Buddha Realms

A film by Mark Edmondson for Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Buddhism, a religion that started in India, has shown a remarkable ability to adapt across race, language and cultural barriers. What became the dominant spiritual tradition of the East has now taken root and is flourishing in the West. Buddha Realms captures this contemporary spiritual phenomenon which sometimes manifests itself in massive edifices and gargantuan crowds of worshippers.

The film suggests that Buddhism’s universal appeal lies in the astonishing plurality of philosophies and practices that have evolved from its ancient traditions. Yet despite these permutations, the Buddha himself remains the ultimate ideal. Whether as a simple ascetic, or the compassionate Buddha, or the "Cosmic Light," devotees believe the Buddha is the symbol of all that is great and good in this world and beyond.

55 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $75

"Recommended…The variety and diversity of Buddhist belief and practice presented in less than 60 minutes is this production’s greatest strength, along with high quality editing and superior audio and video production elements." Charles Greenberg, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, EMRO