Dharma Documentaries

This is a very interesting travel documentary, part of the Great Journeys series, in which Miles Kington travels along the so-called Burma Road in 1987, a year before the Democracy Movement upheaval. By 1987 Burma had been under a repressive military dictatorship for almost 50 years, and was suffering the consequences, having gone from one of the most prosperous, to one of the poorest countries, in SE Asia during that time. The Burma Road is not a fixed road, but – a bit like the Silk Road – was a kind of route, which became famous as the road into China, something that played a big part in the war against Japan in World War II. At the time Miles was there there was no proper and continuous road even from Yangon to Mandalay, the first and second cities of the country, and the route to get there was up the Irrawaddy River. This takes up the first part of the film, and once in Mandalay he then makes his way as far north as it was possible to go before the insurgencies in the north prevented further progress. He then flies over the problem areas into China, and continues the journey to the capital of Yunnan, Kunming. Along the way he makes various observations about the situations and peoples he encounters, and gives a gentle assessment of the state of the country; the real value though lies in seeing for ourselves how Myanmar looked at that time, in an era now past. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a film by Clemens Ruby from 1994 about the search for, and eventual installing of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, following the passing of the 16th in 1989. When the film opens years had gone by and the exepected reincarnation of the Karmapa had not been found. Then the 12th Tai Situpa opened a cakset given to him by the Karmapa just before he passed away. Inside is a mysterious writing, which four high lamas charged with finding the new Karmapa interpret to as a prediction that he would be born in a certain village in Eastern Tibet, to a certain woman, in a certain year. So lamas in Tibet set out to find the village and the woman, which they do, and they find she also had given birth to a son in the right year. This then is the new Karmapa (Ogyen Trinley Dorje), and the find is confirmed by the Dalai Lama, who has had a dream which confirms the village setting. Again, as in the other films with the alternative Karmapa (Trinley Thaye Dorje), nothing is said at all about there being a dispute about which one is the right one. All the films simply make the claims for “their” Karmapa, and ignore the other one (for more on the controversy see this Wikipedia article). The way it plays out in this film is, however, quite convincing, with the prediction apparently being very precise and accurate, and the boy who would eventually become the Karmapa certainly looking the part. Besides following the search for the Karmapa the film does a good job of explaining matters to do with Tibetan history and teachings, and so we are filled in with the background in an adequate way. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

No Introduction [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the second of the films I am showing by CCTV on the Chinese Treasures that have been preserved in Japan, and have consquently influenced Japanese culture. This week they look at the extraordinary case of the Chinese painter-monk Mu-xi, who is now considered one of the greatest zen painters of all time. Yet none of his work has survived in China, and if it hadn’t have been for Japan, everything would have been lost. In Japan however he was long considered a great artist and his works even inspired a school of imitation works, as he was so popular. To my eye, at least, his work is amongst some of the most evocative of the ink-wash paintings of China, and far surpasses the court painters of the period, whose works did survive. The team travels all over Japan hunting down Mu-xi’s works, looking at their effect on the development of Japanese painting, and tracing how they survived. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the first part of a series on Chinese Cultural Relics that are now preserved in Japan, and in this episode the focus is on the ink arts, and especially calligraphy. Most cultures have deveoped calligraphy, of course, but the Chinese have always placed a specially high value on the art, and examples are found everywhere adorning all aspects of Chinese culture, particularly in temples. Many examples of Chinese calligraphy were taken from China to Japan for a variety of reasons, and, in some cases, are only found there, and no longer in their homeland. Travelling all over both countries and talking to many experts this film looks not just at the way these works have found their way to Japan, but also at the influence they had on Japanese culture as well. What emerges is an insightful look at Sino-Japanese relations over the millennia, and the interlocking development of their cultures. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a lecture held at the Calgary Public Library in Alberta, Canada, in which Dr. Brian J. Nichols from the Mount Royal University talks about the history and revival of Buddhism in China. The lecture begins by giving an overview of the history of Buddhism, including its transference to China in the first century of the common era. Buddhism really became established as the national religion during the Tang dynasty (7th-10th c.), but even during that time it was occasionally suppressed by hostile emperors. Although somewhat eclipsed during the later middle ages, Buddhism always managed to find a place in Chinese life, until there was a general turning against religion at the turn of the 20th century. Following the establishment of the communist government in 1949 there followed a period of restriction and then an intense effort to eradicate religion in the country. After the Cultural Revolution had come to an end in the mid-70s, there was a change of policy and religion is now tolerated, but under certain controls, and in certain forms. Brian Nichols explains the current situation in a very clear and meaningful way, and anyone interested in the future of Buddhism in China would do well to watch this lecture. