: The Far East


* Faith 12: Buddhism, The Naked Man festival Visits the Buddhist fertility festival at Okayama, Japan.
* Faith 13: Hindu street shrine - Visits a busy,
popular Hindu shrine in downtown Bangkok used by
Buddhist worshippers.
* Faith 14: Theravada Buddhism - Interviews a monk
of Theravada Buddhism, describing its importance in
Thailand.
* Faith 15: Confucianism - Looking at the Confucian

188
2005

Subtitles:

Memories Of Tomorrow

Runtime: 60 min

Overview:

Ashes and Snow

Language:
English

Runtime: 138 min

Overview:

Language:
Japanese

Subtitles:

Drama

"12 Lotus" is the name of a poignant song in 12


chapters, which also narrates the troubled life and times
of a girl called Lotus (Lianhua). Since young, she wished
to sing the song to Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara)
Bodhisattva - out of gratitude perhaps, for she was the
beacon of hope in her life, to whom she would pour all
her woes.

Language:
Mandarin

Language:
English

190
1971

Documentary

Language:
Japanese
Subtitles:
English

Night of the Living Dead

Runtime: 60 min

1968

192
Drama

Runtime: 96 min

Overview:

Overview:

Gregory Colbert has used both still and movie cameras


to explore extraordinary interactions
between humans and animals. Colbert believes that
nature doesn't have a style; it has a voice. The film aims
to lift the natural and artificial barriers between humans
and other species, dissolving the distance that exists
between them. Colbert chose to film animals in their
native habitats to create films that can be viewed as
works of art or as poetic field studies.

The Ultimate in Horror. A Cult Classic that has stood the


test of time.

The title Ashes and Snow suggests beauty and renewal,


while also referring to the literary component
of the exhibition-a fictional account of a man who, over
the course of a yearlong journey,
composes 365 letters to his wife. The source of the title
is revealed in the 365th letter.

Dying at Grace

189
2003

Documentary

Language:
English
Subtitles:

The first zombie movie of its kind, George A. Romero's


"Night of the Living Dead" is an instant cult classic. A
simple, peaceful countryside is being terrorized by killer
zombies with only one thing on their minds - destroy all
humans. A small stronghold of survivors must hold the
zombies at bay outside and old, abandoned house for
any future hope of humanity. Filled with spine-tingling,
edge of your seat suspense, "Night of the Living Dead"
is a masterpiece of thrills and horror that will leave you
afraid to turn out the lights.
Supplemental Material: Moreman, Christopher M. "A
Modern Meditation on Death: Identifying Buddhist

Poem

Runtime: 148 min

193
1972

Drama

Runtime: 123 min

Overview:

Overview:

An extraordinary, transformative experience, Allan


King's Dying at Grace is quite simply unprecedented:
five terminally ill cancer patients allowed the director
access to their final months and days inside the Toronto
Grace Health Centre. The result is an unflinching,
enormously empathetic contemplation of death,
featuring some of the most memorable people ever
captured on film.

The last chapter of Jissoji's Ero-Buddhist trilogy, the


other two are Mujo (1970) and Mandara (1971).

Language:
English

Language:
Japanese

Subtitles:

Subtitles:
English

The young houseboy in Uta wakes up every night to


patrol the house of a teacher with a flashlight. He leads
an austere life of meditation and he focuses his
devotional attention on writing inscriptions for
tombstones. In one of his tours he sees something he
shouldn't have. The pervert pleasure of portraying him
as a pillar of moral behaviour for the duration of the film
is to see the downfall. As the teacher and his elder
brother conspire to take over the mountain property of
their grandfather and turn it over to realtors for a profit,
Renge spends his time shuddering helpless, on his
knees.

Page:24 of 29

Running On Karma

194
2003

Language:
Cantonese

Drama

Overview:

195
Drama

Todaiji

Runtime: 130 min

199
2010

Documentary

Runtime: 27 min

Overview:

Overview:
NHK's BEGIN Japanology, hosted by Peter Barakan,
invites you into the world of Japanese culture, both
traditional and modern, explaining how traditions
evolved and the part they still play today in people's
everyday lives.

