Film Library: Spirituality

SPIRITUAL INDIA: RIVER OF COMPASSION (00:27:40)

• NOVEMBER 2006

The Ganges River is the mother of India yet she is endangered by pollution. Meet Swamiji Muni Baba and other great Indian minds who refuse to let her die. A film festival favorite.

LARRY "LOVE" HAMILTON (00:02:22)

• AUGUST 2006

In a small Baptist church in New Orleans, gospel music helps heal the pain of post Hurricane Katrina. “This might be one of my all time favorite Explore experiences,” Charles Annenberg, founder Explore.org.

TIBET (00:09:33)

• APRIL 2006

Journey with the explore team to the spiritual city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. See Potala Palace, the traditional winter home of the Dalai Lama and a pilgrimage destination for thousands of Buddhists. Listen to the sounds of monks practicing the art of debate at the Sera Monastery, and witness the many ways in which new technologies are changing the Tibetan cultural landscape.

RABBI TEACHER (00:04:38)

• JUNE 2007

What does it mean to be Jewish? Rabbi Engelman, Director of the Yakar Study Centre in Jerusalem, agrees with philosopher Jacques Derrida that to be Jewish is to always seek that meaning. He brings Charles Annenberg Weingarten to a yeshiva to meet these "eternal students" as they study the Talmud — the book of Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history — and open a traditional scroll of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

THREE MOSQUES (00:06:03)

• JUNE 2007

Join explore founder Charles Annenberg Weingarten as he ventures to three of the holiest places on the planet: the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (known as the Blue Mosque), the Grand Mosque of Mecca, and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. At the Dome, he stands where Muslims believe Mohammed once ascended to heaven; many Jews believe it is the rock from which stemmed all of creation.

CHOOSE HAPPINESS (00:00:56)

• NOVEMBER 2006

Wisdom comes in many forms. A man driving a camel along a rural road gives Charlie Annenberg Weingarten a ride and shares a little-known secret: how to achieve happiness.

GUARDIAN OF THE BLUE MOSQUE (00:03:16)

• JUNE 2007

Istanbul's 400-year old Sultan Ahmed Mosque, otherwise known as the Blue Mosque for its blue-tiled interior, is one of only two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets. Before the public address system was introduced, muezzin, or prayer-callers, would climb the narrow spiral staircases five times a day to announce the call to prayer. But when Charles Annenberg Weingarten tries to replicate their ascent, he has an unexpected encounter in the dark stairway.

WINGS OF LOVE (00:03:44)

• JUNE 2007

While in Istanbul, Charles Annenberg Weingarten has the unique opportunity to discuss Christianity with the Patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox Church. The Archbishop shares the story of his path to the priesthood and explains why "faith and hope are like the wings of love."

THE LANGUAGE OF DANCE (00:07:11)

• NOVEMBER 2006

Bharatanatyam dance is derived from the ancient Hindu tradition of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. A complex and beautiful art originally only performed by women, Bharatanatyam is now practiced by men and women, Hindu and non-Hindu alike. It has gained widespread popularity through its portrayal in popular Indian films and performances around the world.

RESCUE FOUNDATION VOL. 2 (00:04:49)

• NOVEMBER 2006

I came to India looking for a sage. I found it hidden in the souls of three adolescent girls sold into slavery. Meet the Rescue Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to freeing girls from Mumbai brothels.

BUDDHIST DEBATE (00:00:57)

• APRIL 2006

In 1419, Jamchen Choje Sakya Yeshe established the Sera Monastery, a monastic university that provides religious education to monks from age 8 up to 70. An integral part of the monks' studies is Buddhist debate. Every afternoon, students gather in an open courtyard to debate the scriptures, using specific gestures (e.g., a downward clap, pull back, push forward) that contain profound meanings.

CALLIGRAPHY MASTER (00:04:27)

• APRIL 2006

Master Fa Qing is a philosopher, calligrapher, and Buddhist monk who believes that calligraphy and other spiritual arts allow us to simplify our lives, opening up a door to happiness in a world where complexity often works against it.