Buddhist/Zen/Dharma Movies and Documentaries

[Sekishi]

I would suggest a pass it on lending library. Rather than sending it back to you, the person who had it last, mails it to the next one wishing the item.

Agreed. In case I wasn't clear, I was definitely thinking it would be a "forward to the next person on the list" thing.

Gassho,
Sekishi

#sattoday

[Myogan]

Not zen but a good film, Dhamma Brothers https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CKUr-hhy0Es

[Sekishi]

After discussing this more with Erin, meeting with our local Post Master, and spending some time on the USPS web site, here is what I discovered about international shipping. The short version: fairly expensive (around $12 USD).

- Assume:
- Large envelope (DVDs cannot legally be sent as letters because they are media)
- They must be considered "rigid" (discs cannot be bent, so use a different conveyor system than flexible envelopes)
- Under 0.5 lbs
- Less than 1/4" variation in parcel thickness

- Priority Mail International® Small Flat Rate Envelope (and all other envelopes) - faster, with tracking
- US (Virginia) > Canada (BC): $23.95 USD
- US > Mexico: $29.95 USD
- US > Japan: $30.95 USD
- US > UK: $32.95 USD
- US > Germany: $32.95 USD
- US > Ireland: $32.95 USD

- First-Class Package International Service - slower, no tracking
- US > Mexico: $11.50 USD
- US (Virginia) > Canada (BC): $11.75 USD
- US > UK: $13.50 USD
- US > Germany: $13.50 USD
- US > Ireland: $13.50 USD
- US > Japan: $13.75 USD

And thats what I know for now.

Gassho,
Sekishi

#sattoday

[Kokuu]

Great list, Marcos. Thank you!

Out of interest, Words of My Perfect Teacher is taken from the name of the central dharma book in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, written by Patrul Rinpoche.

Spring, Autumn, Winter, Summer... and Spring and Amongst White Clouds are two of my favourites. The latter can often be found on You Tube and is inspired by the book Road to Heaven by Bill Porter.

Others I have enjoyed include Brilliant Moon (featuring the life of beloved Tibetan Nyingma teacher, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) and How To Cook Your Life (about Edward Espe Brown the tenzo of Tassajara Zen Center and directed by the director of Enlightenment Guaranteed, Doris Dörrie). Kung Fu Panda also deserves an honourable mention as does Star Wars (Yoda was based on Tibetan teacher Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche).

Yugen recommended a Japanese film to me a while ago which he felt has a considerable dharma message but I have yet to see (although I imagine Byōkan has!) - Red Beard, directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Gassho
Kokuu
#sattoday

[Kyonin]

Hi guys!

First of all, thanks to Marcos for compiling the list. Most of these movies I have seen, but I will get to the ones I didn't even know existed!

And Sekishi, please count me it. Thank you for the initiative

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Kokuu]

I have the Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring DVD and would be happy to put in circulation. Don't know if it is problematic that it is European region DVD?

Gassho
Kokuu
#sattoday

[Geika]

Amongst White Clouds is on YouTube, and I have had Treeleaf's communal copy of Enlightenment Guaranteed for a long while, so I can send that along, but probably more easily after the holidays...

Gassho, sat today

[Kyosei]

Hey friends!

I just found a really FAR more extensive list of Buddhist movies on the Elephant Journal website.

Some links are broken, but at least there are the movies names.

Though comprehensiveness was not one of my stated goals when I offered the “Five Great Films about Buddhism” post a couple of days ago, a reader nonetheless commented that I had “missed a tremendous number” of titles. This reminded me that I had attempted a comprehensive list last year at my blog. Though I certainly cannot claim that this actually is a comprehensive list of films explicitly about Buddhism, it’s the best I can do with the resources for research at my disposal. Reader additions/suggestions are most welcome.

And just so we’re clear: What follows is a list is of all the significant narrative films and documentaries I can find that are specifically about Buddhism. This does not include films like The Matrix or Groundhog Day, which could be considered Buddish, but are not explicitly about Buddhism.

[One note: Like the IMDb, I have tended to use titles in the language of the country in which it was originally released. Thus, The Cup is listed as Phörpa; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring as Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom; Enlightenment Guaranteed as Erleuchtung Garantiert; and so on.]

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/03/comprehensive-list-of-films-about-buddhism-attempt/

Gassho

Marcos

#SatToday

[Kaisho]

This list is great Marco. I am a great film lover so this made my morning and gives me lots of options.
Thanks
SeaChel
Sat2day

Sent from my LGLS675 using Tapatalk

[Ongen]

Ok so this might sound weird, but the Kung Fu Panda series actually do hide a lot of wisdom in their jokes. Especially Kung Fu Panda 3 is worth watching with a different eye!

Gassho
Ongen

Sat Today

[Tokan]

I haven't read all of the replies in full, so please forgive me if someone has already said this, but at least some of these are available free to watch on youtube

[Washin]

..Master, do you know where India is?

..It is in my heart

Here's the link to a good film I enjoyed watching today.
Xuan Zang (2016. English subtitles)

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=Lk7FkBnFvE0

Gassho
Washin
st

[Robaato]

What a great list! Thank you for your hard work. I didn't know that there was a movie about Bodhidharma. I've recently watched Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen documentary. It's available on vimeo.com for $ 3.99.

[Meian]

It's a child's film (Disney-esque), but I adored Kubo and the Two Strings. More Shinto than Zen, I suppose, but I loved the story, it stayed with me.

Gassho
Kim
Sat today

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[Jundo]

I found this, have yet to watch all of it (will this week), but it is another Chinese language '(with interesting English subtitles) flick with some budget restrictions on special effects and a little Kung Fu on the life of our heralded Sixth Zen Ancestor in China Hui-Neng, the illiterate layperson and kitchen worker who became our Head Honcho ...

Seems closer (a little) to the traditional legend than the two rather similar more Kung Fooey Bodhidharma movies that are out there ...

History of Bodhidharma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdfKIbdXvyM

Master of Zen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MltU908oRrM

Anyway, they are all (especially the Bodhidharma films) hoots.

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - Master Bodhidharma ... who brought Zen to China and sat in a cave at Shaolin temple for 9 years ... is said to be the same "Bodhidharma" who brought Kung Fu to Shaolin temple. IT'S TRUE! (I mean, it's true that folks say that ... cause actually little is known about the historical Bodhidharma, and most of the stories and legends about him in the Zen world too are later inventions!) Here is a Bodhidharma Kung Fu action figure that's around ...



But the legend of a Bodhidharma/Kung Fu connection only developed many hundreds of years after Bodhidharma had lived. As Andy Ferguson writes in "Zen's Chinese Heritage" ...

"[S]tories linking Bodhidharma to Chinese martial arts, or gongfu, have no historical basis. No evidence exists of any relationship between Bodhidharma and Chinese Martial arts beyond their common connection with Shaolin Temple. A millenium separates the time of Bodhidharm's residence a that temple with the first mention of his supposed link to the martial arts. Thus, the story of this relationship must be seen as a relatively modern invention"

Here is more historical information on the origins of the Bodhidharma-Kung Fu connection ... or lack thereof:

http://www.historum.com/blogs/ghoste...dhidharma.html