For the first time in the history of Korean Buddhism, nine monks ceased hostility by staying in a tent throughout winter. Inside the cold tent, ninety days of meditation begins with seven strict rules. Crisis comes to the monks who had to endure the tent without a heater, and with only a single set of clothes, and a single meal a day, but never once did they groan.
Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut (2008)
Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.
Art as a Weapon (2014)
Street art, creativity and revolution collide in this beautifully shot film about art’s ability to create change. The story opens on the politically charged Thailand/Burma border at the first school teaching street art as a form of non-violent struggle. The film follows two young girls (Romi & Yi-Yi) who have escaped 50 years of civil war in Burma to pursue an arts education in Thailand. Under the threat of imprisonment and torture, the girls use spray paint and stencils to create images in public spaces to let people know the truth behind Burma's transition toward "artificial democracy." Eighty-two hundred miles away, artist Shepard Fairey is painting a 30’ mural of a Burmese monk for the same reasons and in support of the students' struggle in Burma. As these stories are inter-cut, the film connects these seemingly unrelated characters around the concept of using art as a weapon for change.
Kundun (1997)
The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.
Samsara (2002)
A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.
Beautiful Boxer (2003)
Based on the real life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a Muaythai boxer who underwent a sex change operation to become a woman.
10 Questions for the Dalai Lama (2006)
How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Lhasa, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.
The Venerable W. (2017)
A view of the religious tensions between Muslims and Buddhist through the portrait of the Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu, leader of anti-Muslim movement in Myanmar.
The Next Karate Kid (1994)
Mr. Miyagi decides to take Julie, a troubled teenager, under his wing after he learns that she blames herself for her parents' demise and struggles to adjust with her grandmother and fellow pupils.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
An isolated lake, where an old monk lives in a small floating temple. The monk has a young boy living with him, learning to become a monk. We watch as seasons and years pass by.
Four Stations (2012)
It covers the lives of the poor in 4 different regions of Thailand, all connected by the same railroad. A monk, a laborer, an orphan and former friends, all facing various problems and hardships.
Hemimeta (2022)
Phai is an innocent boy who has been forced to be a monk, with the hope that this would help the venerable monk to get better from disease. At the same time, villagers also praise a termite hill in the woods for the same purpose. Fahmai a town girl makes Phai start to question what happens.
The Silent Holy Stones (2005)
A young Tibetan monk goes back home for the New Year's celebrations. Fascinated by television, he wants to bring his family's television to the monastery to show it to his master.
The Burmese Harp (1956)
In Burma during the closing days of WWII, a Japanese soldier separated from his unit disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to escape imprisonment as a POW.
Peace Is Every Step (2005)
The influential life and powerful messages of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh are explored in this biographical documentary. For more than 50 years, this amazing social activist has preached self-awareness and compassion for all living beings. Follow him as he travels through France and the United States—including a stop at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.—spreading peace by teaching mindfulness and forgiveness.
Unmistaken Child (2009)
In Nepal, a venerable monk, Geshe Lama Konchog, dies and one of his disciples, a youthful monk named Tenzin Zopa, searches for his master's reincarnation. The film follows his search to the Tsum Valley where he finds a young boy of the right age who uncannily responds to Konchog's possessions. Is this the reincarnation of the master? After the boy passes several tests, Tenzin takes him to meet the Dali Lama. Will the parents agree to let the boy go to the monastery, and, if so, how will the child respond? Central to the film is the relationship the child develops with Tenzin.
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)
About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
Beautiful Lure: A Modern Tale of Painted Skin (2021)
With both beauty and wit, Maiko looks for a man who suits her. One night, she finds Taro, a candidate for the prime minister. Everything goes well as she plans, but he finds out she's actually a "youma" who destroys the country. What's their destiny?
Madam White Snake (1960)
A thousand-year-old snake that has transformed itself into a human, Madame White Snake (Choe Eun-hui), falls in love with a young pharmacist named Heo-Seon. Although they encounter difficulties, they are wed, and their love for each other does not change. However, Beophaeseonsa (a Zen priest) and Gwaneumbosal (the Buddhist goddess of mercy) order Madame White Snake, who had transformed into human without being granted permission to do so, to return back to the world of the gods before July 7. Grieving, she prepares to say goodbye to her beloved husband. But before she can return to the world of the gods in time, she falls into a trap set by Dae-yun (Choe Sam), who is attracted to her. Because of the trap, she is not able to keep the promised deadline, and ends up risking her life to save her husband.
About Family (2024)
Mu-ok is the self-made owner of the established restaurant 'Pyongmanok' that has been drawing long lines of customers before social media existed. He is deeply troubled by his only son, Moon-seok, whom he hoped would inherit the family legacy, becoming a monk, leaving him with no one to carry on the family name. While Mu-ok is devasted by the thought that his family line would end with him, young kids come to his restaurant claiming Moon-seok as their father! Mu-ok, now given a chance to continue his family’s legacy, enjoys happiness like never before. Meanwhile, Moon-seok revisits his life before becoming a monk—and stumbles upon a shocking revelation…