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Ashes in the river Asia in transition Building faith, sacred architecture Building faith, sacred architecture" Essentials of faith Heaven on earth (Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm) : 2006) Heaven, hell, and Nirvana I BELIEVE-with Dennis Wholey Politics, religion, and national identity Untouchable, life as an outcasteFilter By Series
Ashes in the river Asia in transition Building faith, sacred architecture Building faith, sacred architecture" Essentials of faith Heaven on earth (Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm) : 2006) Heaven, hell, and Nirvana I BELIEVE-with Dennis Wholey Politics, religion, and national identity Untouchable, life as an outcasteSummary: This program explores the two great religions to come from India. "The historian of religion can find almost anything he wants in India, enacted with intensity. What remains is to carry its insight into everyday life. Smith uncovered the mysteries of multiphonic chanting among Tibetan lamas, previously unknown in the West. Characterizing these chants as "the holiest sound I have ever heard,"...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: In southern India, Yellamma is the goddess of the untouchables, and the joginis are typically Dalit girls dedicated to their service-and to the servicing of the local men. The jogini role as representative of the goddess has been corrupted: "Society has deliberately turned the jogini into sex workers, and exploits them as such," says jogini-turned-activist Hajamma. After describing the sacred...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: From ritual ablutions to ceremonial cremation, the religious life of a Hindu is intimately associated with the spiritual properties of water and fire. This program steps off the beaten path for a journey with two sadhus as they visit holy locales, witness religious rites, and, in general, immerse themselves in Hindu culture as it is exists in the religion's motherland, India. The Festival of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Home to more than a billion people, India struggles to remain the secular and tolerant society that Mahatma Gandhi envisioned. This Wide Angle documentary focuses on India's increasingly powerful Hindu nationalist movement, the specter of religious and ethnic strife that has haunted the nation since the dawn of its independence in 1947, and the actions of government and partisan forces that may...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Indoor plumbing is rare in rural India. This program introduces viewers to two Dalit families who, for generations, have cleaned the excrement from their villages' open-air latrines with their bare hands. But flush-toilets don't necessarily free untouchables from their role; a young man who manually removes waste from the sewers of Hyderabad is also interviewed, along with Bezawada Wilson-a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Every year, thousands die in India through caste-related violence, as untouchables and upper-castes alike stoop as low as they need to go to gain their aims. Seen through the lens of a veteran photojournalist, this program looks at both sides of the struggle between the upper-caste Ranvir militia and Dalit supporters of the Marxist-Leninists in Bihar. Professor Kanchia Eliah, of the University...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: A daughter of a Badi prostitute is required to be registered under the surname Nepali. So marked from birth, she is born into prostitution and is expected to follow her mother into that trade-unless the family, the Dalit community, or charitable NGOs are moved to help them make a change. This program profiles two Badi families and the positive efforts of one former prostitute and Suklal Nepali,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Muslims arrived in India the same year they entered Spain-and by the end of the 13th century ruled nearly all of the country. This program travels across India by way of Iran, Pakistan, and Maldives to examine the rich Islamic heritage of the region. The program also observes the Muslim way of life on the subcontinent as it exists today. Sites of note include the Taj Mahal, the Golkonda Fort...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: In parts of Nepal, there is little paying work available to untouchables. Forced to borrow small sums just to survive, they quickly become debt slaves to higher-caste people-and although the practice is illegal, it all too often represents the only chance Dalits have to obtain food. This program contrasts the lives of Bharat, who seeks emancipation through the assistance of a debt...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Containing nearly a sixth of the world's population, India is home to almost a billion people, more than half of whom live in rural villages. This program provides an overview of topics such as the caste system as it exists in the holy Hindu town of Varanasi and the massive pilgrimages to Allahabad, where millions of Hindus come to ritually bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Although they may not look exactly like their counterparts in China, North America's Chinese Buddhist temples are closely linked to them through symbolism and traditions that go back more than 1,500 years. This video looks at structural symmetry, north/south building orientation, and interior layout; architectural elements like pagodas, columns, and courtyards; the lotus flower as a design...