Nevertheless, the mighty Hao Jie experiences a swift


and sudden fall, when he is betrayed by Huo Lung and
finds himself at the doorsteps of the Shaolin Temple
seeking help. While recuperating, Hao Jie learns the

196
Documentary

Language:
English

Synopsis: Todai-ji (Eastern Great Temple),is a Buddhist


temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its
Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), the largest wooden
building in the world,houses the world's largest bronze
statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese
simply as Daibutsu .

Subtitles:

What is Reality?

Runtime: 86 min

200
2011

Documentary

Runtime: 50 min

Overview:

Overview:

Every soldier wrestles with his conscience over killing.


Although most decide to kill, some refuse. Made with
official permission from the U.S. Army, SOLDIERS OF
CONSCIENCE reveals that far more soldiers decide not
to kill than we might expect.

There is a strange and mysterious world that surrounds


us, a world largely hidden from our senses. The quest to
explain the true nature of reality is one of the great
scientific detective stories.

Narrated by Emmy winner Peter Coyote, SOLDIERS


OF CONSCIENCE profiles eight American soldiers: four
who decide not to kill and become conscientious
objectors, and four who believe in their duty to kill if
necessary. The film reveals how everyone from West
Point grads to drill sergeants, Abu Ghraib interrogators
to low ranking reservist-mechanics, grapples with the
morality of killing in war, not as a philosophical problem,
but as soldiers experience it a split-second decision in
combat that can never be forgotten or undone. Including

The Anniversary

197
2003

Subtitles:
English

The Lynch family believes that the rituals of a funeral


are more than mere formalities. "Funerals are the way
we close the gap between the death that happens and
the death that matters," Lynch contends. "A good
funeral gets the dead where they need to go and the
living where they need to be."

Set during the early years of the Chinese republic, when


feuding warlords waged constant wars to expand their
power, young army leader Hao Jie (Andy Lau) and his
sworn brother Huo Lung find little resistance invading
the township of Dengfeng. The nearby Shaolin Temple
opens its doors to the wounded and disciples Jing
Neng, Jing Kong and Jing become masked Robin
Hoods at night to help the poor. The young and arrogant
Hao Jie then challenges the Shaolin masters when he
learns they are helping his enemies. Hao Jie wins his
duel and becomes even more arrogant.

2009

Language:
Vietnamese

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Soldier of Conscience

Subtitles:

Runtime: 50 min

Thomas Lynch, 58, is a writer and a poet. He's also a


funeral director in a small town in central Michigan
where he and his family have cared for the dead -- and
the living -- for three generations. For the first time,
Lynch agreed to allow cameras inside Lynch & Sons,
giving FRONTLINE producers Miri Navasky and Karen
O'Connor rare, behind-the-scenes access -- from
funeral arrangements to the embalming room -- to the
Lynches' world for this film, The Undertaking.

2011

Language:
English

Documentary

Overview:

Shaolin

Subtitles:
English

198
2007

The great Johnnie To (The Mission, Running Out Of


Time, The Heroic Trio) directs this intriguing murder
mystery with a touch of Zen. Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs,
The Duel), in his most daring role to date, is Biggie, a
huge, muscular Buddhist monk who knows kung fu and
somehow has "Karma"--the ability to see things before
they happen. Biggie's unusual characteristics soon
arouse the interest of policewoman Yee (Cecilia
Cheung), who begins to fall in love with him. But when
Biggie's karma foresees Yee's impending death from
murder, he has to do everything in his power to stop
fate.

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Mandarin

The Undertaking

Runtime: 93 min

Drama

Language:
English

Clues have been pieced together from deep within the


atom, from the event horizon of black holes, and from
the far reaches of the cosmos. It may be that that we are
part of a cosmic hologram, projected from the edge of
the universe. Or that we exist in an infinity of parallel
worlds. Your reality may never look quite the same
again.

