The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation
1994
45 min
Coming soon
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a two-part series that explores ancient teachings on death and dying. It was filmed over a four-month period on location in the Himalayas where the original text still yields an essential influence over people's views of life and death. The Great Liberation, is a docudrama which, in the company of an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk, leads us into the very foundations of Buddhist philosophy--the search for compassion and truth. Pema Choden, the lama, and Tubten, the young monk, read from the texts of The Tibetan Book of the Dead …
Details
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a two-part series that explores ancient teachings on death and dying. It was filmed over a four-month period on location in the Himalayas where the original text still yields an essential influence over people's views of life and death. The Great Liberation, is a docudrama which, in the company of an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk, leads us into the very foundations of Buddhist philosophy--the search for compassion and truth. Pema Choden, the lama, and Tubten, the young monk, read from the texts of The Tibetan Book of the Dead as they conduct the 49 days of final rites for a deceased Himalayan villager. We must all face the death of somebody we love, as well as our own death. This film helps us to prepare for these inevitabilities.
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scriptShinichi Nakazawa
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musicToshiyuki Honda
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cameraHideo SaitoShuji Kawashita
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editorMitsunori MorimotoJudith MerrittDavid Verrall
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sound effectsMasayuki Onoe
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video FXMasato Iizuka
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re-recordingYoshinori KawabataJean-Pierre Joutel
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project coordinatorToru Hirota
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location coordinatorSonam Norboo
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directorHiroaki MoriYukari HayashiBarrie McLean
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producerAtsunori KawamuraNaoyuki KibeBarrie McLeanDavid Verrall
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electronic imagingEve Ramboz
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narratorLeonard Cohen
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consultant - narrationDouglas Penick
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animationIshu Patel
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video post-productionLouis GirardinMichel Arsenault
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studio administratorCarrol Smith
Education
Ages 15 to 17
Ethics and Religious Culture - Ethical Values
Family Studies/Home Economics - Feminism
History and Citizenship Education - Culture and Currents of Thought (1500-present)
Students will research the historical origins of Buddhism, as well as its spread and influence throughout Asia, and beyond. Advanced students can investigate the role of Buddhism in the modern world of developing economies, or the growing popularity of Buddhism in the West. Students of religious studies will do a comparative analysis of Buddhist philosophy and another religion. Integrating art and geography, students will research a famous Buddhist temple or monument and do an oral presentation with maps and other visual supports.
