Search Buddhist Channel

Illuminating Prince’s Path That Led to Enlightenment

By MIKE HALE, The New York Times, April 6, 2010

New York, USA -- David Grubin, a prolific maker of television documentaries, specializes in profiles of American presidents and other prominent Westerners: Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Truman, Napoleon, Freud. For his latest PBS project, making its debut on Wednesday night, he has headed East, offering a two-hour introduction to an Asian with a large Western fan base.

“The Buddha,” in keeping with its unadorned title, is a simple, straightforward introduction to the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Written and directed by Mr. Grubin, it’s broken into roughly equal parts covering the Prince Siddhartha story — decadence, despair and deprivation leading to enlightenment under a fig tree — and the subsequent history and precepts of Buddhism.

The cast of talking heads includes, on the one hand, the Dalai Lama (projecting irascibility) and several other Buddhist monks, and, on the other, a larger and more prominently featured group of Western writers and scholars. Among them are the poets W. S. Merwin (compelling) and Jane Hirshfield (oddly intense) and the ubiquitous Columbia scholar and father of Uma, Robert Thurman.

The experts are often upstaged by the simple, slightly druggy animations used to tell the Siddhartha story and to illustrate concepts like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Sometimes these explications, like a passage about the three poisons that cause human suffering, can run on a bit long, as if the two hours proved more difficult to fill than Mr. Grubin had foreseen.

We also get a lot of pretty footage of the Indian countryside and various Buddhist pilgrimage spots, as well as Buddhist art. Little if any of the art is identified or explained, reflecting a larger tendency not to put what we’re seeing or hearing in a specific context. And it’s never clear whether the narrator, Richard Gere, is reading Mr. Grubin’s words or excerpts from an unnamed Buddhist text.

This can lead, despite the erudition of everyone involved, to a slight “Buddhism for Dummies” feeling — it seems unlikely that anyone who has even a slight acquaintance with the Buddha and his teachings will learn much here. And those already inclined to see Buddhism as a loosey-goosey religion that attracts Western space cadets probably won’t have their minds changed by “When this is, that is,” and Ms. Hirshfield’s wide-eyed statement on the miraculousness of drinking coffee from a mug.

For the sympathetic and uninitiated, though, “The Buddha” should prove a diverting couple of hours, whether they see the man’s legacy in terms of philosophy and ethics or in terms of lifestyle, aesthetics and exotic tourism.

THE BUDDHA

On PBS stations on Wednesday night (check local listings).

Written and directed by David Grubin; Mr. Grubin, producer; Anna Bowers, associate producer; Deborah Peretz, editor; James Callanan, cinematography; Michael Bacon, composer; Asterisk Animation, animation; Richard Gere, narrator. Produced by David Grubin Productions.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP