Browse Titles - 6 results
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Destination: Tourism
directed by Dafna Kory, fl. 2007; produced by Dafna Kory, fl. 2007 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2007), 20 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Bodh Gaya, the world's most popular destination of Buddhist pilgrimage, is located in one of India's poorest states. Visitors to this UNESCO World Heritage site are typically shocked by the extreme poverty there, and the Buddhist tradition of alms-giving motivates them to donate money. As a result, Bodh Gaya has d...
Sample
directed by Dafna Kory, fl. 2007; produced by Dafna Kory, fl. 2007 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2007), 20 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Description
Bodh Gaya, the world's most popular destination of Buddhist pilgrimage, is located in one of India's poorest states. Visitors to this UNESCO World Heritage site are typically shocked by the extreme poverty there, and the Buddhist tradition of alms-giving motivates them to donate money. As a result, Bodh Gaya has developed a sophisticated charity 'industry' which caters to and depends on tourists and tourism. This thought-provoking documentary exp...
Bodh Gaya, the world's most popular destination of Buddhist pilgrimage, is located in one of India's poorest states. Visitors to this UNESCO World Heritage site are typically shocked by the extreme poverty there, and the Buddhist tradition of alms-giving motivates them to donate money. As a result, Bodh Gaya has developed a sophisticated charity 'industry' which caters to and depends on tourists and tourism. This thought-provoking documentary explores the complex, interconnected effects of tourism, globalization, culture, philanthropy, and religion in Bodh Gaya. Destination: Tourism provides a deeply perceptive and incisive ethnographic case study as well as a poignant illustration of the overwhelming challenges facing many of the world's poor as they struggle to eke out a living in a seasonal economy almost completely dependent on foreign tourists. As the film illuminates, the tourism economy's volatile nature provides only seasonal and temporary work for local residents: time in Bodh Gaya is measured by the coming and going of strangers. For four winter months there are tourists, and therefore work. The rest of the year is marked by desperate unemployment. In addition, dozens of foreign-owned and foreign-operated monasteries function like all-inclusive resorts, monopolizing tourism services. The monasteries also inflate real-estate values: when farmlands become monasteries, farmers must find a new livelihood. Survival has become a challenge for Bodh Gaya's residents. In the search for sustainable employment, entrepreneurial locals have established hundreds of charity schools for destitute children. These village schools are entirely funded by tourist donations and have become a not-to-be-missed point on the Bodh Gaya tourist itinerary. The mud-hut schools and their slate-and-chalk students have become a 'Kodak moment' for the visiting Buddhist pilgrims, and a means of livelihood for local residents. Destination: Tourism will generate thought and discussion in any course dealing with international development and globalization, as well as a variety of courses in cultural anthropology, Asian and Indian studies, tourist studies, and religious studies. It was produced by Dafna Kory. The DVD version of the film is fully authored by the filmmaker and includes menus and chapter headings.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Dafna Kory, fl. 2007
Author / Creator
Dafna Kory, fl. 2007
Date Published / Released
2007
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Tourism industry, Poverty, Charity, Buddhism, Pilgrimage, Hindi
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2007 Berkeley Media
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Ganges: River to Heaven
directed by Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000; produced by Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000, Aerial Productions (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2005), 52 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
This extraordinary documentary explores with unparalleled intimacy one of the most cherished of Hindu religious aspirations: to die in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the sacred Ganges, in the faith that dying here assures liberation from the cycle of earthly life. In Varanasi (also called Kashi), the power...
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directed by Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000; produced by Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000, Aerial Productions (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2005), 52 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Description
This extraordinary documentary explores with unparalleled intimacy one of the most cherished of Hindu religious aspirations: to die in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the sacred Ganges, in the faith that dying here assures liberation from the cycle of earthly life. In Varanasi (also called Kashi), the power of Ganga, the Hindu mother-goddess of the Ganges River, is strongest. Each dawn she calls her children to the ghats, the steps leading...