Subtitles:

Buddha Mountain

Runtime: 28 min

201
2010

Drama

Runtime: 105 min

Overview:

Overview:

A simple Buddhist rite of remembrance frames this


short dramatic work from talented young VietnameseAmerican filmmaker Ham Tran. Beautifully filmed by
Before Night Falls cinematographer Guillermo Rosas,
the film skillfully cuts between cruel childs play and the
brutality of real warfare. The story offers a surprising
view of human suffering even under war conditions,
and Buddhism is presented not as an escape but as
mindful reflection on this suffering. With a glimpse
of the devastation in Vietnam and its aftermath,
The Anniversary invites parallels between the violent
situations there and the current state of global affairs.

Three young, inseparable friends while away the sweaty


summer together in the provincial capital; Ding Bo, Fei
Zao, and Nanfeng. Needing to find new accomodation,
the three answer an advertisment by retired Beijing
Opera performer Chang Yueqin, a lonely widow who is
still grieving from her son's death in a car accident a
year ago move into two rooms in her top-floor
apartment. They go out one day to Guanyin Shan
(Buddha Mountain), where they help repair a small
Buddhist temple. Gradually, relations change between
Chang and the youngsters start to improve, and Chang
attains a new peace of mind. But then Nanfeng falls out
with Ding Bo when she sees him making out with a girl
at a party.

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

Page:25 of 29

A Chinese Tall Story


2005

Language:
Cantonese
Subtitles:
Chinese

202
Drama

Overview:

203
Drama

Subtitles:
English

Incense

Runtime: 117 min

207
2003

Drama

Runtime: 0 min

Overview:

Overview:
The film is shot from the Buddhist's perspective,
emphasizing the modern lifestyle's emptiness and lack
of spirituality. One main ideal of Buddhism is the
elimination of all attachment to the material worlf in
order to achieve enlightenment. The city dwellers
replace enlightenment with material goods. Not only are
they dispirited, but Buddhism itself becomes lost and
empty. Ning Hao represents Buddhism in shots of a
scarecrow in a cold, empty, snow-covered field. Later,
the Buddha statue's head is placed on a scarecrow
body, smybolizing the hollowness of the new Buddhism.
In the capitalist economy, Buddhism is commericalized
and becomes a hollow commodity produced for the
paying masses, who buy it in a desperate need for
spiritual fulfillment.

204
Drama

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

The Invention of Lying

Runtime: 124 min

2009

208
Drama

Runtime: 99 min

Overview:

Overview:

The film shows the preparations for a traditional


Japanese funeral. It mixes grief at the loss of a husband
and father with wry observations of the various
characters as they interact during the three days of
preparation.

In a world where the human race has never evolved the


ability to lie, a man who suddenly discovers how will
change the world. With this superpower, he can get
anything he wants. Well, nearly everything.

The Funeral was the writing and directing debut of Itami


Juzo, and was an enormous success in Japan. It won
five Japanese Academy Awards, including Best Film,
Best Director and Best Actor (Tsutomu Yamazaki). It
was nominated in a further five categories and also
came first in the annual Kinema Junpo critics' poll.

Subtitles:
English

Ricky Gervais (Extras, BBC's The Office)


displays his hilariously deadpan acting talents in a
comedy invention he co-wrote and co-directed.

Language:
English
Subtitles:
English

Get Low

205
2009

Subtitles:
English

Language:
Mandarin

Its the spring of 1969 and the world will have to wait
another six months before Neil Armstrong sets foot on
the moonbut our young hero Big Ears is running
through the streets of Hong Kong with a goldfish bowl
on his head, pretending to be an astronaut. Big brother
Desmond is a gold-medal track star and ace student
who plays guitar and nurtures a nascent romance with
soft-spoken Flora. Meanwhile, their parents work their
fingers to the bone running a tiny neighborhood shoe
store. Their dream is simple: All they want is for their
children to have a better life than they didand this
mood of nostalgic optimism and yearning is reflected
perfectly by the 60s pop ballads wafting from big
brothers transistor radio. But the sunny tone soon
darkens as the family is beset by a slumping economy,
social unrest and the onset of Hong Kongs annual

