Documentary
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.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Peace Is Every Step
Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
gOD-Talk
How to Cook Your Life
A Journey
Refuge
Unmistaken Child
Immortal Stupa
Jesus & Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions
Nanavira Hamuduru
Wheel of Time
The Shift
Weltreise mit Buddha
14 Apples
The Life of Buddha
The monk
Tulku
Mandala
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life
Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
SIMILAR MOVIES
Peace Is Every Step
IMDB 0 | Dec , 2005
The influential life and powerful messages of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh are explored in this biographical documentary. For more than 50 years, this amazing social activist has preached self-awareness and compassion for all living beings. Follow him as he travels through France and the United States—including a stop at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.—spreading peace by teaching mindfulness and forgiveness.Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
IMDB 7 | Jan , 2010
Brilliant Moon chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation master Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Tibet's most revered 20th-century Buddhist teachers. Spiritual guide to 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, the subsequent spread of his influence and the search for his reincarnation after his death.gOD-Talk
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2023
Explores the lives of seven Black Millennials – Atheist, Buddhist, Christians, Muslim, Ifa, and Spiritualist – and the challenges and discoveries with faith and spirituality.How to Cook Your Life
IMDB 5.6 | May , 2007
A Zen priest in San Francisco and cookbook author use Zen Buddhism and cooking to relate to everyday life.A Journey
IMDB 8 | May , 2017
A cinematic journey through the world. Non-verbal.Refuge
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1972
A documentary about the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order in London.Unmistaken Child
IMDB 6.3 | Jun , 2009
In Nepal, a venerable monk, Geshe Lama Konchog, dies and one of his disciples, a youthful monk named Tenzin Zopa, searches for his master's reincarnation. The film follows his search to the Tsum Valley where he finds a young boy of the right age who uncannily responds to Konchog's possessions. Is this the reincarnation of the master? After the boy passes several tests, Tenzin takes him to meet the Dali Lama. Will the parents agree to let the boy go to the monastery, and, if so, how will the child respond? Central to the film is the relationship the child develops with Tenzin.Immortal Stupa
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1961
Documentary on the Great Stupa at Sanchi, built by the Emperor Ashoka, and adorned with some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in the world.Jesus & Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions
IMDB 0 | Aug , 2014
Three leading figures in today's Buddhist-Christian dialogue share their personal journeys in the new documentary Jesus and Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions. We learn how following the path of the Buddha has informed and deepened their understanding of who Jesus was and what he taught. Their experience and insight bring these two liberating archetypes alive in a way that can help guide us through our own confusion and struggle toward lives filled with joy and gratitude, compassion and service.Nanavira Hamuduru
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2011
British Buddhist monk, Ven. Ñanavira Thera ordained in Ceylon shortly after WWII and lived as a hermit on the outskirts of a remote village, Bundala, until his suicide in 1965. His complex and innovative writings remain largely unknown - in part because of his suicide, but also due to the challenging and unorthodox nature of his work. The film explores Ven. Ñanavira's biography, writings, and the questions around monastic suicide.Wheel of Time
IMDB 6.4 | Oct , 2003
Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.The Shift
IMDB 6.7 | Jan , 2009
From the creators of You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie comes a compelling portrait of three modern lives in need of new direction and new meaning. In his first-ever movie, Wayne Dyer explores the spiritual journey in the second half of life when we long to find the purpose that is our unique contribution to the world. The powerful shift from the ego constructs we are taught early in life by parents and society—which promote an emphasis on achievement and accumulation—are shown in contrast to a life of meaning, focused on serving and giving back. Filmed on coastal California’s spectacular Monterey Peninsula, The Shift captures every person’s mid-life longing for a more purposeful, soul-directed life.Weltreise mit Buddha
IMDB 5 | Jul , 2020
The Odd Monk is a personal journey through modern day Buddhism. German first time Filmmaker Jesco Puluj travels around the world, meeting a variety of monks and nuns to discover the essence of Buddhism.14 Apples
IMDB 5.4 | May , 2018
Wang Shin-hong is suffering from insomnia. A fortune teller advises the Mandalay businessman, whose car and bulging wallet suggest that business is going pretty well, to spend 14 days in a monastery, living life as a monk and eating an apple a day. Such a thing is possible in Burma today. Wang Shin-hong arrives at the rural monastery, has his head shaved and dons a red robe, in which he instantly becomes an authority. During the welcome procession, the village women, their poverty clear from their clothing and the huts in the background, put more than they have in his alms bowl. During his fleeting role as their advisor, Wang Shin-hong soon learns of the villagers’ attempts to survive and make a living as legal or illegal migrants in China, Thailand or Malaysia. He also finds out how the other monks try to generate profit and additional income.The Life of Buddha
IMDB 5.9 | Dec , 2007
Over 2,500 years ago, one man showed the world a way to enlightenment. This beautifully produced Buddhist film by the BBC meticulously reveals the fascinating story of Prince Siddhartha and the spiritual transformation that turned him into the Buddha.The monk
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2023
When Danish filmmakers Mira Jargil and Christian Sønderby Jepsen try to find balance in their stressful lives, they seek guidance from a renowned Danish HIV researcher turned monk deep in the mountains of Sri Lanka. But their filming process goes differently than expected. When they hear that the renowned Danish doctor and HIV scientist Jan Erik Hansen has burned all boats to live as a Buddhist monk on a mountain in Sri Lanka, the two Danish documentary makers Mira Jargil and Christian Sønderby Jepsen decide to make a film about him. to make. Jan Erik Hansen, as monk Bhante, has become an important voice in the Buddhist community. He has a YouTube channel with many followers, and people from all over the world ask him their life questions. The film project ends unexpectedly when the monk and the filmmakers appear to have different ideas about the film.Tulku
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2012
The film details the personal experiences of five young Western men who were identified in childhood as being tulkus, or reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist masters.Mandala
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2012
The film Mandala by Christoph Hübner and Gabriele Voss shows in great calm and forcefulness the formation and destruction of the hitherto largest sand mandala in the "Bochumer Jahrhunderthalle zur Ruhrtriennale", created in 2011. Traditionally, sand mandalas scattered on certain ritual occasions in monasteries and the general public are hardly accessibleThe Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life
IMDB 6 | Jun , 1994
Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this two-part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying and boldly visualises the afterlife according to Tibetan philosophy. Tibetan Buddhists believe that after a person dies, they enter a state of "bardo" for 49 days until a rebirth. Program 1, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life documents the history of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, tracing the book's acceptance and use in Europe and North America. Program 2, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation observes an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk as they guide a deceased person into the afterlife.Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
IMDB 5.5 | Nov , 2011
CRAZY WISDOM explores the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism in America through the story of Chögyam Trungpa, who landed in the U.S. in 1970. Trungpa became renowned for translating ancient Buddhist concepts into language and ideas that Westerners could understand and shattered preconceived notions about how an enlightened teacher should behave. Initially rejected, his teachings are now recognized by western philosophers and spiritual leaders as authentic and profound.