Souls of Zen: Ancestors and Agency in Contemporary Japanese Temple Buddhism (2012)
• June 1st, 2012 • 1h 29min
Documentary
Overview
The Japanese population’s reaction to the catastrophe of March 2011 has been described as “stoic” by the Western media. The Japanese code of conduct is indeed deeply rooted in their Buddhist traditions, and young filmmakers Tim Graf and Jakob Montrasio observe in detail what this means for the people and their religion. At graveyards, in temples, at monasteries and with families, they question the impact this triple affliction has had on the lives and beliefs of the inhabitants. How deeply do their beliefs affect their grieving? What role do the monks play in assisting people with their grief? And, what effects has this enormous catastrophe had on their religious rituals? SOULS OF ZEN inserts the events of March 2011 into the context of traditional Zen Buddhism, examining Japan’s religiousness and the beliefs of those practising it at a crucial turning point.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
Does Your Soul Have a Cold?
Released on: 2007-10-23
Documentary
This documentary follows the lives of five Japanese individuals to explore how depression is perceiv...
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden
Released on: 2014-04-03
Documentary, Mystery, History, Crime
Darwin meets Hitchcock in this documentary. Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have created a p...
The Venerable W.
Released on: 2017-06-07
Documentary, Drama
A view of the religious tensions between Muslims and Buddhist through the portrait of the Buddhist m...
Aside From That
Released on:
Documentary
How do we live, knowing we are going to die? In search of answers, we probed the minds of atheists, ...
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
Released on: 2015-05-01
Documentary
The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of t...
Documenti su Giuseppe Pinelli
Released on: 1970-01-01
Documentary
The film examines the death of the anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli, who fell from the fourth floor of the...
Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Released on: 2010-01-01
Documentary
Brilliant Moon chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation master Khyentse Rinpoche, one...
Paper City
Released on: 2021-08-16
Documentary
Just after midnight on 10 March 1945, the US launched an air-based attack on eastern Tokyo; continui...
THE QUEST: Everest VR
Released on: 2024-05-21
Documentary, Adventure
'THE QUEST: Everest VR' is a one-of-a-kind "real-life" Virtual Reality documentary to climb and reve...
The Japanese Version
Released on: 1991-02-01
Documentary
How the Japanese process American pop culture and make it their own -- a mind-bending odyssey throug...
My Memory Is Full of Ghosts
Released on: 2024-10-10
Documentary
Like a visual elegy, My Memory Is Full of Ghosts explores a reality caught between past, present and...
Attack! The Battle for New Britain
Released on: 1944-06-20
War, Documentary
Actual footage by the United States Signal Corps of the landing and attack on Arawe Beach, Cape Glou...
I'm So Sorry
Released on: 2025-07-13
Documentary
In a quiet forest, a sign warns of radiation hazard. “Is this the past or the future?” muses the mas...
Library of Dust
Released on: 2011-01-28
Documentary
In 2004 the Oregon State Hospital, former site of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, revealed...
Bon Odori
Released on:
Documentary
Bon Odori dives into the world of karaoke and the ways this Japanese tradition has taken root and ev...
Traces: The Kabul Museum 1988
Released on: 2003-01-01
Documentary, History
The Kabul National Museum, once known as the "face of Afghanistan," was destroyed in 1993. We filmed...
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Released on: 2013-11-16
Documentary
Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki,...
Journey Into Buddhism: Prajna Earth
Released on: 2007-09-04
Documentary
Prajna is the Sanskrit word for radiant wisdom, and yatra is the word for pilgrimage or spiritual jo...