1984

Language:
English

Runtime: 97 min

With her elegant classic persona, Li Li-hua was the


ideal performer for period aristocratic and imperial roles.
The Goddess Of Mercy is a good example of her strong
empathy and noble presence. The youngest daughter of
a brutal king, the princess openly disapproves of the
floggings and cruel treatment her royal family heaps on
the peasants. As a result, the heartless king turns on his
own daughter forcing her into exile. This humanistic tale
will inspire and hearten even the most cynical viewer.

The Funeral

Language:
Japanese

Drama

Overview:

2010

Subtitles:
English

206
1967

Tang monk Tripitaka and his three disciples - Monkey


king Sun Wukong, Pig monk Zhu Wuneng, and Sand
monk Sha Wujing arrive at Shache City. During their
stay in the city, the three disciples are captured by the
Root of All Evils. Tripitaka saved by the Golden Pole
and tries to find a way to save them. He meets a young
lizard imp Meiyan. Meiyan falls in love with Tripitaka at
first sight and devotes herself to trailing him. In this
journey, Tripitaka meets a Princess Xiaoshan, she
promises Tripitaka to save his disciples. Tripitaka
decides to leave with the Princess. Meiyan is
heartbroken, but she finally discovers her own identity
as a galactic warrior. She eventually helps the Princess
in defeating the enemy and rescues Tripitaka and his
disciples. After the battle, Meiyan surrenders to the
Celestial Court for judgment. Torn between passion and

Echoes of the Rainbow

Language:
Cantonese

Goddess of Mercy

Runtime: 103 min

Drama

Master of Zen

Runtime: 103 min

209
1994

Drama

Runtime: 95 min

Overview:

Overview:

Robert Duvall is Felix Bush, the "Hermit of Caleb


County," a man so haunted by his secrets that he has
lived in quiet desolation in the Tennessee backwoods
for over 40 years. Realizing that he is near his own
mortality, Bush decides to have a "living funeral party,"
inviting people to tell their stories about him. Enlisting
the help of Frank Quinn and Buddy Robinson, Bush
goes through a process of self-discovery, allowing him
to deal with his past secrets, including ones involving
old flame (and new widow) Mattie.

This is the story of a man named Dharma and his


remarkable spiritual journey to China. Dharma was the
third prince in the Kingdom of Hiong Chi in India. A
potential successor to the throne, Dharma devoted
himself to Buddhism rather than inherit his family's
kingdom. Later on, Dharma went to China to spread the
teachings of Buddha; and he arrived at Shaolin, where
he imparted his martial arts knowledge to the Shaolin
disciples.

Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English

Page:26 of 29

Nang Nak

210
1999

Language:
Thai

Drama

Wake Up!

Runtime: 100 min

214
1992

Documentary

Runtime: 55 min

Overview:

Overview:

Winner of 4 awards at the prestigious Pan Asia Film


Festival, including Best Picture and Best Director

Zen Master Seung Sahns teaching documentary Wake


up! On the Road with a Zen Master -

Nang Nak is a haunting supernatural legend from


Thailand. It tells the heartbreaking story of Nak, a loving
wife whose affection for her husband Mak is quite
powerful.

A professional and entertaining documentary that


captures Zen Master Seung Sahns energy while
presenting the core of his teaching. Wake Up! is not
only a rare portrait of an unusual and provocative
teacher, but also an introduction to Zen Buddhism
today. Wake Up! was shot on location during a teaching
trip in Europe by award-winning independent filmmaker
Brad Anderson from Boston.

Sperated by war, Mak finally returns home to find Nak


has given birth to a son. The reunion seems idyllic until
Mak gradually awakens to the horrifying truth that both
his wife and child died long ago...