This extraordinary documentary explores with unparalleled intimacy one of the most cherished of Hindu religious aspirations: to die in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the sacred Ganges, in the faith that dying here assures liberation from the cycle of earthly life. In Varanasi (also called Kashi), the power of Ganga, the Hindu mother-goddess of the Ganges River, is strongest. Each dawn she calls her children to the ghats, the steps leading down to the water's edge. The young and strong purify themselves in the river's polluted waters. The old and the infirm, too weak for rituals, wait for death. In time, Ganga carries their souls, released from the bondage of reincarnation, to heaven. Their bodies, as ash afloat her crests or flesh submerged in her depths, return to the river. Shot in a hospice for the dying and on the ghats of Varanasi, the film follows four families' struggles to grant a loved one's final wish: to go to heaven. In their common quest the families become a fraction of the hordes of Hindus drawn to the city's holy promise of freedom from reincarnation. As the clans prepare for death, the citizens of Varanasi manage life -- praying for health, dumping industrial waste, begging for pocket change, bathing their children, selling to tourists, monitoring fecal chloroform levels, cremating their mothers -- along the banks of the Ganges. The four families' preparations go virtually unnoticed along the river, where death is a daily part of life. 'Ganges: River to Heaven' investigates the inextricable bond between the sacred river and its people with remarkable sensitivity and depth. From the ghat workers gathering wood for the next cremation, to the chemists gathering water samples for contamination-testing, each perspective sheds new light on India's evolving society and its unchanging veneration of the Ganges. The film also examines many viewpoints on the death process: the families who bring their beloved dying to Kashi Labh Mukti Bhavan, a hospice for the dying; the proprietors of the hospice and their understanding of the service they provide; and the workers and proprietors of the cremation grounds where the bodies are brought for final rites. Keenly observed and filled with unforgettable imagery of ceremonies, rituals, and daily life and death, 'Ganges: River to Heaven' sheds a profoundly revealing light on the sacred river, polluted from years of overuse, and wonders if the natural force strong enough to sculpt the peaks of the Himalayas and the beliefs of a nation will survive the adoration of generations to come. This illuminating film will engage and challenge students and generate thought and discussion in a wide variety of courses in Asian and Indian studies, cultural anthropology, religion, death and dying, and environmental studies. It was produced by award-winning filmmaker Gayle Ferraro (see also 'Anonymously Yours' and 'Sixteen Decisions').
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000, Aerial Productions
Author / Creator
Gayle Ferraro, fl. 2000
Date Published / Released
2005
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Hinduism, Religious beliefs, Death, Hospices, Hindustani
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2005 Berkeley Media
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The Myth of the Buddha's Birthplace
directed by James M. Freeman, 1936- and Karsten Freeman, fl. 2010; produced by James M. Freeman, 1936- and Annapurna Devi Pandey, fl. 2012 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2013), 35 mins
This fascinating and thought-provoking documentary explores the process by which a modern myth is created. An engaging blend of mystery story and solid anthropological field research, the film illustrates how the people in a small village in eastern India have come to believe that the Buddha was born in their vill...
Sample
directed by James M. Freeman, 1936- and Karsten Freeman, fl. 2010; produced by James M. Freeman, 1936- and Annapurna Devi Pandey, fl. 2012 (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2013), 35 mins
Description
This fascinating and thought-provoking documentary explores the process by which a modern myth is created. An engaging blend of mystery story and solid anthropological field research, the film illustrates how the people in a small village in eastern India have come to believe that the Buddha was born in their village, despite ample evidence to the contrary. Their belief goes against the view of most experts and most Buddhists, who maintain that t...
