Transparent Lama (2006)

Transparent Lama: Story of Lama Ole Nydahl & Hannah Nydahl about their Bhutanese Lama

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.

His first western students Ole and Hannah Nydahl share the memories about their spiritual teacher Tseche Rinpoche.

Demonoid

Cold Mountain

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain" is a film portrait of the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet Han Shan, a.k.a. Cold Mountain. Recorded on location in China, America and Japan, Burton Watson, Red Pine and the legendary Gary Snyder describe the poet's life and tell poems. A trickster, Han Shan wrote poems for everyone, not just the educated elite. A man free of spiritual doctrine, it is unclear whether or not he was a monk, whether he was a Buddhist or a Taoist, or both. It is not even certain he ever lived, but the poems do.

The Buddha (2010)

The Buddha (2010)
This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life.

Demonoid

TPB

RS Links
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Cave in the Snow (2002)

Cave in the Snow (2002)
This documentary is based on Vicky MacKenzie’s book Cave in the Snow, and features Diane Perry, born in 1946 in England. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to find truth. At 21, she became a Buddhist nun in India, where she was given the name Tenzin Palmo. She lived for 12 years in a cave high up in the Himalayas, in a lonely retreat. In the film she clearly explains the importance of such retreats. She is now working to establish a monastery for nuns in India, where the nuns will be able to receive the highest education, which for cultural reasons has only been available to men in many Buddhist traditions. She has the full support of her teacher Khamtrul Rinpoche and HH the Dalai Lama in this work. In order to make her mission a reality, this woman who has spent so many years alone in retreat, is travelling around the world to raise funds for the monastery and to teach thousands of followers and other interested people.

Streaming (Bring your Microscope)

China's Frozen Desert

China's Frozen Desert
As commerce flourished along the Silk Road, Central Asia became a melting pot of cultures. Here on the edges of the Taklmakan Desert, an exotic blend of Indian, Mongol, Chinese, and European influences fueled an astonishing cultural Renaissance. In the 7th century, a Chinese monk, Xuanzang, plunged into the desert while on a Buddhist pilgrimage to India. His descriptions of the oasis-cities he encountered would prove invaluable to another explorer, more than a thousand years later. 20th century archeologist Sir Aurel Stein took on the deadly Taklamakan to prove his own theories about Western China's lost civilization. Again and again Xuanzang's writings led him to archeological treasure - once thriving cities now buried in the sand. On their monk's trail, Stein made his greatest discovery, a thousand-year-old Buddhist library in near-perfect condition.

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BBC - Sue Johnston's Shangri La

BBC - Sue Johnston's Shangri La

Sue Johnston goes in search of her life long dream - to find the lost world of Shangri La.

We follow Sue as she sets out to find her childhood dream - Shangri La. Sue first came across the story of Shangri La as a 16 year old in 1959 when she watched the old black and white movie, Lost Horizon, with her mother on their first black and white TV. The film was based on a book written by James Hilton in 1933. She read the book voraciously and has been re-reading it over the years since. As a child she was always fascinated by the orient and the mysteries of the far east. But in those post war austerity days in Merseyside the chances of ever following her dream seemed unattainable goal. Then life took over. She got married, had a child, started a very successful acting career, got divorced and the dream slipped further and further away - into the dark forgotten corners of her mind.

Recently as her life started to change. Her son left home and settled into his own life and her parents died.. Her sense of mortality hit home so she decided that it was time to try and follow that childhood dream. She decided to go in search of Shangri La - to find the inspiration for Hilton's book, the story of Lost Horizon.

We follow Sue on her quest through SW China's Yunnan Province and into Tibet, traveling over high mountain passes, into deep hidden valleys and gorges, through bustling towns and ultimately on horse back to her final destination, the scared mountain of Kawarkapo and the beautiful tiny isolated village of Yipung on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau - fulfilling a childhood dream to find the mysterious world of Shangri La.

Rapidshare, Uploading, Hotfile Links
BBC Player (UK Only)

The Dhamma Brothers

The Dhamma Brothers
East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison-the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system-is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days. The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correction Facility who enter into this arduous and intensive program

Links

Torrent

Trailer

Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk

I posted this over on SRF but I think it deserves being posted here as well. Peace.

Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk
This is a powerful documentary about an extraordinary woman. At age 44, Mildred Norman left her life circumstances and became Peace Pilgrim -- walking coast to coast for peace for nearly 30 years, living on faith and sharing her wisdom and exhuberance generously with people across the land. This 60-minute documentary is a poetic and musical exploration of her life and message, which is as relevant today as ever. Also included are interviews with Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, John Robbins, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, and many of Peace Pilgrim's friends, admirers, and relatives, along with newsreel footage from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, when Peace was on her walk for peace. The video is narrated by Reverend Michael Beckwith. This video was scripted and edited by Sharon Janis (Kumuda) of Night Lotus Productions, using materials that had been filmed and gathered over two decades. You can order a copy of this video or Peace Pilgrim's books or audio materials from Friends of Peace Pilgrim Foundation at http://www.peacepilgrim.org . In accordance with Peace Pilgrim's belief that spiritual teachings should be given rather than sold, all of her materials are offered without charge (although donations to continue their work are welcome)

Youtube

Mustang - Journey of Transformation

Mustang - Journey of Transformation
Narrated by Richard Gere, Mustang – Journey of Transformation, tells the remarkable story of a culture pulled back from the brink of extinction through the restoration of its most sacred sites. The Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang lies on a windswept plateau between Nepal and Tibet in one of the most remote regions of the world. Isolated both by geography and politics, Mustang—known as the Forbidden Kingdom—has been completely off limits to westerners for fifty years. Although Mustang is culturally and ethnically Tibetan, politically it is part of Nepal. This starkly beautiful place is home to one of the last surviving repositories of Tibetan sacred art from the 15th century. To travel here is to journey into the past where one can witness the ancient ways of life. In 1991, Nepal opened Mustang’s border to the outside world. What the first visitors found was shocking—the ancient monasteries were on the verge of collapse; the Buddhist wall paintings were disintegrating; the community was deeply impoverished. The people needed health care, education and jobs. Surprisingly, the King’s first plea to outsiders offering help was to save the monasteries. Mustang – Journey of Transformation features interviews with the Dalai Lama; the King of Mustang; Luigi Fieni, the chief art restorer; and Richard Blum, founder of the American Himalayan Foundation, the NGO that worked closely with the community to restore the monasteries and bring essential social services to the people.

BitSnoop

Trailer

Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred

Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred
In a remote corner of the Himalaya, in the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang, mysterious caves, perched high on cliff faces and carved by humans thousands of years ago, have lain just beyond reach — until recently. In April of 2007, a team of climbers and scientists climbed inside the long-hidden chambers for the first time in modern history. This film follows the riveting story, told by filmmaker Liesl Clark, about her husband, seven-time Everest summiter Pete Athans, and big-wall climber Renan Ozturk, who take on the dangerous job of climbing into the crumbling caves, searching for nine legendary cave temples called “kabum.” What they find goes far beyond their expectations, as their cameras document every hair-raising move.

It’s an explorer’s dream … until the unexpected happens: A posse of local horsemen gallops up while Ozturk is perched high on a dangerously eroding cliff. The climbers intend to document and preserve what may be inside the cave, but the site is sacred to the locals. Dramatically heightening the stakes, the villagers start pulling on the ropes, placing weight on the fragile anchors; they then demand payment. Should the team set a precedent by paying the locals to climb into their cave? Should they risk violating the sacred in a dangerous effort to preserve it?

BTJunkie

Preview

http://rapidshare.com/files/312697113/NG.SoSL.Quest4Sacred.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/312697216/NG.SoSL.Quest4Sacred.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/312696470/NG.SoSL.Quest4Sacred.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/312696493/NG.SoSL.Quest4Sacred.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/312696737/NG.SoSL.Quest4Sacred.part5.rar

Enlighten Up! (2009)

Enlighten Up! (2009)
Kate Churchill is a filmmaker and a dedicated yoga practitioner who insists that yoga can transform anyone. She decides to prove it. Her plan: select a subject, immerse him in yoga and follow him... Kate Churchill is a filmmaker and a dedicated yoga practitioner who insists that yoga can transform anyone. She decides to prove it. Her plan: select a subject, immerse him in yoga and follow him until he finds a yoga practice that transforms him. Her subject: Nick Rosen a skeptical, 29 year-old journalist living in New York City.

