The JoyTV program, "Discovering Buddhism" introduced viewers to the teachings of the Buddha. The 18 part, half-hour program was produced in 2009. The main participant was Sensei Fredrich Ulrich of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple.

In this clip, host, Tim Smith asks Sensei Ulrich to explain why some may choose to not think of Buddhism as a religion but more of a teaching.

Rev. Ulrich's rich knowledge of history and art provided viewers with a unique perspective on the historical Buddha. He describes the symbolism in the statues that often represent Amida Buddha.

Check your local TV listings to see when the series will air again. Unfortunately, JoyTV is only seen in B.C. and Manitoba.

SEE MORE JODO SHINSHU VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE...

In September, Sensei Ulrich was invited to introduce the documentary, Burma VJ at Winnipeg's Cinematheque Theatre. Here are some photos from opening night.

Poster in the lobby


Sensei Ulrich introduces the film with a brief history of Buddhism and politics in Myanmar


Sensei Ulrich meets with the audience after the film

The Manitoba Buddhist Temple is grateful that the Winnipeg Film Group invited us to participate and hope to continue working together on future projects.

VISIT THE WINNIPEG CINEMATHEQUE WEBSITE...

Concerned that Buddhism is no longer part of everyday life, the Hongwanji Temple in Kyoto sought to reach out to the younger set by coming out with a DVD depicting the life of its founder, Shinran, of Shin Buddhism. The 108-minute Japanese anime DVD, comes with collectible miniature characters, key rings, pens and notes.

Sorry, no English subtitiled version seems to be available yet.

"heart-wrenching"
****Starting on Friday, September 11 at the Winnipeg Film Group's Cinematheque...

Anders Østergaard's terrific documentary about a loosely organized network of scrappy underground videographers who risked their lives photographing the 2007 uprising against Myanmar's military dictatorship.

The government shut down the Internet and local media, and banned foreign journalists from covering the demonstrations, which were led by Buddhist monks and students with growing support from an emboldened public.

Burma VJ takes us on a roller coaster of alternating hope and despair as the young guerrilla reporters, always on the lookout for ubiquitous informers, wade into the thick of the struggle with Handycams hidden in bags, then transmit the footage to a hidden colleague, who smuggles it out of the country via satellite. The raw, shocking images of courage and brutal backlash, here enhanced by added voiceover from two anguished young cameramen, were then broadcast, uncanned and unpolished, by the mainstream media.

 

“Should be required viewing for anyone thinking of becoming any kind of journalist, be they blogger, indie-media digicammer, or Facebook feed-streamer. It's the truth, unshackled and captured against all odds, and it's one of the most powerful documentary films I have ever seen, period.     AUSTIN CHRONICLE

VISIT THE WINNIPEG CINEMATHEQUE WEBSITE...
READ MORE ABOUT THE FILM INCLUDING REVIEWS...

It's one of our favorite movies of all-time. And while many religious groups have claimed it as their own, the question many ask, is "Groundhog Day" a Buddhist movie?

Shambala Sun magazine went to the source. In the July issue, writer Howard Garfinkel talks to Filmmaker Harold Ramis about his movie "Groundhog Day."

“The primary rule of Buddhist humor is that you never laugh at someone else’s expense. But, rather, laughter arises when we realize our futile attempts to escape the first noble truth. Pointing to our common bumbling deluded nature—with humor—apparently relieves some of the suffering. Ramis has done that in most of his films, but especially in Groundhog Day, where he seems to be saying, ‘This is what it’s like. Every day is the same thing; we make the same mistakes over and over.’ Ramis is always trying to shatter our ordinary take on reality, to reveal hidden dimensions. He is trying to create what Buddhists would call ‘beginner's mind.’”

READ THE ARTICLE AT SHAMABALA SUN....
READ THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS ACCORDING TO "GROUNDHOG DAY"...

The Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta is the talk of the town. While the casino just across the street might be a bigger draw. The right choice might be the new Lethbridge Buddhist temple.