This fascinating and thought-provoking documentary explores the process by which a modern myth is created. An engaging blend of mystery story and solid anthropological field research, the film illustrates how the people in a small village in eastern India have come to believe that the Buddha was born in their village, despite ample evidence to the contrary. Their belief goes against the view of most experts and most Buddhists, who maintain that the Buddha's birthplace is in southern Nepal, more than 400 miles to the north.In 1928 a stone inscription written in the ancient Pali language was found in Kapileswar, a small village in the state of Odisha. The inscription declared that the Buddha was born there. Since its discovery, scholars have contested the authenticity of the Kapileswar inscription and the truth of its claim. The stone inscription has since mysteriously vanished, making it difficult to arrive at a definitive conclusion. For many decades the Hindu villagers paid no attention to this inscription and its claim, but in the 21st century they have created a ceremony celebrating the birthday of the Buddha along with a myth depicting how the Buddha was born there.Anthropologist James M. Freeman lived in Kapileswar during the 1960s and '70s, when he collected information for his books on the village temple and the people of the village. At that time, there was no Buddha Birthday ceremony in the village, and there was no Buddha myth. In 2007, Freeman returned to Kapileswar, along with anthropologist Annapurna Devi Pandey, who was born near the village but now lives and teaches in the U.S. The film follows them as they search for the lost inscription and examine why, after several decades of indifference, the villagers now have taken up the claim that their village is the Buddha's birthplace and hold onto this belief, even though most experts reject their claim.The film shows that Kapileswar village is indeed located in a region with an ancient Buddhist tradition of historical importance, with vast monumental archaeological ruins. Kapileswar is located at the site of one of the most important events in world Buddhist history. Visible from Kapileswar is Dhauli hill, the place where the emperor Ashoka, after converting to Buddhism, constructed a stone elephant symbolizing the Buddha and set up a stone edict indicating his intention to spread Buddhism throughout the world.No one questions the authenticity of these Buddhist relics, but the same cannot be said of the Kapileswar inscription. Freeman and Pandey uncover new evidence implicating its authenticity, which many experts now agree resolves the controversy.But Freeman and Pandey make an additional unexpected and significant discovery. They find that the villagers have created a new myth to go along with their new ceremony of the Buddha's birthday. This is a myth, not in the sense of a false story, but of a sacred tale, involving sacred events and people, in a sacred time and space, connecting the people of the village to this sacred world. One of the villagers, a maker of myth, tells the story and points to the exact place where, in the villagers' version, the Buddha was born.With its 'sensitivity and flair,' its vivid and colorful imagery, and its sophisticated scholarship, The Myth of the Buddha's Birthplace will engage students and engender thought and discussion in a wide range of courses in cultural anthropology, India and South Asia, Hinduism and Buddhism, and all religious studies. It was produced by James M. Freeman, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, San Jose State University, and Annapurna Devi Pandey, Lecturer in Anthropology and South Asia Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
James M. Freeman, 1936-, Annapurna Devi Pandey, fl. 2012
Author / Creator
James M. Freeman, 1936-, Karsten Freeman, fl. 2010
Date Published / Released
2012, 2013
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Archaeological artifacts, Religious beliefs, Buddhism, Religious rites and ceremonies, Myths and legends, Indians (Asian)
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2013 Berkeley Media
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The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche
directed by Tenzing Sonam, 1959- and Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013; produced by Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013 and Tenzing Sonam, 1959- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1999), 50 mins
Choenzey is a 47-year-old Tibetan monk who lives in exile in a Buddhist monastery in southern India. His spiritual master, Khensur Rinpoche, has been dead four years. But according to Tibetan belief, the Rinpoche will be reincarnated and it is Choenzey's responsibility to find the reincarnation and look after him....
Sample
directed by Tenzing Sonam, 1959- and Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013; produced by Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013 and Tenzing Sonam, 1959- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1999), 50 mins
Description
Choenzey is a 47-year-old Tibetan monk who lives in exile in a Buddhist monastery in southern India. His spiritual master, Khensur Rinpoche, has been dead four years. But according to Tibetan belief, the Rinpoche will be reincarnated and it is Choenzey's responsibility to find the reincarnation and look after him. This utterly fascinating and compelling film follows Choenzey's search and eventual discovery of an impish but gentle four-year-old wh...
Choenzey is a 47-year-old Tibetan monk who lives in exile in a Buddhist monastery in southern India. His spiritual master, Khensur Rinpoche, has been dead four years. But according to Tibetan belief, the Rinpoche will be reincarnated and it is Choenzey's responsibility to find the reincarnation and look after him. This utterly fascinating and compelling film follows Choenzey's search and eventual discovery of an impish but gentle four-year-old who is recognized by the Dalai Lama to be the looked-for reincarnation. Without sentimentality, this thought-provoking film captures the moving relationship that develops between the erstwhile disciple and his young master. The film's exemplary combination of intimacy with its subjects and intellectual detachment will stimulate discussion, analysis, and interpretation in a variety of courses in cultural anthropology, Asian and Tibetan studies, Buddhist studies, and comparative religion. It was produced by Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin in 1991, but not released to American educational audiences until 1999.See also the filmmakers' 2007 sequel, The Thread of Karma, which provides an intimate look at the life of the now 20-year-old lama as he aspires to live up to the reputation of his former incarnation.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013, Tenzing Sonam, 1959-, Sir Ian Holm, 1931-
Author / Creator
Tenzing Sonam, 1959-, Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013
Date Published / Released
1991, 1999
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Speaker / Narrator
Sir Ian Holm, 1931-
Person Discussed
Dalai Lama, XIV, 1935-
Topic / Theme
Buddhism, Religious beliefs, Monks, Tibetan
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1999 Berkeley Media
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Survivor's Guide, The Dispossessed
directed by Amanda Burrell; produced by Amanda Burrell, in Survivor's Guide (London, England: SW Pictures, 2008), 23 mins
Mangale is a humble fisherman in the remote village of Pandav Nagar in southern Nepal. He’s a member of the Bote people, a small ethnic group of traditional fishermen probably no more than 8,000 strong. Since 1973 Mangale and the Bote have been denied access to the rivers and land which usually provided their li...
