Meditate and Destroy is an 81-minute documentary about punk rock, spirituality, and inner rebellion. The film focuses on the bestselling author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream, Noah Levine. Tattoos, motorcycles, and Buddha are featured in this hard-hitting look at how Buddhism has a place in the world of punks. This inspiring film opens our perception to the possibilities of finding new paths- even in our darkest hours.

This film provides an up-close look at how the driving forces in Noah’s life changed from violence, addiction and rebellion to taking on the role of dedicated meditation teacher and community leader - an individual whose candor inspires others to integrate Buddhist teachings of nonviolence and inner peace with a Western lifestyle.

Similar to punk culture’s non-conformist attitude, Buddhism has long been seen as a tradition that goes “against the stream”. The film’s visual aesthetic reflects this similarity. The film employs motion graphics reflecting the punk aesthetic that are complemented by an experimental movement through the various scenes exploring Noah Levine’s past and present life.

A 3-minute animated back-story (called ‘machinima’) created in the virtual world of Second Life fleshes out the cutting edge style of the film. In addition, Meditate and Destroy features an engaging punk rock soundtrack. Interviews include renowned Buddhist teachers Jack Kornfield, Stephen Levine and Ajahn Amaro.

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Gandhi called it “Soul Force,” Dr. King called it “Love in Action,” and now, acclaimed filmmaker Velcrow Ripper is calling it “Fierce Light.” It is a universal power that radiates from every human heart, undeniably hopeful, and full of possibility. It holds us to be uncompromisingly nonviolent and drives us to the pentacle of our spiritual excellence. Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action chronicles Ripper’s journey to document examples of this sacred beacon that shines the brightest at the darkest and most dangerous times.

Haunted by the violent death of his friend and fellow media activist Brad Will, who was shot to death in Oaxaca, Mexico while videotaping protests against State Governor Ulises Ruiz, Ripper decided to travel to the scene of the tragedy to finish what Brad began. There, Ripper discovered an electrifying grass-root movement founded on the values of peace and non-violence, but fiercely determined to create a new world of justice, sustainability and global harmony. Spurred by this refreshing find, Ripper embarked on an intercontinental quest to such diverse locales as New Zealand, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and North America in search of more stories of this growing movement.

From Montgomery, Alabama, the epicenter of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, to South Central Los Angeles, where poor farmers desperately strove to save their farms from an urban developer, to Robben Island, South Africa, where peace activist Nelson Mandela and others were imprisoned during the Apartheid era, Ripper realized that this “movement of movements” has swept the planet and astutely captured this global ideological shift on film. Other backdrops of significant spiritual activism highlighted in the documentary include the Dalit community in Pradesh, India, where Gandhi’s legacy of fighting for the rights of the Untouchables is still highly revered, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist who was exiled from Vietnam 30 years ago finally returned home. After watching Fierce Light, audiences can find hope in this mass movement founded on the values of compassion, collaboration, and understanding and focuses on what we are trying to accomplish, as opposed to what we are trying to destroy.

The film features Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, American Civil Rights Leader John Lewis, Buddhist peace activist and monk Thich Nhat Hanh, actor turned activist Daryl Hannah, and famed tree-sitter Julia Butterfly Hill.
 

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Death is real, it comes without warning and it cannot be escaped. An ancient source of strength and guidance, The Tibetan Book of the Dead remains an essential teaching originating in the spiritual cultures of the Himalayas. Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this enlightening two-part series explores the sacred text and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to its profound wisdom.

Part 1: A Way of Life reveals the history of The Tibetan Book of the Dead and examines its traditional use in northern India, as well as its acceptance in Western hospices. Shot over a four-month period, the film contains footage of the rites and liturgies for a deceased Ladakhi elder and includes an interview with the Dalai Lama, who shares his views on the book’s meaning and importance.

Part 2: The Great Liberation follows an old lama and his novice monk as they guide a Himalayan villager into the afterlife using readings from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The soul’s 49-day journey towards rebirth is envisioned through actual photography of rarely seen Buddhist rituals, interwoven with groundbreaking animation by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ishu Patel.

Special Bonus Feature: The Trap - see what happens when Buddhist teachings are applied in a Nova Scotian fishing village.