Subtitles:
English

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Rikyu

211
1989

Drama

Land of Disappearing Buddha

Runtime: 116 min

1977

215
Documentary

Runtime: 52 min

Overview:

Overview:
If the Buddha of India met the Buddha of Japan, would
they recognize each other? To find out, this program
talks to the staff in a Tokyo restaurant who keep regular
Zen meditation schedules as part of their job, then on to
the classical Zen calligraphy, swordfighting, archery and
tea ceremony.

Language:
Japanese

Sen-no Rikyu, a Buddhist priest, brought the art of the


tea ceremony (often said to embody the essence of
Japanese culture) to perfection four centuries ago.
Living in one of the most turbulent moments in
Japanese history, Rikyu gained unexpected political
influence as the confidant and cultural mentor to the
powerful warlord, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Rikyu's
relationship with Hideyoshi is a story that has taken on
epic proportions in Japanese cultural history. The film
illustrates the classic struggle between art and politics,
and between the impulse to create and the impulse to
destroy.

Language:
Japanese

Subtitles:
English

Like England's Thomas Beckett and Sir Thomas More,


Rikyu was a spiritual mentor whose integrity eventually
offended his powerful master, who demanded his death.

Subtitles:
English

The Heart of Mount Koya


2004

212
Documentary

2008

Runtime: 120 min

Overview:

A rare glimpse and look at some of the actual practices


and recorded ceremonies held at Okuno-in, the
mausoleum of Kukai, surrounded by an immense
graveyard (the largest in Japan), located on Mt.
Koya-san.

Intimate documentary series following a year in the life


of the society living in and around Gyantse, Tibets third
largest town.

Language:
English

Liturgical Japanese only


NO ENGLISH dubbing or subtitles.

Subtitles:

The Novice

213
2009

Subtitles:
English

216
Documentary

Overview:

Subtitles:

Language:
Thai

Mumon Yamada has authorized for the first and the only
time in history, that camera can film the sanzen ( stritly
private encounter of Master and student where student
gives his answer to a koan )

BBC - A Year in Tibet

Runtime: 62 min

A visual and audio meditative tour through a fasinating


and eye-opening experience of tradtional Japanese
Buddhist practice.

Language:
Japanese

Three great Rinzai Zen Masters of the 20th century


appear in this video: Mumon Yamada (19001988),
Omori Sogen (19041994) and Kobori Roshi Nanrei
Sohaku (19181992)

Drama

Monks Behaving Badly:


In the Pel Kor monastery, the director Choephel
discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been
stolen and the theft gives the local Communist Party an
excuse to put in a government 'work team' to weed out
monks they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa heads
north in search of a lucrative job on a building site, and
Butri gets an unpleasant surprise as she approaches
her retirement.
A Tale of Three Monks:
Deputy head lama Tsultrim has to juggle running the

Being in the World

Runtime: 30 min

217
2010

Documentary

Runtime: 81 min

Overview:

Overview:

The story focuses on a 14 year old; Pey, who has


committed a crime Pa-Hin (throwing rocks at oncoming
cars) with his partner, Tee. In order to keep the news
low, his mom decides that Pey must be ordained to
become a buddhist novice to escape from the crime he
committed as monks cannot be arrested. While Pey
remains unnoticed as a criminal by the law, his actions
at a sanctuary disturbs a ceremony which was
performed in order to "feed" the ghosts of the punished
youth. Also, it is here where he has flashbacks of the
night he caused his father's accident (and death) by
throwing rocks at his car, mistaking him for a normal
driver. While seeking repentance, was being punished
by an invisible presence hurl rocks at him until he
becomes severely disfigured. He attempts to call his
mother for help but she only hears a high pitched cry.

We quickly move beyond the Greeks and then beyond


Descartes' mentalist notion ("I think therefore I am") of
reality to Martin Heidegger's conception: reality and
meaning exist where minds interact with the world.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

We see humans at work and at play: juggling, doing


high-precision Japanese carpentry, flamenco, and
cooking gumbo. While we watch them work and
struggle to introspect and talk about their art and their
craft, we also hear Hubert Dreyfus and his students
reflect on Heidegger and his philosophy.
Our artisans confess that they cannot explain in rational
terms how they do what they do. The being is in the
doing. Interviews and action intertwine to make a
challenging philosophy clear to the lay viewer.

