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"Vajra Sky Over Tibet is
an illuminating meditation on that deepest of Buddhist philosophical concerns
- impermanence. Study of a threatened culture and people is beautifully shot
inside Tibet's most sacred sites and arrives with the blessing of the Dalai
Lama. The peaceful principles of the faith infuse every frame...”
"As the images unfold and the facts accrete like sand in a mandala, "Vajra Sky Over Tibet" builds an atmosphere of serene outrage."
"[Vajra Sky Over Tibet] is not only the year’s best documentary, but also among the finest films ever made about religion... A work of power and glory."
"The beauty and poignancy of what I was seeing in Tibet was overwhelming at times and I would need to step away from the camera. Capturing the essence of these sacred places and the devotional will of the Tibetan pilgrims were powerful experiences that are shared abundantly in the footage."
A View From Tibet: Interview with John Bush
Phil Hall/Film Threat Click here to see the entire interview "John Bush's enthralling and heartfelt documentary explores the beauty and the vulnerability of the Buddhist tradition in Tibet today and its importance to the Western world."
"The film is part meditation on and part travelogue to Tibet, documenting places where the Buddhist practice still exists despite the ban by the occupying Chinese government."
The Boston Globe
Leslie Brokaw "Bush's stunning camera work adroitly captures the majectic landscapes and icons of Buddhism: its murals and artworks, monks and nuns... A tonic for Buddhists, no doubt, it offers many pleasures to atheists as well."
"A well-photographed inside look at a fascinating culture and its people."
"For nearly ninety minutes, with beautiful cinematography, captivating music, and gorgeous settings, Bush takes you deep inside a mysterious, peaceful, and threatened world that you will not soon forget."
This Week In New York
"Taking his camera into monasteries and capturing everyday moments with grace, Bush forgoes the idea of interviewing and lets his footage speak for itself."
Boston Herald
Chelsea Bain "Travel to the sacred temples, remote monasteries, and lively festivals of the Himalayan landscape with filmmaker John Bush in a cinematic pilgrimage into the heart of Tibetan Buddhist culture. All is not well in this central Asian region, however, and as Bush offers a compelling glimpse into a culture that has endured for centuries, his exploration of the Chinese efforts to destroy this ancient wisdom from within provides a poignant snapshot of a contemporary tragedy in the making."
All Movie Guide
Jason Buchanan "Images of the landscape, temples, and art dazzle with their gemlike luminosity and vaulting immensity."
Boston Phoenix
Peter Keough "Bush has accomplished his primary and extraordinary feat: documenting a culture that threatens to disappear. It’s a loving effort, and an important addition to the body of films about this extraordinary,
sacred region of the world."
"..Could soften the most brittle heart."
“Vajra Sky Over Tibet is a spectacularly beautiful and highly informative movie… remarkably well lit for the conditions and shot as if Bush had all the time in the world to set up his cameras. His Buddhist credentials allowed the team access to the inner sanctums of temples beyond the reach of most tourists and bear witness to the determination of the residents to practice their religion openly. Their strength and resolve are palpable.
Well beyond any political subtext are wondrous scenes of sky-piercing mountains, raging rivers, lakes with mirror surfaces and picture-postcard valleys. The religious art and architecture is magnificent, as well." Digital Dretzka
Gary Dretzka "Vajra Sky is a stunning
documentary, endorsed by the Dalai Lama and highly recommended by Free Tibet
Campaign. The film visits temples, monasteries and festivals and explores
Tibet's endangered culture. With a haunting soundtrack including songs by
Yungchen Lhamo, this wonderful film will create nostalgia in all those who
have been to Tibet and a yearning in those who have not. A fabulous gift
for anyone with an interest in Tibet.”
Free Tibet Campaign, UK
"VAJRA SKY is a journey unveiling some of
the most remote and remarkable aspects of communist controlled Tibet..
We go places western visitors rarely go, see things most westerners haven't
seen in decades.. This is about as stately and polished as video gets.
It's museum quality in content, message and image.. A giant spiritual tapestry."
LA YOGA Magazine, Amit Goti
Ayurveda and Health layogamagazine.com "VAJRA SKY is a magnificent attempt to bring
the truth, beauty and indomitable faith of our Tibetan friends to a wide
audience. The sound track is inspired. It comes recommended by none other
than His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Fascinating viewing."
MANDALA JOURNAL
"VAJRA SKY is a beautiful and moving
experience which in my view attempts to represent a balanced view of the
current situation in Tibet. The monuments and rituals as well as daily
life are depicted with both an eye for their unique beauty but without
sentimentality. I know of no other film that enables viewers so balanced
a view of the artistic and physical landscape of modern Tibet."
Professor of Tibetan Art History, University of Vienna, Austria
Dr. Deborah Kilmburg-Salter "The Yatra Trilogy films magnificently display a wide range of art from South East Asia and Tibet: architecture, painting and sculpture. Viewers are engaged in direct encounters with many brilliant sacred works of art, which are made all the more vivid by being presented within their original context.
The trilogy fills us with wonder at the spiritual culture - past and present - from this vibrant region. Viewers will be awed by this luminous world - so rarely captured on film." "[The Yatra Trilogy] takes us on a beautifully in-depth trip through Asia from which even the most seasoned traveller would learn."