This week the temple was the focus of the local TV newscast and a chance for many to see the temple without leaving home.

SEE A SHORT VIDEO OF THE CHIGO PARADE AND DEDICATION SERVICE...
VISIT THE WEBSITE OF THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA...

The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, "Departures" opens in North American this May. The film is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage.

The movie is based on the book, "Coffinman-The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician" by Shinmon Aoki. In the Foreword, Shin Buddhist scholar, Rev. Dr. Taitetsu Unno writes,

This little book, a diary of a mortician, invites the reader into the fascinating world of Buddhist spirituality which sees the extraordinary in things ordinary, mundane, and even repugnant. Written with deep affection for life and poetic sensibility, the author Shinmon Aoki evokes theworld of boundless compassion found in Shin Buddhism which evolved from the Pure Land tradition of Mahayana Buddhism.

SYNOPSIS
“Departures” follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a “Nokanshi” or “encoffineer,” a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of “Nokanshi,” acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. A story of love, of discovery, of revelation and of the transcending human spirit, “Departures” will linger in your heart and mind long after viewing.

Expect to see "Departures" in Winnipeg by the end of 2009.

GO TO THE OFFICIAL "DEPARTURES" WEB SITE...

Worth watching! The landmark six hour, six part mini-series, "The Story of India" is a fantastic journey through the history of India. Michael Wood is your engaging and articulate guide who brings you along on a whirlwind tour of the country and its history.

Especially don't miss episode two, "The Power of Ideas." The series spends some time under the Bodhi Tree telling the story of the Buddha.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FILM ON THE PBS WEBSITE...

It's back and better and than ever!

The third annual Calgary Buddhist Film Series kicks off on Thursday, October 30. It features seven films followed by discussions led by Ministers of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism including Sensei Ulrich of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple. It's probably the best deal in town... FREE!

Also check out DharmaFlix. Its a new collaborative wiki web site listing films with Buddha dharma content. It also features a top 100 list based on participants' reviews. So what's your favorite Buddhist film or TV series?

VISIT THE CALGARY BUDDHIST TEMPLE WEB SITE...
SEE THE TOP 100 BUDDHIST FILMS AT DHARMAFLIX....

Ogui Socho of the Buddhist Churches of America makes a very special appearance on this internet video on the DharmaNet web site. Learn why he chose the Buddhist path and more about his Zen mentor, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Also find out why he was "kicked out" of his first temple in the United States and how he eventually overcame that setback to become the Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America.

The video is a part of an online video series called "The Buddhist Way of Life." In 2005, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai) [BDK] initiated a BDK-TV Series shown in Southern California. The weekly 15-minute shows featured interviews and teachings from major American Buddhist followers and teachers. 

SEE THE VIDEO...

Filmmaker Doris Dörrie turns her attention to Buddhism and that age-old saying, you are what you eat. In How To Cook Your Life, Dörrie enlists the help of the charismatic Zen Master Edward Espe Brown to explain the guiding principles of Zen Buddhism as they apply to the preparation of food as well as life itself. “How a person goes about dealing with the ingredients for his meals” explains Dörrie “says a lot about him. How To Cook Your Life teaches us to be attentive in our everyday dealings with the most mundane things and also open our eyes to one of the most beautiful occupations: cooking.”

Now playing until February 27 at the Winnipeg Cinematheque Theatre

This week on the Amazing Race, Jodo Shinshu Buddhists may have recognized two very famous statues. Part of this week's show was to go to the 16th century, Kita-Mido Temple in Osaka, Japan. Both, Shinran Shonin and Rennyo Shonin, make a cameo appearances on prime-time television.

D.T. Suzuki is often credited with spreading interest in Zen and Shin Buddhism to North America. Interestingly, later in life Suzuki was more inclined to Jodo Shin (True Pure Land) practice on a personal level, seeing in the doctrine of Tariki, or other power as opposed to self power, an abandonment of self that is entirely complementary to Zen practice and yet to his mind even less willful than traditional Zen.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIA...

