The Meditative Life 2019: Consciousness, Meaning, and Connection

Feb. 5–Mar. 7, 2019

Our annual series explores not only meditation and mindfulness, but also the many ways in which we investigate the different realms of the human experience. This year’s programs draw us close to spiritual leaders and practitioners, steep us in music and art, and bring us into the worlds of kirtan, monastic life, and yoga. They encourage us to grapple with the end of life, the nature of reality, provocative treatments for trauma—and how to really listen. Join us for a JBFC campus-wide immersion into different and provocative ideas, starting with an unforgettable evening with a Buddhist nun in Tibet, brought to us by the peerless filmmaker Hamid Sardar.

Programmed by Brian Ackerman, Sharon AvRutick, and Saidah Russell

Tibet: The Trail of Light Mar. 7, 2019 We are thrilled to kick off The Meditative Life with a rare showing of the latest documentary from Hamid Sardar,…
Zen for Nothing Mar. 7, 2019 Northeast Premiere! “Simple and beautifully filmed, this is Into Great Silence meets Enlightenment Guaranteed.” (Freer Gallery of Art) Quietly compelling, Zen for…
The Nature of Reality Mar. 5, 2019 On Feb. 16, 2017, two world-renowned thinkers—the esteemed Buddhist scholar Alan Wallace, who was trained by the Dalai Lama, and…
Mantra Mar. 4, 2019 “This film fed my soul” (Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now) With a history dating back centuries in India,…
Ear Yoga: Think With Your Ears Mar. 3, 2019 w/ sound artist and sonic philosopher Bruce Odland Our capacity to truly listen and absorb everyday sound is often dampened—if not entirely ignored—by the pressures of the modern…
Exit Music Feb. 28, 2019 Q&A host/facilitator of the Death Cafe Northern Westchester Barbara Sarah A rare, unflinching invitation into the world of a young artist dying of cystic fibrosis as he and his family…
On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace Feb. 24, 2019 Q&A photographer and film subject Michael O’Neill When award-winning photographer Michael O’Neill, who has produced iconic photos of some of the most famous personalities of our time,…
Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student’s Journey Feb. 21, 2019 For many yoga devotees, the name B.K.S. Iyengar is synonymous with the practice itself. Asking deeply practical questions like “How…
Awakening Compassion: Talking Film with Tracy Cochran Feb. 19, 2019 FILM SCREENING: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring This breathtakingly beautiful film takes place on and around a tree-lined lake where…
From Shock to Awe Feb. 10, 2019 Q&A filmmaker Luc Côté, and Dr. William Vingiano, a veteran and therapist who works with issues of PTSD When trauma leaves us broken spiritually, where do we turn? Is healing even possible? In this raw and intimate film,…
Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy Feb. 7, 2019 “Because time erases or alters Mr. Goldsworthy’s sculptures, movies are the ideal medium to capture them…. The surprise of Leaning…

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