Tag / Film

Today we have a lesson in history. Or perhaps I should say some personal history that contains a lesson. As I am naturally loquacious however I will give away the ending upfront just in case you miss it embedded in my rambling. Ok, here it is: be true to yourself. I know, I know...it's cliche to even point out that it's a cliche. So, perhaps a smarter way of saying this is, know who you are, know what you do best, and then do that! I have made this point previously—most recently in the article the impact positive childhood memories can have on adulthood. I wrote that article as we often...

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Introduction 13th Beach a Postpositive is a little video I made while staying with family after returning home from a long Indian field trip for my Ph.D (I write about the circumstances of creating the video in more detail in the BTS section below). For now, some prefatory remarks if I may. I am slightly reticent to say too much about the ideas to follow before you have a chance to watch the short-film. That being said, I would like to make a small comment about the use of the grammatical term "postpositive." First, its important to know I am using this term as a bit of a play on words rather...

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1. The Words What does it mean to be a writer? When does one get to call himself a "writer." Could it be that a writer is someone who is paid to write? Or perhaps a writer is someone who simply puts pen to paper? Maybe its simply a state of mind, or even just a label we use to make it easy for others to understand what it is we do. For me, a writer, at least in one sense, is all of the above and yet in another it is none of them. For writing is communication. Of course, it's not the only kind of communication but, at its heart, is the flow of an idea from one human to another....

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Last Sunday (20th March 2001) I went to Gyuto monastery to shoot a narrative film with two young monks. On my way home I stopped by Norbulingka Institute. Although the gardens at Norbulingka are quite beautiful, and worthy of their own piece, I ended up shooting just the main temple as I was short on time. Technical Canon 60d 28mm f1.8 USM II Thoughts A fundamental theory of Buddhist philosophy related particularly to Buddhist soteriology is the notion that every living being has the potential to become enlightened—"Buddha potential." This potential is a naturally occurring and innate...

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Saving Zanskar: A Short Documentary is the story of a Tibetan Buddhist monks vision to save his dying culture by providing the children of his region with a modern education. Shot over the course of a few days (6 hours of total shooting time) in several locations around Northern India, Saving Zanskar is an insight into the problems facing ancient cultures as the younger generation are increasingly influenced by modernity. The interview for the film was shot in a relatively quiet place behind the Dalai Lama's residence in Dharamsala. It is one of the few places in Dharamsala (unknown to many)...

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