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: From birth to death, in every country on the globe, for tens of thousands of years, the rhythm of human life has been accentuated by the practice of religious ritual. In this program adherents of three different faiths share their understanding of some common rites of passage: a rabbi explains the elements of a Jewish wedding, including some that date back to the book of Genesis; a minister...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Buddhism holds that life and the physical world are illusions, transcended by emptying the mind and simplifying one's life. In reality, Buddhism is complicated-no unified teaching exists. This program presents ways of articulating Buddhist thought from six straightforward and insightful practitioners who explain parallels and distinctions between Buddhist traditions. Commentators include Geshe...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Hindu temples are models of the Hindu universe. And while no two temples are exactly alike, they do share some common architectural features. This video compares modern Hindu temples in North America to the classic northern- and southern-style Indian temples of a thousand years ago. Elements that have survived the centuries-the sikhara tower and the statues of the myriad manifestations of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: In Indonesia, activists seek to return their country to its traditional moral values after a period of rapid economic growth that resulted in rampant nepotism and corruption under President Suharto. As Muslim students and Hindu priests work to revitalize Indonesia while preserving a democratic ideal, this thought-provoking program provides an in-depth portrait of a country seeking to redefine...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about the Baha'i Faith with Randolph Dobbs, director of the Los Angeles Baha'i Center in Los Angeles, California. Topics of discussion include the meaning of Baha'i; the history of the Faith and its founder, the divine messenger Bahaullah; the concept of religion as an ongoing revelation, with the prophet of each age bringing an additional piece...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Drawing on Buddha's ancient sermons, this program vividly depicts the life story of Siddhartha Gautama, who is said to have renounced luxury and radical asceticism alike to attain spiritual freedom by taking the middle path. Transformed, Siddhartha became reverentially known as Buddha, "The Enlightened One," and offered his teachings to any who wished to learn the Four Noble Truths. Buddhist...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program provides insights into the practice of Hinduism through the architecture and art of India. Circling from Varanasi to Mamallapuram and Khajuraho and back again, it spotlights carved-stone shrines such as the Krishna Mandapam, the Panch Rathas, and the Dharmaraja Ratha; the ancient Shore Temple, recovered from the Bay of Bengal; and the Kandariya Mahadev Temple, with its exotic-and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Fully 80 percent of India's vast population follow the way of Hinduism, an ancient yet vibrant religion. This overview-filled with evocative images of India and its people, architecture, and sacred works-provides a stimulating glimpse of a spiritual way of life that is expansive yet tolerant, sublime yet practical, and supportive of individual expression. The history of Hinduism's development...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Residing to the north of India, the population of Kashmir is primarily Muslim. This program travels to the place known as "the Switzerland of the East" to study the beliefs and practices of Islam. Topics such as the Koran, the Pillars of Islam, the influence of Sharia, and traditional Muslim festivals and holy sites are addressed. Background on the arrival of Islam in Kashmir and its spread...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Filmed in Allahabad, this captivating program captures the 2001 Maha Kumbh festival, a 43-day event that drew tens of millions of devotees to the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythic Saraswati Rivers to honor the creation story of Hinduism and to pray for release from the cycle of reincarnation. The program provides a kaleidoscopic view of the pageants, rituals, and ceremonies that make...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: When his American doctor suggested shoulder replacement surgery, veteran reporter T. R. Reid decided to investigate other options. This program documents his three-week stay at a clinic in southern India dedicated to the ancient practice of Ayurveda, a form of Hindu medicine. Reid's treatment involves astrology, entreaties to the Hindu god of healing, and a seemingly bizarre regimen of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: In India, religious observances weave countless golden threads into the homespun fabric of daily life. This program provides an overview of four of India's prominent religions: Jainism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Stunning footage from all around the subcontinent displays these jewels of India's religious heritage-along with their monuments, shrines, temples, festivals, and sacred...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta, Burma is one of the world's poorest nations due to decades of iron-fisted military control and despite its valuable natural resources and priceless national treasures. This program presents an intriguing glimpse of Burmese life, ranging from washing the sacred Buddha at the Maha Muni Pagoda and the initiation of young Buddhist novices amid the ruins of Bagan...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007