The oms have it
The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard
Find your zen at ACMI with the Buddhist Film Festival.
According to an officer at the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama, somebody "being stabbed or killed is a common occurrence".
Most of its inmates will never see the outside world again, and many are waiting on death row. It's probably the last place you'd think to look for a Buddhist meditation retreat, particularly when you consider the facility is smack bang in the heart of America's Bible Belt.
But filmmakers Jenny Phillips, Andy Kukura and Anne Marie Stein argue that there's no other place more in need of the quiet introspection and teachings of the Buddhist practice. Their documentary The Dhamma Brothers follows a group of inmates who participate in an intensive Vipasanna program requiring them to meditate silently for ten days straight, 24/7.
It's an emotionally wrenching experience for most, but, as one of the inmates (incarcerated for life without parole) says, "this is like a break from everything, this is like freedom".
The Dhamma Brothers opens the 2nd annual Buddhist Film Festival, that aims to raise awareness of Buddhist values and culture. Other highlights include Sarah Fisher's Meditate and Destroy, a powerful film about Noah Levine, a drug addict-cum-spiritual leader who aligns Buddhism with punk ideology, and George Schouten and Babeth M VanLoo's The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard, a compelling portrait of photographer Matthieu Ricard, a devoted Buddhist who promotes compassion and understanding through his camera lens.
Plus, you can gain insight into Buddha figures when a leading Buddhist monk presents an entertaining talk, and get a rare chance to participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
For more information and session times click here
Published Thursday, 29 October 2009
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