Page:27 of 29

Buddha's Warriors

218
2008

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Documentary

Overview:

In Buddha's Warriors, Amanpour investigates the roots


of the conflict between
Chinese authority and ethnic Tibetans. Nearly 50 years

219
Documentary

I AM

Runtime: 52 min

223
2010

Documentary

Runtime: 76 min

Overview:
I AM is an utterly engaging and entertaining non-fiction
film that poses two practical and provocative questions:
whats wrong with our world, and what can we do to
make it better?

From a very early age, I believed we were inherently


perfect. I asked everybody; what is perfection? How do
we attain it? This deep yearning for perfection led her to
commit her life to attain enlightenment in the body of a
woman. Enlightenment: the highest state of evolution a
humankind could every achieve.
The second westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan
Buddhist nun, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo secluded herself
in a cave in the Himalayas where she spent 12 years

220
Documentary

Language:
English

In I AM, Director Tom Shadyac steps in front of the


camera to recount what happened to him after a cycling
accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good.
Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged with a new
sense of purpose, determined to share his own
awakening to his prior life of excess and greed, and to
investigate how he as an individual, and we as a race,
could improve the way we live and walk in the world.

Subtitles:

Invitation to Korean Buddhism

Runtime: 86 min

2006

Documentary

224
Runtime: 0 min

Overview:

Overview:

Crazy Wisdom is the long-awaited feature documentary


to explore the life, teachings, and "crazy wisdom" of
Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, a pivotal figure in
bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. Called a
genius, rascal, and social visionary; 'one of the greatest
spiritual teachers of the 20th century,' and 'the bad boy
of Buddhism,' Trungpa defied categorization.

Korean Temples and Nature:


Today as usual, a temple in the mountains awakens
with the sound of a Dharma drum. The Dharma drum is
the sound not only for waking up monks who live in the
temple, but also for waking up all the beings living on
Earth.

Raised and trained in the rigorous Tibetan monastic


tradition, Trungpa came to the West and shattered our
preconceived notions about how an enlightened teacher
should behave - he openly smoked, drank, and had
intimate relations with students - yet his teachings are
recognized as authentic, vast, and influential. Twenty
years after his death, with unprecedented access and
exclusive archival material, Crazy Wisdom looks at the

221
2008

Subtitles:

Subtitles:

In a radical experiment following the Rule of St Francis


of Assisi, he has travelled across southern England
without money. On the road, Peter glimpses the secret
of a simple life. But can he apply the lessons of his road
trip back in his parishes? And for how long can he live

Overview:

Extreme Pilgrim

Language:
English

Language:
English

Filmed over the course of nearly a year in his beautiful


Sussex parishes, this three-part series follows Peter as
he tries to turn his back on consumerism.

Why and how did an Englishwoman Dian Perry,


daughter of a fishmonger from Londons East End,
become a Buddhist legend and a champion for women
to attain spiritual enlightenment? What was it she was
looking for?

2011

Subtitles:

Runtime: 180 min

Inspired by his experiences in 'Around the World in 80


Faiths', part-time vicar Peter Owen Jones returns to
credit-crunch Britain and to the realisation that modern
life has become a frenzy of spending and working. He
yearns for a life of simplicity and meaning - a deeper
connection to both nature and people.

Crazy Wisdom

Language:
English

222
Documentary

Overview:

2002

Subtitles:

2010

Expanding upon her award-winning investigative series


God's Warriors, CNN chief
international correspondent Christiane Amanpour
reports in a new documentary that
examines the nexus of politics and faith. For Buddha's
Warriors, Amanpour explores
a new generation of Buddhists who are actively
engaged in political struggle.
These believers of love, kindness and nonviolence
struggle to remain true to their
beliefs while at the same time confronting severe
political and cultural oppression.