Director Michael Goldberg recently sent us this note about his film, "A Zen Life - D.T. Suzuki." It was one of the films recently shown at the Calgary Buddhist Film Series. The documentary is now for sale:

"A ZEN LIFE - D.T. Suzuki" is a 77-minute documentary about Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), credited with single-handedly introducing Zen Buddhism to the West.

D.T. Suzuki was highly successful at getting Westerners to appreciate the Japanese mentality, and Japanese to understand Western logic. The effect he had on Western psychoanalysis, philosophy, religious thinking, and the arts was profound. His numerous writings in English and Japanese serve as an inspiration even today. Dr. Suzuki message is all the more important now, in light of contemporary conflicts stemming from divergent ways of thinking.

Gary Snyder calls Dr. Suzuki "probably the most culturally significant Japanese person in international terms, in all of history."

Along with Gary Snyder, there are exclusive interviews of many people, respected in their own right, who knew D.T. Suzuki in person, including Huston Smith, Mihoko Okamura, Dr. Albert Stunkard, Elsie Mitchell,
Robert Aitken, Donald Richie, Wm. Theodore de Bary, and rare footage of Thomas Merton, John Cage, Erich Fromm, and Suzuki himself.

The DVD contains an additional 10-minutes from a hitherto unknown interview of Daisetz Suzuki by Huston Smith. There is also a printed "Supplementary Text" inserted in the case, with quotes from Dr. Suzuki's talks in English never before published.

"A ZEN LIFE - D.T. Suzuki" can be ordered at:
www.martygrossfilms.com

Seven films in four days. In you are in the Calgary area, go, see, and participate in the Calgary Buddhist Film Series. Each film will be followed by discussion moderated by Buddhist teachers, including Sensei Ulrich of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple. Did we happen to mention that admission is FREE!

Another big event this summer was the Simpsons movie. Forget about Homer and Bart, Lisa is the real hero of the Simpsons. She's the heart and soul of the family. She's smart and compassionate. She's a musician, a vegetarian and a Buddhist. Here's more from the Simpsons episode, "She of Little Faith."

More from this episode is posted on an earlier blog page.

John Safran is an Australian media personality and documentary producer. He is the host of an 8-part TV series titled "John Safran vs God". In the program, Safran explores a wide range of religious beliefs. His visit to a Zen monastery is absolutely hilarious!

The series makes its U.S. premiere this month. Let's hope it comes to Canada soon.

"Exhilarating...abounds in beautiful images..." VARIETY
"Unexpected and exhilarating... ” THE NATION
"One of the best films of the year..." NEW YORK TIMES

Our friends at the Cinematheque Theatre in Winnipeg invite you to see "Into Great Silence". Its the first film ever made chronicling life inside the Grande Chartreuse, one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. Monks dedicate themselves entirely to the service of God and to spiritual life, in complete silence. A filmmaker and his crew live in the monks' quarters for six months. They record their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one. it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental, just time, space and light.

Into Great Silence (2006) (164 mins.) By Phillip Groning
June 4-7 at 7:00 PM, Cinematheque Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Recently, we were in Calgary for the Buddhist Churches of Canada annual general meeting. One of the changes that came out of that meeting was that the BCC will change its name to the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada (JSBTC).

The Manitoba Buddhist Temple would like to thank all the organizers and volunteers in Calgary for their work that weekend. They were wonderful hosts and now, good friends.

One of the ideas we heard that interested us, was creating a Buddhist Film Festival. The Calgary Buddhist Temple organized one last year that was a big success. It was held at a public library and included discussions about the films. Would the general public in Winnipeg be interested in an event like this?

Here's an example of an International Buddhist Film Festival in Singapore. I would attend just to see Lisa Simpson on the big screen. In the meantime, here she is on the computer screen.

We would also like to thank Calgary for creating at link on their web site to us. So right back at you, go to the Calgary Buddhist Temple web site for more information on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in the Calgary area.