Contemplative Studies

An unconventional biography about the Hindu swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920's.

Bab'Aziz, a very old blind dervish is on his way to a place unknown where a Sufi gathering is to take place. Guiding him across a sea of sand is his granddaughter Ishtar, a little girl, who loves her grandpa but who is afraid they might never reach their destination, all the more as the meeting is organized only once every thirty years. But Bab'Aziz is undeterred. He knows that if he "listens to the infinite silence of the desert with his heart" he will find the place. While making their way, they meet strange persons and Bab'Aziz tells Ishtar strange tales.

A transcendent global tour that explores the sights and sounds of the human condition like nothing you've ever seen or felt before.

Bells from the deep: examines the mysticism and asceticism of religious practices in a region of Siberia near the upper course of the Yenisei River. Rad der Zeit: a look at the largest Tibetan Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

Follows Hyongak (Paul Muenzen), an American-born Zen monk and student of Korean Zen master Seung Sahn, on a traditional pilgrimage through South Korea. Introduces various aspects of Korean Buddhism, as well parts of Korea's traditional culture, such as pottery and music. Also visits Providence Zen Center, a Korean Zen center in Rhode Island, and provides background information on Hyongak's path to becoming a Buddhist monk.

Documents the unusual 20-year history of the Brotherhood of the Spirit/Renaissance Community, focusing primarily on its mercurial leader, Michael Metelica Rapunzel. When high school and Hell's Angels dropout Michael Metelica and eight hungry teen-aged friends retreated to a rural Massachusetts tree house in 1968, they never imagined it would grow into one of the largest, most controversial New Age communes of the 1960s and 70s. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it grew to 400 full-time members, with real estate in four Massachusetts towns, an airplane, national rock band (Spirit in Flesh), and a million dollar a year income. Many stayed a decade or longer, committing their youth, sweat, and worldly possessions to creating an example of brotherhood and spiritual awareness they hoped would serve as a model for the world.

Shows life in the Grande Chartreuse monastery, home of the Carthusian Order. Using extended shots, no interviews, and no music other than that of the monks' own chanting, looks at the monks' days centered on contemplation, work, and study.

With little dialogue, this film is a meditation on the mysterious cycles of life. Set in Italy's mountainous region of Calabria, it traces the path of one goatherder's soul as it passes from human to animal to vegetable to mineral. Director Michelangelo Frammartino was inspired by Pythagoras' belief in 'four-fold transmigration' of souls, but his film is far more physical than philosophical.

Celebrates Monk's multidisciplinary career that draws from a wellspring of Zen Buddhist beliefs and spans a period of 40 years.

Professor Grim's work spans ethics, logic, game theory, philosophy of science, and contemporary metaphysics

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 challenges and wonders of the wider world.

Celebrities are flocking to this ancient form of Jewish mysticism. See what the fascination is all about, and learn some of the original teachings as this coveted religion is stripped to find what's real and what's hype.