|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
|
Product Description
Description
Two and a half millennia ago, a new religion was born in northern India, generated from the ideas of a single man, the Buddha, a mysterious Indian sage who famously gained enlightenment while he sat under a large, shapely fig tree. The Buddha never claimed to be God or his emissary on earth. He said only that he was a human being who, in a world of unavoidable pain and suffering, had found a kind of serenity that others could find, too. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin tells the story of his life, a journey especially relevant in our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. Richard Gere narrates.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Save on electricity by getting your own enlightenment,
By
This review is from: Buddha [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This is a well-designed and paced documentary on the life of the Buddha (I have read a few and this is a great synopsis.) It is presented through soundbites from artists, poets, monks and others. We also get the stories augmented with drawings or watercolors. The narration is by Richard Gere. This is a short review but it is not easy to include the details of the presentation without giving a presentation. Beside the different insights into Buddhism, the thing that I took away was the different locations where Buda was born, died, and received enlightenment.I only saw the Blu-ray version so I cannot compare. However, there is a small documentary on the making of the documentary. You will need to re watch the presentation as it is packed with information and ideas that do not give you too much time to think in-between. Little Buddha
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Done,
By
This review is from: Buddha (DVD)
Nice video production, good narration. Great for a beginner, or one newly interested in Buddhism.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (41 customer reviews) 139 of 143 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Buddha - the Awakened Leader,
By applewood - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Buddha [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
My wife and I watched this documentary last night when it aired on PBS and enjoyed it very much. The pace, cinemagraphic and informational quality were all very well done. I thought the choice of participants (frequently cut to for ongoing commentary) was pleasing and varied (Asian, Western, Men, Women, Old, Young, Ordained, Lay, Scholars and Poets). Actor Richard Gere as well, was perfect as the unobtrusive narrator. The narration accompanied illustrations that included wonderful footage of modern (timeless) India and a variety of traditional and contemporary Buddhist art (painting and sculpture), and traced the life of Buddha through the main places and cultures of India he lived as they are preserved and appreciated today. (I thought the occasional use of the flowing, simple and whimsically animated graphics was okay in depicting the myths. My wife, not a Buddhist, thought they were a bit too simple and cartoony...)Overall I thought the show kept a nice balance between presenting Buddha the awakened human being, and Buddha the mythical cosmic being (very little is objectively known of him since it was probably over 300 years after his passing before anything was written down about him, his origins and teachings). Dharma-wise, the content seemed delightfully whole, even, smooth and free of sectarian edges (if anything the approach was more Therevadin oriented, as it kept to basic common themes and really looked at the Buddha the man and not Buddhism the religion). The effect was a teaching very down to earth and applicable to all of us regardless of our beliefs. I finished the show feeling more inspired to wake up - to meditate, to enjoy life, to pay attention moment by moment and let the natural wisdom and compassion of this moment flow (within and without me). This morning I commented to my wife that my only complaint was that they made the Buddha's remarkable, extraordinary achievement seem somehow ordinary and if not easily attainable, at least easily understandable. She replied that he was obviously a great leader, trained from birth to assume that role, and then he fulfilled that destiny by demonstrating and guiding others through his awakening and teachings. It was a nice secular way to view and appreciate enlightened activity in the world. This obvious fact was something I'd never fully appreciated in all my years of interest in Buddhism. It made his example all the more real and relevant - the perfect balance of mundane and sublime, worldly and spiritual. 78 of 80 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Thoughtful Rendering That I Highly Recommend,
By B. Tweed DeLions "B.T." - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Buddha (DVD)
I think this movie will satisfy Buddhists as well as those who know nothing of the Buddha.This isn't a deep exploration of the Buddha's teachings. But I think that's a good thing. Buddhism has been unduly complicated over the 2,500 years since his death. But the core teaching has always been simple. It's easy to fall into the trap that many contemporary Buddhists fall in to, who seem to want to mystify the most ordinary things. Frankly, I think this does a disservice to the Buddha's teachings, which I believe were intended from the beginning to be simple and straightforward and easily understood. For those who don't know much about the Buddha: He never wanted to be worshipped and never claimed to be God or God's son or representative. He only claimed to have found a way to be free of earthly suffering. And one of his highest teachings is to not *cause* the suffering of another. Like Jesus, he asked his students to practice nonpossession and nonviolence. ---------- As an afterthought, I thought I should mention that the Buddha had separate rules for householders. They were required to practice nonviolence but they were also allowed to have possessions. And they weren't required to practice celibacy like the monks and nuns. In general they were required to practice kindness and honesty. And they were forbidden to earn a living in any way that would cause harm to someone. I don't believe this is covered in the film, so I thought I would mention it for anyone who is interested in learning more about Buddhism. 68 of 71 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Supreme Tale of The Great Buddha,
By A. Wong - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Buddha [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This is one of the very best historical Buddha documentary I've seen in a long, long time. Richard Gere, our great spokesman for his most blessed HHDL and Buddhism narrates this tale with utmost respect and care, along with a great cast of highly revered experts including Robert Thurman, other monks, nuns, poets, writers, and of course, none other than his His Holiness Dalai Lama (HHDL). The docu covers much grounds, including the Buddha's childhood stage, mostly historical and commonly accepted findings of his youth, to his last dying days, covering much intimate details of his search for reaching and attaining enlightenment, hence the Buddha, meaning the Enlightened One. Thanks to the wonderful David Grubin and a great cast and Richard Gere for bringing this to fruition and the most blessed teaching of Buddhism, not just to a Western audience, but to the world. On a separate but related note, my wish is that this video would one day be widely available and be seen in mainland China for some 1.3 billion plus Chinese to watch and learn from the great teaching of the Buddha, and not the crass, materialism of modern times, hence have a new found respect for Buddhism, for Tibet and its people.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
