This is the second of John Bush’s yatras into SE Asia, and on this occasion he is looking at the Hindu-Buddhist cultures in Cambodia, Bali and Java.
The emphasis this week is on sacred grounds, and the re-establishment of the sacred in daily life, and also emphasis is placed on the feminine in these cultures.
The journey this week begins in Cambodia where we visit the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor and learn of some of the significance of the historical sites there.
We also see how things are returning to normal in Cambodian society and the sangha, both male and female, is once again starting to flourish.
The film then travels to Krabi in southern Thailand to visit a famous cave which houses a fertility goddess who is still revered to this day.
The 3rd port of call is in the still living Hindu-Buddhist culture of Bali, which is one of the most vibrant cultures on earth, and where it is possible to sees the sacred and the arts flourishing in everyday life.
We see some of the still presented Rāmāyaṇa dance-stories, and visit some of the beautiful and remote temples on the island, and learn how the underlying animism pervades everyday life.
The last part of the journey is spent mainly at Prambanan and Borobudur in Java where the heights of these cultures were reached, with wonderful temples and relief stories illustrating the beliefs of the people, and lifting them to new heights in their spiritual aspirations.
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