"EVOKNG DEVOTION - The Yatra Trilogy
is a series of 3 lovingly made films about key Buddhist pilgrimage sites
that have preserved their sanctity. The slow pace of the films, beauty
of the imagery, absence of commentary and mesmerizing soundtrack enable
them to evoke the power of the monuments they depict and the devotion of
the pilgrims visiting them. They are rare glimpses of a vanishing world."
DHARMA LIFE
Buddhism for Today, UK "Creator, director, cinematographer John Bush
undertakes the production of a travel documentary as if it were fine art. This is
as good as this genre gets, and I’ve been to many of the places Bush
describes and shows us in this magnificently produced DVD. ….. Maybe
it is the ever-moving camera or the classical sacred music, but one does have
the sense of a journey here into another time and place."
"The films of The Yatra Trilogy use music on an even deeper more organic level....there is amazing music and of course the films are just terrific visually as well...more like a visual meditation."
WNYC, New YorK Public Radio
John Schaeffer Listen to the entire show (Streaming MP3, 24 min, 16.5MB) "Dharma River delights: a flaming stream of fascinating imagery - lyrically poetic and visually stunning. Don't miss this dazzling glimpse of a sacred world."
Daniel Goleman
Author of international bestseller Emotional Intelligence "Dharma River carries us along in the stream
of spiritual blessings and delight. This visual feast transports us into
the ancient yet timeless mystic East in a way that goes beyond place and
time to touch the eternal."
"Watching DHARMA RIVER is a visual meditation
and a contemplative experience. I thoroughly enjoyed making this sacred journey
with John Bush and know others will too."
Lama Surya Das
Author of Awakening the Buddha Within "The Yatra Trilogy offers up the mesmerizing beauty and ineffable power of places most of us will never see."
"From the earliest images of the Buddha's footprint to the garagantuan gold statues of Southeast Asia to the awe-inspiring intricacy of Tibetan mandalas, dharma imagery has inspired humans to stick to the path. So it seems only natural that the digital age would bring us digital aids for practice meant to inspire authentic devotion in the same spirit as a seventeenth-century Laotian wood-carving of the Buddha's hand. Such is the motive behind The Yatra Trilogy, three films directed, written and produced by John Bush....actress Sharon Stone's clean, unaffected narration of Prajna Earth complements Bush's gentle camera work."
"Dharma River beautifully melds an inner and outer journey. Viewers find themselves transformed as the voyage takes them through different landscapes of Southeast Asia, of Buddhist teaching, and of the mind."
Sharon Salzberg
Author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experiences "For those who love the Buddhist path, Dharma River is a poignant spiritual transmission. This stunningly beautiful pilgrimage through sacred landscapes of Buddhist Asia awakens us to the timeless truths that flow through every human heart."
Tara Brach, Ph.D.
Author of Radical Acceptance Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha "Dharma River is an exquisitely beautiful journey through Laos, Thailand and Burma, exploring the important themes and landscapes of Buddhism at the source. Moving down rivers, through villages, and to important
Buddhist pilgrimage sights...the visuals and narration create a mood of timeless peace. The musical score is perfect, the pacing is slow and hypnotic, and this viewer at least, felt altered by the experience of watching Dharma River."
INQUIRING MIND
Wes Nisker "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"
"...An extraordinary achievement ...The depictions of the murals and temple decorations
inside the major temples are extraordinary. Again, the narrative ties these glorious
art works to Buddhism and hints at the rites and rituals the beauty inspires..."
"Technically, the video is as excellent as its content...
careful editing of the images with the music... builds the film into a comprehensive sharing of the experience with the viewer."
"As an aid to meditation, segments can be programmed to the viewer's preference, repeated or looped to concentrate spiritual contemplation...
the DVD version was designed for the practitioner as well as for the novice...
it has endless educational and worship possibilities..."
"The only journey worth its salt is the journey that stirs the heart. Dharma River takes the viewer on just such a heart journey - and has the added benefit of being visually and musically dazzling as well."
Catherine Ingram
Author of Passionate Presence and In the Footsteps of Gandhi "PRAJNA EARTH is a serene cinematic pilgrimage pervaded by a quiet energy which allows you to be
both steeped in the richness of the landscape and to absorb the significance of the symbolism."
"PRAJNA EARTH is a visual pilgrimage of the heart of stunning intimacy and beauty."
KRISHNA DAS "Chantmaster of American Yoga" - NY Times "PRAJNA EARTH is a film I will come back to time and again. Like the spiritual wonders it so beautifully brings alive, PRAJNA EARTH takes us on a journey into our own potential. It is a pleasure at every level."
Mark Epstein, MD
Author of Thoughts Without a Thinker "This pilgrimage to legendary Buddhist temples, shrines, and other sacred sites in Laos, Thailand, and Burma captures the architectural beauty and spiritual serenity of these ancient religious marvels. Viewers experience the power of the sacred through panoramic shots of several Buddhist shrines where devotees are deeply immersed in prayer. A spiritually soothing harmonic chant score and serene footage enhance the mood. Filmmaker and narrator John Bush's commentaries about Buddha's life and teachings deepen an appreciation of local art, ceremonies, symbolism, and architectural images. DVD options include a narrated and nonnarrated version and choice of specific locales. This first in a series of journeys to sacred places pleases both the mind and eye."
BOOKLIST
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