Intrigued by the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of a 5.7 billion dollar “spiritual” industry, Nick signs on to investigate yoga for 6 months. Before he can say OM, he finds himself twisted up like a pretzel, surrounded by celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks, entrepreneurs and a gentle teacher from Brazil who leads his class with his feet behind his head.

The more Nick investigates yoga the more contradictions he discovers, leading him to question whether yoga is anything more than a workout. As Nick searches for concrete facts and discards the lofty spiritual theories of his yoga teachers, he strays further from Kate’s original plan. The two find themselves lost in Northern India, embroiled in a struggle between Kate’s expectations and Nick’s overt rejection of “spirituality.”

They circle the globe talking to mystics, gurus, mad men and saints searching for the true meaning of yoga. Ultimately, both Nick and Kate end up in places they never could have imagined. They don’t find the answers to their questions, they find much more.

BtJunkie

A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
To mark the 50th anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö's parinirvana, we have quickly assembled this short compilation from our ever-growing archive of film and photographs. Although little known in the West, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö was of the greatest importance for the spread of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings over the Western hemisphere. At that time in Tibet there was no other master that received the respect from followers of all traditions. Since he himself, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, had gathered, studied, practiced and taught all the different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism everyone claimed him as a great teacher of their very own tradition.

Link

Website

Light At The Edge Of The World: People Of The Windhorse

Light At The Edge Of The World: People Of The Windhorse
Wade Davis travels to Mongolia to discover the secrets of the man-horse bond by taking part in the lives of his nomadic horsemen hosts.

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Unmistaken Child (2008)

Unmistaken Child (2008)
The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most westerners to grasp. UNMISTAKEN CHILD follows the four-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.

Tenzin sets off on this unforgettable quest on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way, Tenzin listens to stories about young children with special characteristics, and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation. He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master to the Dalai Lama so that he can make the final decision.

Stunningly shot, UNMISTAKEN CHILD is a beguiling, surprising, touching, even humorous experience.

BTjunkie

English Subtitles

Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut

Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut (2006)
Buddha Wild Monk in the Hut provides an opportunity for a group of Thai and Sri Lankan monks, living around their temple in a country far far from home,to talk about their commitment and way of life in a typically modest Buddhist way. Anna Wilding gives the commentary in this unpretentious but original and illuminating film with a well-judged mixture of seriousness and humor which is in important contrast to the monks words. An enjoyable cinematic experience.

Link

Asian Corridor In Heaven ( 2008 )

Asian Corridor In Heaven

Description: Part of the Insight Asia series, Asian Corridor In Heaven is a six-episode HD documentary series co-produced by KBS and NHK about the world's oldest trade route, the "Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road". Pre-dating the Silk Road by 200 years, the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road crossed from the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of Southwest China over mountainous terrain into Tibet, Nepal, and India. The Caravan Road was not only an important route for the trade of tea and horses, but also a corridor connecting Chinese and Tibetan language, people, religion, and cultures.

Ep1. The Last Horse Caravan
Ep2. Road To Pilgrimage
Ep3. Tea makes the Road Open
Ep4. The Salt in Yanjing. The Crystal by Woman
Ep5. Himalayan Salt Trek
Ep6. Guge. Mystery of The Lost Kingdom

Torrent

Direct Links

Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity

Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity
Apart from the exiled Dalai Lama, who is living in India, Tibetan Buddhism has various other spiritual leaders. One of them is the leader of the Karmapa sect, whose birth was already
predicted by the first Buddha, Siddharta Gautama. When the sixteenth reincarnation of the Karmapa leader died in the United States in 1981, monks start a search for the next reincarnation. Ten years later, representatives of the Chinese government in Tibet say they have found him, but an alternative candidate is pushed forward in India. This is the onset of a fierce political sparring. All in all, the production of this double portrait of both hallowed youngsters took six years. Prior to the shooting period from 1994 to 1997, director Arto Halonen (1964) had to wait for three years for permission by the Chinese authorities to film in Tibet, but he concealed the fact that the Dalai Lama and the second intended Karmapa leader, also living in exile in India, would be in his film, too.

