Friday, October 30, 2009

UWest’s Religion & Film Series Continues Tonight with Le Grand Voyage

Just a quick reminder that UWest’s Religion & Film Series will continue tonight with a screening of Le Grand Voyage–Ismaël Ferroukhi’s multi-award-winning film festival favorite from 2004. The film stars Nicolas Cazale and Mohamed Madj (both honored with Best Actor prizes for their work—from the Newport International Film Festival and Mar del Plata Film Festival, respectively) and is described by the All Movie Guide in this way:

Réda (Nicolas Cazale) is determined to better himself by pursuing a higher education. When Réda's headstrong father (Mohamed Madj) arrives demanding that his son drive him to Mecca for a religious pilgrimage, the troubled young man's resentment towards grows more powerful than ever as a result of the elder's demand for respect for both himself and his journey. Now, as the reluctant pair wind their way from France to Saudi Arabia, the bond shared between them will be tested and their lives forever changed.
A trailer for the film is at the end of the post.

The screening starts at 7 p.m. in Room ED309. It is free and open to the public. A discussion will follow. We hope to see you there!

Friday, October 23, 2009

UWest's Religion & Film Series Continues Tonight with Doubt

Just a quick announcement that University of the West's Religion & Film Series will continue tonight with a screening of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt--the Oscar-nominated adaptation of his Pulitizer Prize-winning play. The film stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis (all Academy Award-nominated for their work), and is described by the All Movie Guide in this way:
1964, St. Nicholas, the Bronx: The winds of change are sweeping through this tight-knit religious community, and charismatic priest Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is doing his best to adapt by revisiting the school's notoriously strict disciplinary practices. Unfortunately Father Flynn's progressive ideas stand in stark contrast to the longstanding beliefs of Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-willed principal, who believes that an oppressive environment of punishment and fear is the only way to keep the student body in line. Suddenly into this tempestuous environment appears young Donald Miller, St. Nicholas' first black student. When hopeful innocent Sister James (Amy Adams) reluctantly reveals to Sister Beauvier that Father Flynn and Donald have been spending an unusual amount of time together in the church rectory, the unrelentingly righteous headmistress begins a merciless crusade to reveal the beloved clergyman as a lecherous child molester and have him permanently expunged from the school. Yet despite her moral certainty that Father Flynn has committed such an unspeakable transgression, Sister Beauvier has not a shred of actual evidence to back up her audacious claim. Now, as Sister Beauvier and Father Flynn enter into an epic battle of wills, the shock waves set into motion by their explosive confrontation threaten to destroy one man's reputation and tear apart the entire surrounding community.

A trailer for the film is at the end of the post.

I've previously blogged about my affinity for Shanley's play, and you can read those thoughts here.

The screening starts at 7 p.m. in Room ED309. It is free and open to the public. A discussion will follow with Corrine Hinton, Coordinator of the Learning Center, and myself. We hope to see you there!



[Photo from Miramax Films.]

Monday, October 19, 2009

Register Now for the "Buddhism without Borders: Contemporary Buddhism in the West" Conference at the Institute of Buddhist Studies This March!

Via our pal in the Buddhoblogosphere Dr. Scott A. Mitchell of the buddha is my dj and the DharmaRealm podcast: the "Buddhism without Borders: Contemporary Buddhism in the West" conference at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA, is nearing--register now!

Buddhism without Borders: Contemporary Buddhism in the West
Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, Ca
March 18-21, 2010

Registration is now open for the conference "Buddhism without Borders: Contemporary Buddhism in the West," March 18-21, 2010 at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA. Conference schedule, details, and registration are available at http://www.shin-ibs.edu/eventreg/Berkeley2010.php.

How has Buddhism outside Asia been shaped by diaspora and immigration? How has the increase in global tourism, communication, and capitalism affected the way Buddhism is understood, taught, and practiced? These and other themes will be explored in a four-day conference hosted by the Institute of Buddhist Studies, in Berkeley, California.

Keynote Address by Prof. Thomas Tweed, author of The American Encounter with Buddhism and Crossing and Dwelling. Panelists include Galen Amstutz, Franz Metcalf, Charles Prebish, Richard Hughes Seager, Duncan Ryuken Williams, and others.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Chaplain Fired After Blogging about Interaction with Museum Shooting Victim

The Washington Post reports that several weeks after her reflection on attending to Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting victim Stephen T. Johns ran at their On Faith blog, Rabbi Tamara Miller has been fired from her post as head of the spiritual care department at George Washington University Hospital.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

New Religion & Film Series Begins Tomorrow at UWest

The Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at University of the West is pleased to announced that a new Religion & Film Series, sponsored by us, will officially begin tomorrow night. The series is part of a new bunch of activities on campus for both students and members of the local community. This being the case, we're excited and hoping for a good turnout. You can find out more about the series (including the full line-up of films) at MahaSangha News.

Films will be shown on video, using either an LCD projector or a large screen television. So, the screenings will be decidedly low-key, but it's open to the public and we hope to see you there.

Tomorrow at 7 p.m., we will start the series off in ED309 with a screening of Peter Weir's 1985 classic Witness. The film stars Harrison Ford as a police detective in hiding with the Pennsylvania Amish. Program Coordinator Danny Fisher will lead an informal discussion about the film right after the screening. The trailer is embedded below.

CNN on Buddhism Behind Bars

CNN did a feature last week about how Buddhism and "the art of meditation... has found a growing number of unlikely followers behind prison bars."

The work of our friend (and a past interviewee at my personal blog) Kobutsu Malone is mentioned. Take a look.

"Military Buddhist Chapel Represents Tolerance"

National Public Radio has a feature this week about a special space at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO: "the only Buddhist chapel on a U.S. military base."

I've previously blogged about religious controversy at the Air Force Academy. NPR explains how that played into the decision to build this chapel:
The controversy prompted the Air Force to issue guidelines for religious expression. The military also has made efforts to accommodate all faiths. These include the construction of the 300-square-foot Buddhist chapel at the Air Force Academy paid for by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism.

The floor is bamboo, and the walls are Port Orford cedar. The focal point is a cherry and ash altar with a Burmese Buddha statue on top.

Read the rest here.

[Photo by Jeffy Brady for National Public Radio. "Steve Honda, an Air Force Academy military trainer, kneels before the altar in the base's Buddhist chapel."]