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Natural Awakenings Westchester / Putnam / Dutchess New York

Film Series Will Focus on Meditation: February 7 through 27

Jacob Burns Film Center

Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a nonprofit five-screen cinema and education center located in Pleasantville, has made meditation the focus of its upcoming annual film series, which will take place this year February 7 through 27. The Meditative Life 2018: Meaning, Happiness, and Connection, will feature 10 films that collectively explore not only meditation and mindfulness, but also the many ways in which we investigate the different realms of the human experience.

The series opens on February 7 with a showing of Ram Dass: Going Home, an interview with a man considered by many to be one of the most important spiritual teachers of our time. Known for his association with Timothy Leary in the early 1960s and as the author of the seminal 1971 Be Here Now, he continues to live richly and deeply, though his physical body was disabled by a stroke. In this 32-minute film, he shares his personal practice and philosophy—centered on peace, love, compassion and connection—as well as intimate details of his daily life. This opening night celebration will also feature a conversation with author Krishna Das, who spent the late 1960s as a student of Ram Dass and went on to become a Grammy-nominated artist who took the call-and-response chanting of kirtan out of yoga centers and into concert halls around the world.

The films in this year’s JBFC series draw us closer to Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama, steep us in music and silence, and bring us into the worlds of tai chi and the monastic life—and even to Folsom State Prison, where inmates participate in a powerful form of personal growth and exploration.

The series will continue with The Last Dalai Lama (February 8); One Mind: A Zen Pilgrimage (February 12); Novitiate (February 13); The Professor: Tai Chi’s Journey West (February 15); In Pursuit of Silence (February 20); The Work (February 21); Walk with Me (February 22); Orange Sunshine (February 25); and Summer in the Forest (February 27).

Jacob Burns Film Center Theater is located at 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville, NY. For times and tickets, visit BurnsFilmCenter.org.