Film of Special Merit Award
International Congress on Care of the Terminally
September 17 to 21, 1994
Montréal - Canada

Special Mention
Filmfest Medianet Award
May 27 to June 30, 1994
Munich - Germany

“Leonard Cohen’s narration, it must be said straight off, was perfect. No one else
could have succeeded so brilliantly at calmly and richly presenting this series.”
- Canadian Content

“The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a marvelous documentary creation. It is excellently written, and Leonard Cohen’s narration suits the theme beautifully. The cinematography is breathtaking: snow-capped, mighty mountains pinpricked by isolated towns provide suitable images of insignificant humanity in a vast, lonely, and hostile universe. Yet this view is juxtaposed with a sensitive portrayal of Tibetan Buddhism’s central tenet: To seek truth and practice compassion is the meaning and purpose of life. The characters of the lamas — filled with joy and compassion — imbue the film with the light of their eternal hopes for the world…This is a film that demands multiple viewing…Highly recommended.”
- CM Magazine, The Manitoba Library Association

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What moves young, educated people to give up lives of material security for a spiritual quest that confronts uncertainty?

Filmed in the gorgeous countryside and ancient cities of India and Turkey, Through the Eastern Gate is a compelling documentary following the journeys of three young people who have turned their backs on the material comforts and distractions of the West to find meaning in the spiritual philosophies of the East.

Sister Yeshe Chodron’s journey leads her from Australia to the foothills of the Himalayas and life as a Buddhist nun. On a riverbank in southern India, Ronela Vainio, a native of Finland, immerses herself in tantric yoga. Lastly, Californian Aziz Abbatiello discovers his calling as a Sufi dervish in Turkey, where he prays, sings, and spins himself into spiritual ecstasy.

The idyllic settings in which these young people practice their disciplines sharply contrast the cramped landscape of the West and the often aimless lifestyle of their peers. The lives of the three spiritual novices, however, are not without challenges. They must leave their family behind and make material sacrifices. Ronela admits, “My family still wonders why I wanted to go so far away, why I don’t live like a normal human being.” In addition, attaining true spirituality requires tremendous effort and the patience to delve deep beneath the surface and not be distracted by the trappings of this world. “It’s easy to go around in circles”, says Aziz, “but to empty yourself of yourself, that’s a struggle”.

To buy the educational version, please visit the Alive Mind Education page.

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The story of women has often been written by men; The Goddess Combo offers a different version, ‘herstory.’ Discover the revolutionary work of Marija Gimbutas, the “female Joseph Campbell” of archaeology and mythology, in the bio documentary Signs Out of Time paired with Donna Read’s genre-defining Women & Spirituality: The Goddess Trilogy. The Goddess Combo pack provides a comprehensive alternative to history that emphasizes eco spirituality, matriarchy and equality. Discover a different story about our past and learn about alternative possibilities for our future.

What is the soul? Is it genetically encoded in our DNA or the product of centuries of religious teachings dealing with our mortality?

Secrets of the Soul takes an all encompassing look at the search for the soul, from the faithful who seek to touch it to the scientists who investigate its reality. This two-hour documentary special explores the western belief in the soul as way of understanding the afterlife, and the eastern concept that it is energy recycled through reincarnation.

Scientists have long sought to confirm the reality of the soul since Dr. Duncan McDougall’s first documented attempt to weigh it at the moment of death. Secrets of the Soul focuses on contemporary researchers looking at medium-ship, past lives, and Near Death Experiences for evidence of survival of consciousness after death as a way of verifying the soul’s existence.

Secrets of the Soul provides a window into the provocative question of what happens when we die? Many believe that something transcends our physical body- for some there might be a scientific answer, for others it’s simply a matter of faith.

“The DVD Secrets of the Soul was incredible!!! I was taken aback by the sensitivity used to film the program and how historical it was. I learned so much watching it and it made me reflect deeper also on my own as well as other’s souls. The section most dear to me was the Near Death experiences. I felt validated by the woman’s story. Thank you for sharing this DVD with me. ”
-Mary Jo Rapini

“A DVD that is an artistic triumph. It combines and contrasts various points of view in an entertaining and instructive way. I hope that the resulting DVD reaches many, many people and that it encourages them to engage in reflective thought as well as active questing in both their internal and external worlds.”
-Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. (Featured Expert)

To buy the educational version, please visit the Alive Mind Education page.

Secrets of the Soul DVD
Price:	$19.95
Rating:	NR
Availability:	Worldwide
Running Time:	96 minutes + 25 bonus minutes
Technical Aspects:	Dolby Digital, 16:9, NTSC Region 0
Language:	English
Copyright:	© 2007 Hidden Treasures Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Forgiveness: Stories of Our Time focuses on four individuals who have lived through events so painful and horrific they are unimaginable to most of us.

Lesley Parrott’s young daughter was stalked, raped and strangled. Anne Marie Hagan’s father was murdered by their next-door neighbor. Alan McBride’s wife and eight others were killed in an IRA bombing in Belfast. Reverend Julie Nicholson’s daughter was killed on the London underground in an al Qaeda bombing in 2004. Through heartfelt interviews and archival footage, these are the stories of men and women as they absorb, cope with and attempt to move beyond brutal events in their lives.

In a world wracked by increasing violence and horror, Forgiveness: Stories of Our Time brings hope that there are other possibilities beyond blind revenge – and that in forgiving others we can set ourselves free.

“Deeply moving.”
- The Globe and Mail

“…a groundbreaking documentary.”
- Hollywood Reporter

“This is a powerful film and although it’s heart wrenching and difficult to watch in some points,
it delivers by doing what good documentaries ought to do; it makes the viewer think.”
- Vitality Magazine

“The stories presented to the viewer are real in every sense of the word,
and this film is worth a look.”
- Anglican Journal

“This powerful film…takes us on a journey where hope triumphs
despite the suffering associated with such unimaginable loss.”
- Juicy Stuff

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Signs Out of Time, a film by Donna Read and Starhawk, examines the life and work of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Marija Gimbutas. Drawing from her extensive knowledge of mythology and linguistics, Lithuanian-born Gimbutas uncovered the life-affirming and goddess-worshipping civilizations of pre-historic “Old Europe.” Weaving together footage of Gimbutas herself, as well as interviews with her supporters and critics, Signs Out of Time reveals a visionary scholar whose theories challenged the “establishment” of her time and influenced a generation of scholars, feminists, and social thinkers.

Women and Spirituality is Donna Read’s definitive series that explores the power of the sacred feminine in mythological, historical and cultural contexts. This trilogy investigates the relationship between women and spirituality from ancient times to the present.

Goddess Remembered - Part 1 - This poetic documentary is a salute to 35 000 years of “pre-history,” to the values of ancestors only recently remembered, and to the goddess-worshipping religions of the ancient past. Goddess Remembered features Merlin Stone, Carol Christ, Luisah Teish, Starhawk, Charlene Spretnak, and Jean Bolen, who link the loss of goddess-centred societies with today’s environmental crisis. They propose a return to the belief in an interconnected life system, with respect for the earth and the female, as fundamental to our survival.

Burning Times - Part 2 - This beautifully crafted film is an in-depth look at the witch-hunts that swept through Europe just a few hundred years ago. False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake, and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The film advances the theory that widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times.

Full Circle - Part 3 - In this stirring documentary, authors, teachers, social activists and feminists explore manifestations of contemporary women’s spirituality in the Western world. Drawing on the customs, rites and knowledge of the past, Full Circle envisions a sustainable future where domination is replaced with respect. At the centre of these discussions is a reverence for the Earth–a sacred circle which we must protect.

“…massive and beautiful film”
-The Los Angeles Times

To buy the educational version, please visit the Alive Mind Education page.

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A Revealing Look at History’s Most Misunderstood Woman

Mary Magdalene: a sinner and prostitute, or the secret wife of Jesus and leader of his church? This riveting two-program investigation provides the most up-to-date information on one of the world’s most controversial religious figures.

Program One: Secrets of Mary Magdalene
Shot in Hi-Def and based on Dan Burstein’s and Arne De Keijzer’s nonfiction book, this fascinating documentary strips away the veils of history to reveal the flesh and blood woman who served as Jesus’ foremost apostle and possibly the love of his life.

Program Two: A Mary Magdalene Roundtable - The Experts Speak
With Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Ph.D., Lesa Bellevie, Deidre Good, Susan Haskins, Elaine Pagels and Dr. Jane Schaberg

Six leading experts discuss and debate the issues surrounding Mary Magdalene, offering their insights on her historical impact and emerging legacy as a spiritual role model for the 21st century.

 

Secrets of Mary Magdalene Digital Download
Price:	$9.98 (Download), $1.99 (Rent)
Rating:	NR
Running Time:	96 minutes
Production Year:	2007
Technical Aspects:	Dolby Digital, 16:9, NTSC Region 0
Language:	English
Copyright:	© 2006 Hidden Treasures Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Credits