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Buddhist Psychology Film Series offered by The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy October 2007 - May 2008, Saturday Evenings, 7 - 10 PM The Arlington Center
Buddhist psychology and mindfulness practices originated 2500 years ago to alleviate suffering, particularly related to difficulties in everyday life. These challenges are vividly portrayed through the medium of film and provide rich material for discussion. In this eight-session course, carefully selected films elucidate basic concepts of the Buddhist approach to self-transformation and healing. Participants will explore notions in Buddhist psychology such as non-attachment, emptiness, the “individual,” the link between suffering and compassion, letting-go, emotional separation as a cause of suffering, and the subjective nature of experience. The film format is designed to provide both an intellectual and a visceral learning experience.
SCHEDULE October 6, 2007 Starring Shawn Ku and Christy Chung Enlightenment or human love? This is the dilemma lived out by a monk in this story set amongst the stunning vistas of the Himalayas. The monk, Tashi, is respected for his spiritual devotion, but despite years of dedication and abstinence, his passions refuse to be tamed. When he goes to bless a village harvest festival, he encounters a beautiful woman, and his life takes a different course as he embraces the world and its passions, including jealousy, anger, ambition and sexuality. At one point a monk from the monastery visits Tashi and asks, “What is more important, satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one?” This visually beautiful exploration of desire and destiny, with minimal dialogue, was created in a style characterized by the filmmaker has dubbed “Zenematography”. Participants will explore aspects of samsara and the relationship between freedom and worldly passion in Buddhist psychology.
Starring Mark Bittner This is a true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild parrots in San Francisco. Mark Bittner, a homeless street musician, connects with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs. He feeds, studies and protects the escaped pets which have begun to breed in the wilds of the city. The film celebrates urban wildness, and links avian antics and ways of interacting with human behavior. A surprise ending ties these themes together and completes a chapter in Mark’s search for meaning. Participants will explore (1) the notion of co-existence among species and (2) the nature of meaning and purpose in one’s own life as it relates to the natural world.
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen and Rolf Lassgard Jacob is a loner who travels from India to Copenhagen to meet a benefactor who could save his orphanage. The offer, however, comes with complicated strings. He must attend the wedding of the man’s daughter, where he is confronted with his past and his suddenly uncertain future. The relentless intimacy of the camera work heightens the intensity of the characters and their revelations. Participants will explore the Buddhist concepts of interconnection and karma. Starring: Rentaro Mikuni Set in Burma in the waning days of World War II, a unit of Japanese soldiers hangs on, inspired by the Burmese harp playing of Private Mizushima. After the war ends, Mizushima dons the garb of a monk and travels through the countryside, where the devastation of the war weighs on his heart. He begins to burn or bury as many corpses as he can. The poignancy of the film is captured in the juxtaposition of the horror of war with the beauty of nature. Participants will explore the relationships between ignorance, suffering and compassion in Buddhist psychology.
Starring Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy The first half of the movie explores a budding romance between Lawrence and Gina, strangers who share common bonds. We then follow them to Iceland, where Lawrence is to present at the G8 summit. Here Gina has a few surprises in store both for Lawrence and the assembled politicians. This is an engaging, politically charged romance set against the backdrop of the G8 summit and world poverty. Participants will explore issues of integrity and right action in the context of global interconnection.
Starring Tommy Lee Jones Set in the dusty barrenness and poverty of West Texas, the movie centers around the accidental killing of a ranch hand, who is an illegal immigrant, by a U.S. Border Patrol officer. When the owner of the ranch realizes that the local sheriff is going to ignore the case, he takes justice into his own hands, and elevates the movie into the realm of parable. Set against the brutal, exotic Mexican landscape, this directing debut from Tommy Lee Jones is stunning, offbeat and original. Participants will explore the complex relationship between loyalty, integrity and right action from Buddhist and Western psychological frames. Starring Ulrich Muhe This work dramatizes the repressive living conditions in East Germany just before the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. A playwright and his actress-wife become the subject of secret government surveillance by an officer of Stasi, the State Security Department. While the early scenes seem to conventionally score points on behalf of struggling artists vs. the establishment, the emotional involvement of all the characters soon makes the story more complex and compelling. With its cool modern noir style, the film weaves a rich tapestry repression, moral suspense, hope and social concern. Participants will explore (1) the ramifications of political repression on social interaction and (2) the role of compassion in this context. Starring: Duane Sharp Haunted by memories of his past and weighed down by life, a nameless detective receives a mysterious phone call warning him of a potential murder at a Buddhist monastery. Awakening from his stupor, he goes to the temple like a truth-seeking dervish from old Hollywood. Here his hard-talking line of linear investigation is stymied by the residents of the Zen temple. While the first half of the movie is wonderful farce, the second act depicts our hero questioning his identity and embarking upon a spiritual search for self-discovery. Participants will explore the deconstruction of language used by
Zen Buddhism as a gateway to deeper understanding of life's meaning.
CONTINUING EDUCATION Psychologists: The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy maintains responsibility for the program. This course offers 3 hours of credit per session. Social Workers: Application for continuing education credit has been made to the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Credits pending. Nurses: This course meets the specifications of the Board of Registration in Nursing (244 CMR) for 3 Contact Hours per session. Licensed Mental Health Counselors: The Institute is recognized by the National Board for Certified Counselors to offer continuing education for National Certified Counselors. We adhere to NBCC Continuing Education Guidelines. Each session is approved for 3 contact hours, Provider #6048, and is applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health and PDP accreditation. Licensed Marital and Family Therapists: Application has been made for certification by the Associations(s) for Marital and Family Therapy, Inc (MA) for 3 contact hours of professional continuing education.
FACULTY Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist practicing in Arlington, a co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and an Instructor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School. He has over 27 years of experience in meditation and its use in psychotherapy. Chip Hartranft is the Founding Director of The Arlington Center and author of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary (Shambala, 2003). His work bridges the traditions of yoga and Buddhist psychology. Sara Lazar , PhD is a neuroscientist in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. She has practiced yoga and meditation since 1994. Bill Morgan, PsyD is a clinical psychologist practicing in Cambridge, has practiced Buddhist meditation for 32 years and leads meditation retreats. Susan Morgan, MSN, RN, CS is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in private practice in Cambridge, MA. She has practiced meditation for 15 years. Tom Pedulla, LICSW is a clinical social worker and is a board member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. He works as a psychotherapist at the Cambridge Health Alliance and is in private practice in Arlington, MA. He is a long-time Vipassana meditation practitioner. Ron Siegel, PsyD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lincoln, MA, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School where he has taught for over 20 years, and a long-term student of mindfulness meditation. He is a coauthor of Back Sense: A Revolutionary Approach to Halting the Cycle of Chronic Back Pain and a co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. Charles Styron, PsyD is a consulting psychologist for Caritas Norwood Hospital, has a private practice, and has been a practitioner and teacher in the Shambala and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist traditions for 27 years. He is also a professional and executive coach. Janet Surrey, PhD is a founding scholar of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute and co-director of the Gender Relations Project at the Stone Center, Wellesley College and has authored influential books on relational psychotherapy. She has been practicing meditation and psychotherapy for 27 years.
REGISTRATION This course will be taught at a level appropriate for post-graduate training of doctoral-level psychologists. The course will be limited to 50 clinicians. You can register in advance by contacting the Arlington Center, or at the door. Fee: The fee is $35 per evening session, or $200 for the full program. Sorry, fees for missed sessions will not be refunded. Fee for non-CE participants is $10 per evening session, or $60 for the full program. Location: The films will be shown on an 8-foot screen at the Arlington Center, 369 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474. The Arlington Center is conveniently located a short 5 min. walk east from Arlington Center, on the Mass Ave bus line. Please refrain from using scented products during the program. Special Needs: Please inform us before the program if you have special needs, so we can make the necessary accommodations.
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