Contemplation of the charnel grounds and giving gifts to others are two of the ways the Buddha recommended to overcome selfishness. Here are some reflections on the subject, followed by today’s documentary which is about people who donate their bodies to medical science.
Man on Cloud Mountain
This is an hour long documentary with Harada Roshi giving many interviews on his visit to America in 1991
Dogen, the Zen Master
This is a dramatic reconstruction of the Life of the great Japanese monk Dogen who flourished in Japan in the 13th century.
ZEN – A Fabian Enzinger Film
This is one of the finest non-verbal films I’ve come across so even better that it is also connected with Buddhism, being taken at a remote Zen temple in the Japanese Alps.
The Journey of Xuanzang 11 & 12
The Emperor requests Xuanzang to write his Records of the Western World and he gains partonage to start his translation work. He translates some of the most voluminous of the Mahayana works, but eventually his health deteriorates and he passes away.
The Journey of Xuanzang 7 & 8
Xuanzang travels down through India and eventually reaches Nalanda, where he is to stay for 10 years in all. Much information about the foundation of Buddhism, its propogatation under King Asoka, and the glories of Nalanda.
The Journey of Xuanzang 5 & 6
In these episodes Xuanzang crosses Central Asia and makes his way down through what is now Afghanistan and eventually on into Kashmir, where he spent the next two years studying.
The Journey of Xuanzang 3 & 4
In these episodes Xuanzang reaches Gaochang, where he is welcomed by the King. He crosses the dangerous Yanqi and spends a few months in Kuch, before crossing over the Pamir and emerging into Central Asia, with only half his original party left.
The Journey of Xuanzang 1 & 2
These episodes narrate the birth of Xuanzang and his childhood, his ordination, search for the true Dharma, and his meeting with the Indian monk Prabhakaramitra, and the beginning of his journey to India.
