Monk's Paradise

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.

A mysterious and immortal Tibetan kung fu master, who has spent the last 60 years traveling around the world protecting the ancient Scroll of the Ultimate, mentors a selfish street kid in the ancient intricacies of kung fu.

A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.

A sister and brother, the last heirs of a family of acrobats, are called upon by a Buddhist monk sect to retrieve an artifact that their ancestors have protected throughout the ages.

Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.

Monk Seigen saves Misako the daughter of an area Yakuza boss from some tough guys. The two become a couple and find themselves being pursued by some criminals. Seigen plunges deeper into a life of crime and sin.

Story about a big boss who built the foundation of an industrial city.

In the early 1200s, Dogen brought Chinese Zen philosophy to Japan, and established the Japanese Zen school of Buddhism. He taught that a person was capable of realizing Buddhahood within himself, by way of Zazen. Zazen is extended hours of sitting and meditating to achieve a state of “Mu” (nothingness, or empty existence).

Yohei, a punk rocker, becomes a Buddhist monk in order to inherit a mountain temple. Though initially rebelling against the tough monastic discipline, he learns to adjust. Then his girlfriend shows up, enticing him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots.

Kingdom of Bhutan, 2006. Modernization has finally arrived. Bhutan becomes the last country in the world to connect to the internet and television, and now the biggest change of all: democracy. To teach the people how to vote, the authorities organize a mock election, but the locals seem unconvinced. Travelling to rural Bhutan where religion is more popular than politics, the election supervisor discovers that a monk is planning a mysterious ceremony for the election day.

Near a remote Buddhist monastery, a young man falls in love with his sister and gets her pregnant. After a monk finds out, the young man becomes an assistant to a master sculptor, only to proceed to complicate matters with his affairs.

Story of four young monks left alone in their remote monastery in Myanmar. Shot entirely in newly-opened Myanmar with non-actors, the film bridges spirit, cinema, and traditional Burmese storytelling to open a view onto an unseen world.

The roaming outlaw Okayo, also known as Benten due to the prominent tattoo of the Buddhist Goddess of Love emblazoned across her back. On the run from her persecutors, who seek to claim the tattoo and its skin canvas as a bounty, Okayo finds a safe haven in the arms of the mysterious shakuhachi (bamboo flute) playing Seigaku, himself tattooed with the image of Kisshoten, the Goddess of Prosperity.

Former punk rocker Jonen, now a Buddhist priest, seems to have lost the meaning of his life. His manic depression handicaps him further. Music seems to be the only solution for him to exorcise his demons, against all obstacles and sound volume controllers.

Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, the acclaimed filmmaker, Anders Østergaard, brings us close to the video journalists who deliver the footage. Though risking torture and life in jail, courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country.

Xiaolin Showdown is an American animated television series that aired on Kids WB and was created by Christy Hui. Set in a world where martial arts battles and Eastern magic are commonplace, the series follows four young warriors in training that battle the forces of evil. They do this by protecting Shen Gong Wu from villains that would use them to conquer the world. Originally airing on the Kids' WB block of programming on WB Network in 2003, the series ran for 3 seasons and 52 episodes. Typical episodes revolve around a specific Shen Gong Wu being revealed which results in both sides racing to find it. Episodes usually reach a head when one good and one evil character must challenge each other to a magical duel called a Xiaolin Showdown for possession of the artifact. A sequel series titled Xiaolin Chronicles was previewed on August 26, 2013 on Disney XD. It began its long-term run on September 14 the same year.

Hosted by Suzanne Whang, the show takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them. Focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home, each episode follows a prospective buyer and real estate agent through the home-buying process, from start to finish.

This spin-off of the wildly popular House Hunters goes around the globe. Home hunters and their realtors check out all sorts of architectural styles and work through the quirks of buying real estate in other countries.

Armed with dual machine guns, an undead school girl, Makina Hoshimura, must hunt down 108 other undeads with the help of specially trained Buddhist monks in order to gain entry into Heaven. Based on manga written by Yoshiichi Akahito.

Many years ago, humans and demons lived in harmony. But that unity ended when demons started attacking humans and plotted a mission to unleash Gyumao - an evil demon imprisoned for thousands of years. Now, Genjo Sanzo, a rogue priest, must team up with three demons - Sha Gojyo, Son Goku, and Cho Hakkai - and embark on a perilous journey to the west to stop these demons from resurrecting Gyumao and restore the balance between humans and demons on Earth.

Sixteen-year-old Ikkou Satonaka has raging hormones that make every other boy's look simply weak in comparison. When he gets turned on, he's literally turned into a super-powerful Buddhist monk capable of vanquishing the most evil of spirits! Ikkou's parents send him to the Saienji Temple to train to become a proper monk under the watchful eye of his grandmother. One of his first challenges is to learn to control his lusty desires - but that's easier said than done when he's surrounded by a bevy of beautiful nun trainees who keep losing their clothes!

Explore what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Based on Philip K. Dick's award-winning novel.

Izumo no Okuni was born about 1571. This time period in Japanese history was fraught with struggle. It was known as the Period of Warring States, that is, the land barrons (daimyo) fought against one another for power. Her father was a blacksmith for the Izumo Grand Shrine and, consequently, the family served as well. It was a custom to send priests and young women, such as Buddhist nuns, among others to solicit contributions. Izumo was sent to Kyoto to perform sacred dances and songs. Her Okuni Kabuki was known and applauded throughout the land. After 25 years she retired.

Genjō Sanzō is a Buddhist monk sent by the Emperor on a journey to find the sacred Buddhist scriptures. One day, Sanzō meets an Earth Deity who tells him that Buddha has sent him a disciple: the mischievous Monkey Deity Son Goku, who was sealed inside of a mountain for five hundred years after wreaking havoc in Heaven! Together with the alcohol-loving playboy Cho Hakkai; the heavenly army General Sha Gojyō; and their horse, the Dragon Crown Prince Ryūba; there are plenty of adventures to be had.

Tokyo. Tomobiki Town. Lum, the gorgeous daughter of an invading race of Oni Aliens is smitten with High School student Ataru Moroboshi. A dedicated womanizer, Ataru is unfazed by Lum’s fierce electric shock attacks and continues his daily hunt for pretty girls. With a host of other unique characters, including classmate Shinobu, elegant shrine maiden Sakura, Lum’s best friend’s Oyuki, Benten and Ran, Buddhist Monk Cherry, Ten, the little brat, heir to a wealthy family Shutaro Mendo and the secretly female beauty Ryunosuke… A classic slapstick love comedy where anything goes!

Gyeongseong, 1945. In Seoul's grim era under colonial rule, an entrepreneur and a sleuth fight for survival and face a monster born out of human greed.

"I know! I'll become a monk!" Akagami Akemitsu has spent his days and nights absorbed in studying and part-time work in an effort to distance himself from his family, which is notorious as a household of philanderers. One day, he falls in love at first sight with a girl named Aoba Yuzuki, and suddenly he's constantly drowning in worldly desires. Hoping to fight back against his genes and live a more stoic life, he enters a temple... only to find out that it's a convent filled with gorgeous girls! So begins a new rom-com about the temple life of three adorable triplets and two beautiful freeloaders!

Set at the end of the 12th century when several wars for control of Japan disrupted a long era of peace, this tale of "Heike" (another name for the Taira clan) focuses on Taira Kiyomori who fights alongside other members of his clan to at first successfully overcome the Minamoto clan and their bid for power. Battles and intrigue abound, as the puppet Emperor and Buddhist monks take sides in the power struggle. At issue is Kiyomori's parentage, not an unusual problem for the nobility in that era where clandestine liaisons among courtiers and the upper classes were common.

High school girl Shimoshiraishi Mugi, a former idol otaku is about to graduate high school but still is undecided in her career path. Her grandfather, who was the chief priest of a temple, passes away, and during the funeral, she discovers he had left behind considerable debt. There she also meets her childhood friend Isono Shuu, who had studied at a Buddhist University and is a qualified monk. Mugi, who doesn’t want to let go fully of her grandfather’s temple accepts Shuu’s proposal to become chief priest, and the two work together to rebuild the temple.

Nagamitsu Bakushu is a mysterious police officer who mans a hotline within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Organised Crime Department for breakaway yakuza members. After receiving a phone call, the detective in charge has to make contact with the yakuza, protect him, fix things up with the organised crime group which the yakuza belongs to, and finally place the yakuza in a respectable occupation. Although Bakushu ended up supporting the rehabilitation of yakuzas, she somehow treats them like enemies and gets the people around her involved.