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The last of these films from the Korean Broadcasting System on the Asian Corridor and old tea and horse trade routes looks at the ancient kingdom of Guge, which was once one of the most powerful and richest kingdoms in the Himalayas. Guge was in the far west of Tibet, not far from the Nepalese and Ladakhi borders, and sat on a crossroads in the Silk Roads. It was founded by exiles when the Tibetan monarchy was chased out of Lhasa in the 10th century. The fact that it was set up in one of the most arid zones on earth is truly remarkable, no trees can grow there, and crops like barley were grown only through the diversion of the rivers. However the kingdom did have gold, and it is this which is on display everywhere, but particularly in the surviving murals which line the walls of the ruined temples in the city, and in the film we see many examples of some of the finest mural painting in Tibet. The kingdom collapsed around the 18th century, probably as a result of Ladhaki invasions, and the ruins were only found again in the 1930s, when archeological works began on the remains. It is truly a fascinating story to end a very fine series, and at the end of the episode the journey which we have undertaken over the past six weeks is nicely summarised, showing how important once again the trade routes have been for the spread of cultures and civilisations. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

Another in a series of films made by the Korean Broadcasting System looking at life in Tibet on the old trade routes. Last week we saw how salt was traded between Tibet and Yunnan, and this week we go the other way from Tibet to Nepal. Every year the nomads who live around the Changtang Reserve take their yaks and go to Lake Drabye and dig up the almost endless supply of salt that the lake gives up. There are very specific rules: females cannot go to collect the salt and there is no sexual activity during the trip for fear of upsetting the god who rules the Lake. Having collected their prize they then have to take it the Nepal border where they can trade it for grain and vegetables. This is no easy journey with one pass being over 5.500 metres high, and the yaks being weighed down with 30 kg of salt on their backs. Many times lives, either of livestock or humans, are lost on these journeys so they are hazardous indeed. But then the reward is they are able to eat and sustain themselves for another year. Personally I am always amazed by the extreme fortitude of the peoples we see in these films, and also their faith, and the traditions which have seen them through since time unknown. It is a something we could all do with learning about. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the 4th film from the Korean Broadcasting System about daily life and the trade routes in Yunnan and Tibet. When the Tibetan plateau was formed the ocean floor was pushed thousands of metres into the air. Along with it in one place went a part of the salty ocean, which was trapped in an underground reservoir. Yanjing (Naxixiang) is located in the far south-east of Tibet on the border with the southernmost Chinese state of Yunnan. Here they have dug wells which access the ocean reservoir which they mine for salt. The work is mainly carried out by the women, as custom dictates that men play no part in the panning of the salt, although later they do do take it and trade it in distant regions. The documentary mainly follows the hard life of one 22-year old woman, Jashiyongjong, who is the main breadwinner in her family, as her mother can no longer work on the salt pans. The film also looks at the trade routes and exchanges made by the men, which mainly takes place in Yunnan, and entails exchanging salt of different qualities for grain. Near the end of the film we see that Jashiyongjong finally has enough money to get married and we see the marriage ceremonies and thereby one more facet of life amongst the Naxi peoples. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the third is a series of six films about the trade routes from China to Tibet and beyond, and this episode concentrates on the exchange of tea from China and horses from Tibet. The programme starts in Puer, which is famous for its tea the world over. The Puer peoples are a group of hill tribes who have cultivated this tea for 1000s of years, and the best quality of this tea is some of the most expensive in the world. The film shows who grow the tea, how it is cultivated and prepared for market, the people involved in the trading of the tea, including those who take it by caravan into Tibet. We also learn about the difference has made in political history. The trade route itself is around 2,000km from Yunnan to Lhasa, but even then some merchants will keep going all the way into Nepal and India, where they can command even better prices for their stock. As we have seen in previous episodes the way though is very, very hard and dangerous, even life threatening at times, but the rewards are great also which is why people still risk all to go along the ancient trade route. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a record by the Korean Broadcasting System of a remarkable 2,000km+ pilgrimage made by a handful of peasants from Sichuan in China to Lhasa in 2006-7. Not only did they walk the whole way, but every few steps they stopped to prostrate. Earlier in the year I published a similar film made by Zhang Yang covering the same subject: Paths of the Soul. Remarkable as that film was it was only semi-documentary, this one, on the other hand, is a straight document of a real-life journey. Five pilgrims go on the journey, two of whom pull the carts of supplies needed to keep the group alive, and three of whom do the prostrations along the way. It would be an extreme understatement to say the journey is tough – it is almost unimaginably difficult – and how they manage to keep going when nutrition is so poor, and terrain so hard I cannot imagine. But keep going they do, even when one of the older members is on the verge of death, rather than turn back they take it as an honourable way to die, as indeed it is. But this is only part of the wonder of this film, you really have to watch it to the end before it is revealed why they are undertaking such an arduous journey. One can only hope that their aspirations are fulfilled. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the first part of a six episode series made by the Korean Broadcasting System about one of the most ancient trade routes, which even predates the silk route: that known as the tea and horse caravan road leading from Tibet to southern China. This part follows traders from the Chawaroong village in south Tibet as their make their way over dangerous Himalayan passes and rivers to be able to sell their produce in Meritz, Yunnan in southern China. For a large part of the way there are no roads to speak off, and path of the path is dangerous indeed, and it seems that each year someone loses his life, or that of his livestock as they try to get their stock to market. The traders take a kind of mushroom and a rare herb identified as checkered lilies, and once they get it to market they get a handsome price for them. But the journey is dangerous and hard. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the 3rd is a series of films by Anika Tokarchuk about the reincarnate lama Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, made in the early 2000s, when he was making his first feature film, The Cup. The other two I have already featured on this site: Life as Cinema, the Making of the Cup and You are Dreaming Me. This one is slightly different, as it is about a film that Rinpoche would like to make, but still hasn’t settled on: A Life of the Buddha. Rinpoche has a number of different ideas how to make the film, but here we see one of them. First some background: In his previous incarnation the present Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche was known as Chokyi Lodro Rinpoche. One of his students was Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, who during the 1950s became a very well-known teacher in Tibet. At the time of the Chinese communist takeover of Tibet he was imprisoned and spent over 20 years in terrible conditions in Chinese jails, sometimes close to starvation, and facing other privations, before being finally released and making his escape to India. By that time his teacher had already reincarnated, and when they met Rinpoche asked the Khenpo to head his new studies monastery, which he agreed to. The success of their educational work is almost legendary, and they have taught 1000s of students. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s idea for a film about the Buddha is to parallel Khenpo’s life with that of the Buddha, and in this film, with the help of a little girl, Justine Yang, who retells the Buddha’s life story, we get an idea of how the film, if it is ever made, might play out. Meanwhile we also hear about Khenpo’s amazing story of life in the Chinese prisons, and escape to India, on the one hand; and Rinpoche’s ideas about movies and life on the other. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a film by Anika Tokarchuk following the interlocking stories of three people, the reincarnate lama Khentsye Rinpoche, who is making his latest film; the Taiwanese seeker Yuan Ren, who has ordained under Rinpoche, but now has to serve in the army back in Taiwan; and Bhagay, a Tibetan monk who goes to the USA to fulfil his dreams. The stories are told parallel to each other, and to the film which Khentsye Rinpoche is working on at this point in time: Travellers and Magicians, which itself is concerned with reality and illusion, peoples’ dreams and aspirations. As in other films which feature Rinpoche he seems to be constantly questioning his own role in Tibetan society, and moves a little uneasily between being a high lama in the east, with many responsibilities and duties; and being a film maker, amongst other things, when he is in the west. The film also watches the life changes of two of his disciples, one of whom is conscripted into the Taiwanese army for two years national service, and the other who wanders away from his monks’ life, seeking satisfaction in western material society. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is another film by Anika Tokarchuk following the reincarnate lama Khentsye Rinpoche, this time as he makes his first feature film, The Cup. I previously showed another film about the same subject You are Dreaming Me. This film seems to precede You are Dreaming Me, and looks at the actual making of the film, from storyline, first thought up at Bodhgaya by Rinpoche, through its realisation, with interviews with production staff and the non-professional actors he used in the film. Besides this we get ample time dedicated to Rinpoche’s reflections on the relationship between film and life, and how he came to make the film in the first place. There are lots of entertaining anecdotes along the way, and Rinpoche is as charismatic as ever. For those of you who are enchanted by Rimpoche, there is also another film featured on this site, in which he opens a new monastery in the Himalayas: Drupchen, A Visual Journey. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a very charming first solo film by Khentyse Norbu Rinpoche looking at life for young monks in a Tibetan monastery in exile in India. The film centres around a young novice’s obsession with the 1998 world cup and his efforts to get to watch the games, and how his supervisors deal with that. A secondary story is that of two young boys who are smuggled out of Tibet to become monks at the same monastery, and who are exposed to what is in fact quite a different culture. One of them is put in the same room as the young football fan and is introduced to the thrills of the game for the first time. It is Rinpoche’s eye for character and dialogue that really shine out in the film, which avoids idealism and romanticism and shows how tolerance and understanding play out in peoples’ real lives. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is a wonderful film made by Zhang Yang, who must be one of the finest Chinese filmmakers working at present. It tells the story of a gruelling pilgrimage made by Tibetan peasants to Lhasa, and eventually on to Mount Kailash. For most of the film I thought I was watching an extraordinary documentary, but in fact it is only documentary-style, made without a script, and with non-professional actors playing parts they are evidently acquainted with personally. A group of 11 pilgrims begin a trip to Lhasa, 1200km away, prostrating every few steps of the way. Along the way a baby is born; a tractor is involved in an accident and the final 100km is made with the pilgrims dragging the wagon; and finally one of the characters dies. The film, which is deliberately slow and contemplative, is shot in some of the most awesome landscapes, and is a remarkable story of faith, courage and determination. Not a film you are ever likely to forget. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The 28th lecture in the Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina is also the last one I will be showing from this series as it is the last dealing directly with Buddhism. In this lecture Prof. Hardy looks at the Tibetan tradition, and some of the famous names that are associated with the lineages within that school. It starts with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. We then follow the various fortunes Buddhism went through, and some of the schools that formed from various teachers, before it was again reinvigorated by the arrival of Atisha in the 11th century. We learn also about Milarepa’s life, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, before coming to Tsongkhapa in the late 14th century, and even further up to date with the founding of the Dalai Lama lineage, right up to the present. As always Prof. Hardy has a way of presenting the material in a very interesting and engaging fashion, is really quite a master of the knowledge he is presenting. Although i haven’t included all the talks that he gives, as they are not all centered on Buddhism, you can still check out the whole course by following this link. https://www.youtube.com/user/MisayM/videos [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The 27th lecture in the Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina concerns the development, mainly of Buddhist philosophy in Korea by focusing on three great thinkers in that country: Wonhyo, Chinul and King Sejong. The talk spans a long period of time with these three seminal teachers. Wonhyo lived during the 7th century, and was one of the early scholars and popularisers of Buddhism in Korea, and probably their most important Buddhist thinker. He initially wanted to go to China to study Buddhism, being – like so many others – dissatisfied with the state of the teachings in the country, but after a couple of misadvantures he gained an awakening experience, and didn’t proceed on his journey but turned back and decided to teach. His greatest efforts were to harmonize the teachings of Madhyamaka and Yogacara. The great zen master Chinul (12th c.) also wanted to harmonize teachings he had received, especially the zen school and the Huayan school, which was a scholarly teaching based on the Flower Ornament sutra. King Sejong (15th c.) on the other hand was one of those great Kings who is best remembered for his commissioning the Hangul script, noted as one of the most logical and consistent scripts in use. Along the way we also learn many other things about Korean history, the Tripiṭaka Koreana, social conditions and religious rivalries that played out over this great span of time. Prof. Hardy is a real master of his studies, and a very effective communicator, who manages to give a feel for the subjects he summarises. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The 25th lecture in the Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina looks at the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and focuses on the lives of two of its great masters: Dogen and Hakuin. Dogen is of course now regarded as one of the great masters of the zen tradition in Japan, and the founder of the northern, or Soto Zen school of Buddhism; Hakuin, who lived in the 18th century, though not the founder, became the embodiment of the Rinzai or southern school, and was fiercely opposed to Soto. Dr. Hardy first gives more background on life in Japan, and the introduction of Buddhism there, and explains how certain monks had become dissatisfied with the teachings they had received and travelled again to China to try and find the True Dharma. Dogen was one of these and eventually was to write many works, covering poetry, talks, commentaries and his most famous collection of essays called the Shobogenzo; Hakuin, on the other hand, was a fierce iconoclast, who scolded the monks of his own time, and left a famous autobiography explaining his own experiences of enlightenment (satori). As always Dr. Hardy manages to get the essence across and conveys much more information and points of interest than his very limited format would seem to allow for. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The 19th lecture in the Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina traces the introduction of Buddhism in Japan and its development up and till Nicheren in the 13th century (but omitting Zen Buddhism, which will be discussed in the next lecture). Nearly all the schools were brought from Japan, not from India, and began around the 8th century, with the journey of Saicho and Kukai to China. Suchai has some influence of Japanese Buddhism, and introduced the Tendai school of Buddhism. Kukai was even more influential, bringing back the esoteric form of Tibetan Buddhism, with the founding of the Shingon sect, which is still very popular today. Other figues considered in today’s short lecture include Kuya, Honen, who introduced Pure Land Buddhism, Shinran and Nichiren, from whom the Soka Gakkai sect has developed. To cover such a large amount of schools and teachers in such a short time is really remarkable, but Dr. Hardy as always manages to discuss salient points, point out differences, and give meaningful analogies along the way. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the 17th lecture on the Great Minds in the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy, in which he looks at the great Chinese traveller and translator Xuanzang, and the various Chinese Buddhist schools that arose. The first part is concerned with establishing the political history of China, and how that contributed to the acceptance of Buddhism in the country. Around the 6th century CE China was in great turmoil following the dissolution of the Sui Dynasty, and the rise of the Tang. Xuanzang was also caught up in this, as when he wanted to leave for India to find the missing texts of Buddhism he could not get official permission to leave the country and had to do so illegally. When 16 years later he returned to China he brought an enormous treasure house of scriptures with him consisting of over 600 texts from the Mahayana and Hinayana traditions, and spent the rest of his life translating many of them. The next part in Dr Hardy’s presentation concerns the schools that developed in China and became popular in later times, these include Tiantai (focused on the Lotus Sutra), Hauyan (Flower Ornament Sutra), Pure Land and Chan. None of these schools really arose out of Xuanzang’s work, but were the major schools in the country, and still are. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

This is the 14th talk that Dr. Hardy from the University of North Carolina gave on the Great Minds of the Eastern intellectual tradition for the Great Courses series. In this talk Dr Hardy is concerned with two of the greatest thinkers in the Buddhist tradition, Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, who laid the foundations of the Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools respectively. To begin the lecture Dr Hardy reminds students of some of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha regarding dependent origination and the noble truths. He also introduces the logic of the tetralema. Then in very short order we get an introduction to the thought of Nagarjuna as contained in the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way, and their relation to the Prajñaparamita literature, before passing on to a similarly brief history of Vasubandhu and his teachings. The lecture concludes by looking at the fate of the Nalanda University in the 12th century. Dr Hardy is very good at getting the essence of the matter over to his audience, but really we see the difficulties also of trying to teach a course on great minds in such short lessons. The only thing we can really hope for is that the brief intros will stimulate students to explore more on their own. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

The 12th lecture in the Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Dr. Grant Hardy of the University of North Carolina looks at two great thinkers in the early historical period: Kautilya and Ashoka. The author of Arthasastra has often been maligned as the Indian Machiavelli, but in fact the advice he gives in his book towards the pursuit of the good is much more than a cynical advice on how a King can stay in power, see the regime he lays down for Kings, which is very strict and hard, and really makes him a servant of the people, not the other way round. On the other hand King Ashoka’s place as a great thinker is already assured, thanks to his having carved his advice in stone, and it having come down to us to this day. One of the great monuments of statesmanship, Ashoka’s words and practice stand out as a shining example of good Buddhist kingship even in the present day. Prof. Hardy also discusses other matters in this lecture, like the differences between Indian and Chinese philosophy, the four stages of life and the right aims in life, including kama, or sensual pleasure, as embodied by another misread text, the Kamasutra. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]

I will begin today a series of lectures given by Grant Hardy, PhD, drawn from a long series of 36 lectures entitled: Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition. We will be concerned of course with the representative figures of Buddhism, although there is much of interest in other sections of this series. The lectures are part of a series recorded for The Great Courses, which I have previously drawn upon for talks by Prof. David Eckel, which provided an excellent introduction to their subject. In the first talk Dr. Hardy is talking about the Buddha, and gives a very competent overview of the life and teachings of the Buddha in a concise fashion, which touch on all the main topics which are important for a general understanding. Topics covered here include the Buddha’s life, the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Noble Path, the three characteristics, the four immeasurables, and the precepts for lay and monastics. Other figures coming up in successive weeks will focus on Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, Xuanzang, Dogen, Padmasambhava and others. [This upload is for informational purposes only, and is not monetized. If anyone claims copyright and wants the video removed, please write to dharmadocus@gmail.com and the video will be removed immediately.]