Guest Post: Journeys in Film

Film offers an immersive and emotionally-engaging way to give students productive encounters with world religions, thereby building empathy and understanding. In the case of Buddhism, there are wonderful Buddhist films from around the world that offer students a window into the diverse array of Buddhist experiences and practices. 

This selection of Buddhism-related films also includes links to free curricular materials for classroom use from Journeys in Film. Both the films and the teaching resources are variously appropriate for grades four and up. In addition to introducing students to the internal diversity present in Buddhism, the lesson plans also offer experiential learning activities about different Buddhist contemplative practices. These exercises help students learn about Buddhism while also developing practical, emotional self-regulation tactics. These practices can also serve as great additions to student health and mental wellness programs.

The Cup

The Cup (original title: Phörpa) is a wonderful film to introduce students of all ages to Buddhism. The Tibetan-language comedy follows the adventures of two young novice monks. Tibetan refugees who are also passionate soccer fans, they try desperately to obtain a television, so everyone in their remote Himalayan monastery can watch the World Cup final.

The film is an “own voices” story: the writer/director Khyentse Norbu is a Tibetan/Bhutanese lama. Chosen at age 7 as the reincarnation of a 19th century lama, Norbu was educated at a monastery-in-exile himself.

The Journeys in Film curriculum guide for The Cup features a social studies lesson introducing the core beliefs of historical Buddhism for grades 6-8. It also includes a hands-on art activity about Tibetan Buddhist Mandala art for grades 5-8. You can learn more about the Mandala art lesson in our previous Religion Matters guest article Exploring World Religions Through Art: Hands-on Activities for Students of All Ages. 

The Cup has a running time of 1 hour 33 minutes. It is rated G and is appropriate for all audiences.

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman

In National Geographic’s documentary series The Story of God, Morgan Freeman travels almost 100,000 miles to trace the origins of world religions, visiting sacred sites and interviewing religious figures along the way. The series sheds a brilliant light on the remarkable and unmistakable similarities among different faiths. 

Season One consists of six 42-minute episodes, and the Journeys in Film curriculum guide references specific clips. Students can learn about historical Buddhist beliefs and the historical expansion of Buddhism, while also getting a brief introduction to Tibetan Mandala art and Buddhist meditation. The guide also includes practical advice for US-based teachers about navigating meditation and mindfulness lessons in the classroom.

Lessons in the curriculum guide are appropriate for grades 4-12, and the series can be viewed on its own or in combination with our other two recommended films. 

The Dhamma Brothers

The Dhamma Brothers: East Meets West in the Deep South is an inspiring documentary about a Buddhist Vipassana Meditation Program in an Alabama Maximum Security Prison. Vipassana meditation is practiced in Theravāda, the oldest existing school of Buddhism. It is a rigorous form of mediation that focuses on seeing things as they really are.

The Journeys in Film curriculum guide for this film includes three lessons about Buddhism for grades 9-12. Each focuses on a different aspect of meditation.

Lesson 1 offers an introduction to Buddhism and meditation, anchored in the Buddhist practices at Donaldson Correctional Facility. Lesson 2 provides an experiential lesson on the topic of meditation and the brain. More specifically, it examines the psychology and physiology of meditation while exploring how meditation can harness key brain circuitries to bring healing and happiness. Lesson 3 is another experiential lesson that gives students an opportunity to practice basic mindfulness. Several different styles, from Zen seated meditation to walking meditation, are introduced.

Together, these lessons give students practical skills for meditation, mindfulness, and healing. Although the lessons can stand alone, using them in conjunction with the film will increase their relevance.

The Dhamma Brothers has a running time of 1 hour 16 minutes. We recommend it for viewers in grades 7 and up. 

Additional Resources

Journeys in Film also offers Facilitation Guidelines to create safe discussion spaces and lead productive explorations of difficult topics. Educators may find these guidelines particularly helpful for facilitating discussions around students’ feelings about meditative experiences. 

Our Religion Matters Guest Article Ten Documentary Films that Celebrate Women of Faith also highlighted several documentaries about notable women in Buddhism from the US, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. These films offer a great way to broaden explorations of contemporary Buddhism in both high school and higher education settings. 

Conclusion

All these engaging films, which can also be deeply moving, are powerful teaching tools that grab students’ attention. The films themselves respectfully present Buddhism as a living world religion, avoiding the pitfalls of exoticism and orientalism. The lessons then advance the educational experience by providing a solid theoretical introduction to historical Buddhism. Finally, the experiential lessons in the contemplative practices of Buddhist mandala art, meditation, and mindfulness provide students (and teachers!) with practical tools for coping with the stresses of daily life. We think these resources are a great option for both religious studies and global education classes, and we sincerely hope that they will be an asset in your classroom.

About Journeys in Film

Journeys in Film believes in the storytelling power of film to educate the most visually literate generation in history. Since 2003, Journeys in Film has been pioneering the use of film for interdisciplinary lessons in the classroom, as well as after-school clubs, community screenings, college classes, adult education and more. All of the Journeys in Film educational resources are cost-free.