About
This is a work in progress multimedia project exploring the diversity of Buddhist lay practice in a complex modern life. Eventually, the project will culminate in a book and a series of short films. Meanwhile, I am looking for practitioners throughout US add their voice to this documentary. Being a long term project, I am exploring this project as an outer pilgrimage to uncover the buddha next door as well as my inward journey into true liberation.
Themes
Until I can find a collaborator to write a better narrative, I am structuring the project around themes that may interest people that are curious about how the path manifests in modern practitioner’s life. With the vastness of teachings by notable teachers already available online, the focus of these stories reflect the embodiment and impact that the path has in real life.
Relationships
The fruit of the practice shows up in our relationships.
Other Practices
Practitioners rely on an array of other practices to navigate life's challenges.
Jude and Emma
I remember seeing Buddhist images on trips to India with my family. Seeing Zen images associated with martial arts, I started when I was 7.
Your Spiritual Friends
As much as I would like to showcase an authentic reflection of ‘diverse’ practitioners in the west, the reality of this issue is beyond the scope of this narrative. Consider these subjects as spiritual friends that are brave enough to share these stories about their intimate practice.
As a word of caution, spiritual seekers, especially within the Buddhist tradition, rarely discuss (much less proselytize) their beliefs and practices outside of their community. From a practical level, in this day and age, being ‘religious’ and not wanting to be hypocritical are notable reasons why most of us don’t share how much the practice has influenced our lives. Like all journeys, the path to liberation is rarely so straightforward but the confidence comes from knowing how to navigate.
Notes
From time to time, you may find these notes about the project and my pilgrimage slightly entertaining.
Buddhist Films
I've been keeping an eye out of buddhist related films/docs for some time now and it's great to see in depth docs by others to inspire me. If you're a tricycle subscriber, you can see the films in their full length. [...]
Great Vow Monastery
Even though I would love to explore the theme of what sangha looks like, access to group environments have been challenging. I was fortunate to have permission from my subject, the senior teacher at the monastery, to roam the 'campus' after [...]
Pilgrimage
I didn't start this journey with too many expectations and was just generally excited to commit more time to work on this project. I had originally frame it as a 'walkabout' in the west but a wonderful teacher helped [...]
Introducing Video
In this day in age of attention deficits and instant gratification, I had short debate on how much video I wanted to incorporate into this project. Nonetheless, it become pretty evident that the stories that people were sharing and their passion [...]