| REVIEWS & PRAISE "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." Dr. Deborah Kilmburg-Salter Professor of Tibetan Art History, University of Vienna, Austria ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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 b 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." LA YOGA MAGAZINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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." John Schaeffer WNYC, New YorK Public Radio November 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "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, a film trilogy directed, written and produced by John Bush....actress Sharon Stone's clean, unaffected narration of Prajna Earth complements Bush's gentle camera work. " Mary Talbot TRICYCLE November 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "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." Wes Nisker INQUIRING MIND Spring 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "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..." Cliff Giaviano Educational Media Reviews Online ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "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 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 September 2004 |
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