Sample
directed by Amanda Burrell; produced by Amanda Burrell, in Survivor's Guide (London, England: SW Pictures, 2008), 23 mins
Description
Mangale is a humble fisherman in the remote village of Pandav Nagar in southern Nepal. He’s a member of the Bote people, a small ethnic group of traditional fishermen probably no more than 8,000 strong. Since 1973 Mangale and the Bote have been denied access to the rivers and land which usually provided their livelihood and food, though it’s much more than that – the area has great spiritual significance to the Bote who regard the land and...
Mangale is a humble fisherman in the remote village of Pandav Nagar in southern Nepal. He’s a member of the Bote people, a small ethnic group of traditional fishermen probably no more than 8,000 strong. Since 1973 Mangale and the Bote have been denied access to the rivers and land which usually provided their livelihood and food, though it’s much more than that – the area has great spiritual significance to the Bote who regard the land and water as sacred. Instead the area was turned into one of Nepal's most famous tourist attractions, the Chitwan National Park. The Nepalese authorities try to keep the Bote out. Army patrols police the area and every time Mangale attempts to go fishing, he risks being caught. Even when he does get away with it, there is no guarantee the fish will bite. Often he returns home empty handed.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Amanda Burrell
Author / Creator
Amanda Burrell
Date Published / Released
2008
Publisher
SW Pictures
Series
Survivor's Guide
Topic / Theme
Asian ethnic groups, Fish (Animal), Religious beliefs, Humanities, Jews
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2011. Used by permission of Scott White Pictures.
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The Thread of Karma
directed by Tenzing Sonam, 1959- and Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013; produced by White Crane Films (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2008), 50 mins
In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam made The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, which followed the search of a Tibetan monk, named Choenzey, to find the reincarnation of his recently deceased master, Khensur Rinpoche, and documented Choenzey's eventual discovery of a four-year-old boy recognized by th...
Sample
directed by Tenzing Sonam, 1959- and Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013; produced by White Crane Films (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2008), 50 mins
Description
In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam made The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, which followed the search of a Tibetan monk, named Choenzey, to find the reincarnation of his recently deceased master, Khensur Rinpoche, and documented Choenzey's eventual discovery of a four-year-old boy recognized by the Dalai Lama to be the one. Without sentimentality, the film captured the moving relationship that developed between the erstwhile disc...
In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam made The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, which followed the search of a Tibetan monk, named Choenzey, to find the reincarnation of his recently deceased master, Khensur Rinpoche, and documented Choenzey's eventual discovery of a four-year-old boy recognized by the Dalai Lama to be the one. Without sentimentality, the film captured the moving relationship that developed between the erstwhile disciple and his young master.Sixteen years later, the directors revisit the reincarnation at Drepung Monastery in South India, where he has been brought up within the age-old traditions of Tibetan Buddhist monastic life. He is now 20 years old, and his devoted attendant, Choenzey, continues to take care of him. His spiritual teacher is Geshe Wangchen, one of the most respected masters in the monastery, who was himself a disciple of Khensur Rinpoche.The Thread of Karma offers an intimate look at the life of the young lama as he aspires to live up to the reputation of his former incarnation. It also explores his moving relationship with the two people closest to him, his attendant and his spiritual master, both of whom were connected to him in his previous life. By focusing on these ties that cut across lifetimes, the film paints a touching and insightful portrait of the Rinpoche even as it demystifies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of reincarnation.The Thread of Karma will engage students and generate discussion in a variety of courses in Tibetan and Asian studies, Buddhist studies, cultural anthropology, and comparative religion. It was produced by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam for White Crane Productions.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
White Crane Films
Author / Creator
Tenzing Sonam, 1959-, Ritu Sarin, fl. 2003-2013
Date Published / Released
2007, 2008
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Person Discussed
Dalai Lama, XIV, 1935-
Topic / Theme
Buddhism, Monks, Religious beliefs, Tibetan
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2008 Berkeley Media
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