Cave in the Snow

Language:
English

How to Live a Simple Life

Runtime: 45 min

Documentary

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

World Cultural Heritage Sites:


Seokguram Hermitage, Bulguksa Temple and Haeinsa
Temple are representative of the rich Korean Buddhist
tradition.
Daily Life in Korean Temples:
Korea is known as the place where the tradition of
Seon (Zen) Buddhism has remained the purest in
the world.

Kukai

Runtime: 60 min

225
1984

Drama

Runtime: 179 min

Overview:

Overview:

Extreme Pilgrim is a British television series presented


by the Anglican vicar, Pete Owen-Jones who is
researching the path of enlightenment and spirituality
which he sees as having been lost by those in West.

A grand scale historical saga! Transcending the last


thousand years of time, the legendary Kukai's great
journey is revisited!

The first episode in the series see Peter travelling to the


Shaolin Monastery of Henan Province, central China.
The Shaolin Monastery, the ancestral home of all
martial arts, and considered to be his most physically
demanding phase of Pete's search as he looks into the
teachings of the Indian Buddhist, Bodhidharma.
Once there, he is introduced to meditation and follows a
"punishing" regime of physical exercise. After becoming
disenchanted with what he see as a "branding" of life at
the monastery and an inability to achieve the levels of

Language:
Japanese

Kukai: he turned his gaze sharply into the form of all


phenomena, and pursued the depths of their origination.
The current production starring Kinya Kitaoji is a
historical drama of a giant, Kukai, whose
accomplishments were far reaching in influencing
Japan's development.

Subtitles:
English

Page:28 of 29

Ran

226
1985

Drama

Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution

Runtime: 163 min

2007

Documentary

230
Runtime: 57 min

Overview:

Overview:

With Ran, legendary director Akira Kurosawa


reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear as a singular
historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in
scope, the film is Kurosawa's late-life masterpiece, a
profound examination of the folly of war and the
crumbling of one family under the weight of betrayal,
greed, and the insatiable thirst for power.

A Quiet Revolution begins on March 12, 1959 when


15,000 unarmed Tibetan women took to the streets of
Lhasa to oppose the violent occupation of their country
by the Communist Chinese army.
For the first time on film, three generations of Tibetan
women and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama tell the
story of one of the great movements of nonviolent
resistance in modern history.

Language:
Japanese

Language:
Tibetan

Subtitles:
English

Subtitles:
English

Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World


2011

Documentary

From the streets of Lhasa to their principal refuge in


Dharamsala, India, the stories that live at the heart of
this film offer an intimate and direct experience of what it
is to lose everything and begin anew.
Ama Adhe recounts 28 years spent in a Chinese prison

227
Runtime: 64 min

Overview:
In this fascinating documentary, historian Bettany
Hughes travels to the seven wonders of the Buddhist
world and offers a unique insight into one of the most
ancient belief systems still practised today.

Language:
English
Subtitles:

Buddhism began 2,500 years ago when one man had


an amazing internal revelation underneath a peepul tree
in India. Today it is practised by over 350 million people
worldwide, with numbers continuing to grow year on
year.
In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the
different beliefs and practices that form the core of the
Buddhist philosophy and investigate how Buddhism
started and where it travelled to, Hughes visits some of
the most spectacular monuments built by Buddhists

Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbhas

228

Drama

Runtime: 0 min

Documentary

Runtime: 46 min

Overview:

Language:

Subtitles:

The Gateless Gate

229
2008
Overview:
The Gateless Gate is a place where one need to look
deep within themselves and return to the real essence
of self. It is both a type of Buddhist practice and a site
for practice. Whether it be for 3 months or 6 months,
you will not be allowed out of this monastic life. The
Gateless Gate practice is practiced extensively in
Korea, China, and India. This program portrays the
Gateless Gate practice, and makes one look within
themselves to penetrate the gate within their minds.

Language:
Korean
Subtitles:
English

Page:29 of 29

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