Summary: From birth to death, in every country on the globe, for tens of thousands of years, the rhythm of human life has been accentuated by the practice of religious ritual. In this program adherents of three different faiths share their understanding of some common rites of passage: a rabbi explains the elements of a Jewish wedding, including some that date back to the book of Genesis; a minister...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005

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Summary: Buddhism holds that life and the physical world are illusions, transcended by emptying the mind and simplifying one's life. In reality, Buddhism is complicated-no unified teaching exists. This program presents ways of articulating Buddhist thought from six straightforward and insightful practitioners who explain parallels and distinctions between Buddhist traditions. Commentators include Geshe...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: It is not a religion in itself-rather, Hinduism is more of a family of faiths that focus on God in different ways. Nevertheless, the majority of Hindu traditions share the same colorful festivals, reverence for sacred animals, and scriptural use of Sanskrit. This program sifts through perspectives from four practitioners of the Hindu faith who discuss both unified and divergent ways in which...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: This program captures the increasingly political nature of Hinduism and its volatile relationship with Islam-India's leading minority religion. It argues that this volatility results from their past history, when large parts of India were dominated by the Muslim rulers, the Mughals. Today, many Hindus demand greater recognition of Hinduism in governmental affairs and oppose what they feel is...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: Hindu temples are models of the Hindu universe. And while no two temples are exactly alike, they do share some common architectural features. This video compares modern Hindu temples in North America to the classic northern- and southern-style Indian temples of a thousand years ago. Elements that have survived the centuries-the sikhara tower and the statues of the myriad manifestations of the...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: Although they may not look exactly like their counterparts in China, North America's Chinese Buddhist temples are closely linked to them through symbolism and traditions that go back more than 1,500 years. This video looks at structural symmetry, north/south building orientation, and interior layout; architectural elements like pagodas, columns, and courtyards; the lotus flower as a design...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: This program explores the two great religions to come from India. "The historian of religion can find almost anything he wants in India, enacted with intensity. What remains is to carry its insight into everyday life. Smith uncovered the mysteries of multiphonic chanting among Tibetan lamas, previously unknown in the West. Characterizing these chants as "the holiest sound I have ever heard,"...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005

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Campbell, Joseph

Summary: "Previously uncollected lectures and writings that trace the evolution of the Goddess, from Neolithic Old Europe to the Renaissance, and interpret classical motifs. Offers insight into self-actualization for women. Edited and introduced by the executive director of the Opus Archives and Research Center"--Provided by publisher.

Format: text

Publisher / Publication Date: Pgw 2013

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Summary: When his American doctor suggested shoulder replacement surgery, veteran reporter T. R. Reid decided to investigate other options. This program documents his three-week stay at a clinic in southern India dedicated to the ancient practice of Ayurveda, a form of Hindu medicine. Reid's treatment involves astrology, entreaties to the Hindu god of healing, and a seemingly bizarre regimen of...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009

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Summary: In parts of Nepal, there is little paying work available to untouchables. Forced to borrow small sums just to survive, they quickly become debt slaves to higher-caste people-and although the practice is illegal, it all too often represents the only chance Dalits have to obtain food. This program contrasts the lives of Bharat, who seeks emancipation through the assistance of a debt...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007

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Summary: In Kerala, which is situated in the southern tip of India, Hinduism is the principal belief system of the state's religiously diverse and historically broad-minded population. This program examines the multifaceted majority religion of India. Devotional ceremonies and observances of Hinduism and sacred Hindu literature, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are explored, as are some of the...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: Containing nearly a sixth of the world's population, India is home to almost a billion people, more than half of whom live in rural villages. This program provides an overview of topics such as the caste system as it exists in the holy Hindu town of Varanasi and the massive pilgrimages to Allahabad, where millions of Hindus come to ritually bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005

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Summary: Abutting the border of Pakistan, the state of Rajasthan is the home of the Jains, a relatively small but influential indigenous religious group founded by Vardhamana Mahavira, said to be the last Tirthankara. This program profiles Jainism, which espouses salvation by conquering material existence through strict ascetic discipline. The imperative detachment from worldly existence necessary for...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: Called a religion, a philosophy, and a science of mind, Buddhism is the way for hundreds of millions throughout the world. Who was the historical Prince Siddhartha, and where did he undergo the events that shaped his perceptions of the human condition? This remarkably accessible program dramatizes the life of the one who, beneath a tree at Bodh Gaya, transcended life's misfortunes and...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005

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Summary: Zen master Joan Halifax, a driving force of socially engaged Buddhism, is known for her work with people at the last stage of life. In this TEDTalk, Halifax recounts her experiences in a Bangalore hospice ward as she defines the intricacies of compassion. To understand the nature of suffering, to aspire to transform suffering, and to engage in activities that alleviate suffering, without fear,...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011

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Summary: Muslims arrived in India the same year they entered Spain-and by the end of the 13th century ruled nearly all of the country. This program travels across India by way of Iran, Pakistan, and Maldives to examine the rich Islamic heritage of the region. The program also observes the Muslim way of life on the subcontinent as it exists today. Sites of note include the Taj Mahal, the Golkonda Fort...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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Summary: In Indonesia, activists seek to return their country to its traditional moral values after a period of rapid economic growth that resulted in rampant nepotism and corruption under President Suharto. As Muslim students and Hindu priests work to revitalize Indonesia while preserving a democratic ideal, this thought-provoking program provides an in-depth portrait of a country seeking to redefine...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007

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Summary: Indoor plumbing is rare in rural India. This program introduces viewers to two Dalit families who, for generations, have cleaned the excrement from their villages' open-air latrines with their bare hands. But flush-toilets don't necessarily free untouchables from their role; a young man who manually removes waste from the sewers of Hyderabad is also interviewed, along with Bezawada Wilson-a...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007

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Summary: Renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta, Burma is one of the world's poorest nations due to decades of iron-fisted military control and despite its valuable natural resources and priceless national treasures. This program presents an intriguing glimpse of Burmese life, ranging from washing the sacred Buddha at the Maha Muni Pagoda and the initiation of young Buddhist novices amid the ruins of Bagan...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007

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Summary: Every year, thousands die in India through caste-related violence, as untouchables and upper-castes alike stoop as low as they need to go to gain their aims. Seen through the lens of a veteran photojournalist, this program looks at both sides of the struggle between the upper-caste Ranvir militia and Dalit supporters of the Marxist-Leninists in Bihar. Professor Kanchia Eliah, of the University...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007

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Summary: In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about the Baha'i Faith with Randolph Dobbs, director of the Los Angeles Baha'i Center in Los Angeles, California. Topics of discussion include the meaning of Baha'i; the history of the Faith and its founder, the divine messenger Bahaullah; the concept of religion as an ongoing revelation, with the prophet of each age bringing an additional piece...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008

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Summary: Drawing on Buddha's ancient sermons, this program vividly depicts the life story of Siddhartha Gautama, who is said to have renounced luxury and radical asceticism alike to attain spiritual freedom by taking the middle path. Transformed, Siddhartha became reverentially known as Buddha, "The Enlightened One," and offered his teachings to any who wished to learn the Four Noble Truths. Buddhist...

Format: software, multimedia

Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006

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