A unique, award-winning documentary on the Karmapa and how China used him as a
springboard for its politics that has led to the violation of religious rights. On another level, the film tells the story of the existence of two rival candidates for the title of Karmapa and how the situation of two Karmapas provoked an internal crisis within the Buddhist denomination, as proponents split into different camps. The documentary was made between 1994 -1998 in Tibet, China and India and features the Dalai Lama as well as representatives of the Chinese Government.

http://rapidshare.com/files/131187927/Karmapa.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/131188274/Karmapa.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/131188445/Karmapa.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/131188558/Karmapa.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/131188656/Karmapa.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/131185347/Karmapa.part6.rar

The Long Search: The Land of the Disappearing Buddha-Japan

The Long Search

Ronald Eyre takes the viewer on a pilgrimage beginning in London and spanning 150,000 miles including India, Japan, Israel, Rumania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, The United States, Egypt, and South Africa. Series of 13 programs, Producer: BBC/Time Life.

This sound and picture enhanced series has served as the basis of successful religious philosophy courses around the world. An American Film Festival Red Ribbon winner, the series gives a balanced treatment of a force that is sadly neglected in most educations, the basic beliefs of the major religions in the world today.
Ronald Eyre takes the viewer on a pilgrimage beginning in London and spanning 150,000 miles including India, Japan, Israel, Rumania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, The United States, Egypt, and South Africa.

Series of 13 programs on 5 DVD's. Around 25 Gb total [DVDs 1 and 2 are single layer, DVDs 3, 4 and 5 are double layer] # Disk 1 Protestant Spirit USA (Vol. 1) Hinduism: 330 Million Gods (Vol. 2) # Disk 2 Buddhism: Footprint of the Buddha-India(Vol. 3) Catholicism: Rome, Leeds and the Desert(Vol. 4) # Disk 3 Islam: There is no God but God(Vol. 5) Orthodox Christianity: The Rumanian Solution(Volume. 6) Judaism: The Chosen People(Vol. 7) # Disk 4 Religion In Indonesia: The Way of the Ancestors(Vol. 8) Buddhism: The Buddhism: The Land of the Disappearing Buddha-Japan (Vol. 9) African Religions: Zulu Zion(Vol. 10) # Disk 5 Taoism: A Question of Balance-China(Vol. 11) Alternative Lifestyles in California: West Meets East (Vol. 12) Reflections on the Long Search (Vol. 13)


http://rapidshare.com/users/BHC6OO (Disks 1,2 and 3)
and
http://rapidshare.com/users/419LG3 (Disks 4 and 5 plus avi of episode vol.9 - Zen in Japan)

Buddhism: The Land of the Disappearing Buddha-Japan (Vol. 9)

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.

Three great Rinzai Zen Masters of XX century appear in this video: Mumon Yamada (1900—1988), Omori Sogen (1904—1994) and Kobori Roshi Nanrei Sohaku (1918—1992)

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 )

-this episode of "The Long Search" also shows others religions and practices in Japan, like Pure Land Buddhism, Shinto, Soka-Gakkai, Tea ceremony, Archery, Caligraphy etc.

Rapidshare
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Cloud Path, Journey of a Wandering Monk (2006)

Gassho to Nickxon for the link.

Cloud Path, Journey of a Wandering Monk (2006)
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 玄覺), a Harvard University graduate who became a monk, as he learns the Manhaeng (萬行), experiences of the secular world. Along with its highly acclaimed cinematography, various aspects of Korea's rich traditional culture, such as samulnori (四物놀이) and onggi (crockery 옹기), are seen through the eyes of this American monk.

Asian DVD Club

Zen Buddhism: Shunryu Suzuki Roshi Interviews

Zen Buddhism: Shunryu Suzuki Roshi Interviews
A collection of very rare interviews and talks with the late Shunryu Suzuki.
Youtube Part 1
Part 2
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Part 5