Guides of happines - documentary film evening
In our periodical meeting called ”Guides of happines” , we present some important personalities, which during the centuries they shown different ways in which we can cultivate happiness through spiritual authentic practice, devoid of suffering germs.
Guides of happines - documentary film evening -“Through the Eastern Gate”
Thursday, 22st March 2012, 19:00 - 21:00, Seeds for Happiness center, meeting room "Focus"
In our periodical meeting called "Guides of happines" , we present some important personalities, which during the centuries they shown different ways in which we can cultivate happiness through spiritual authentic practice, devoid of suffering germs.
For this week gathering we propse to watch a poetic documentary opening the worlds of three young westerners searching for meaning in modern times.
For many young westerns, in Eastern spiritual paths they find a way to inner tranquility and spiritual fulfillment.
Through the Eastern Gate is a documentary film about the aspirations, practices and ways of life of three young Westerners who follow three different eastern spiritual traditions : tibetan buddhism, yoga and sufism.
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WHAT moves young, educated people to give up their lives in material security for a spiritual quest that is characterized by uncertainty?
In the idyllic rural setting of South India we get to know Ronela - a Finn who dedicated her life to traditional Tantric yoga. In Dehradun, in the North Indian foothills of the Himalayas, we meet Sister Yeshe - a young Australian nun who practices Tibetan Buddhism. And in Turkey we finally follow Aziz - a Californian Sufi dervish...
•Ronela Vainio was born in Finland in 1978. As a teenager, she was curious about Yoga and other Eastern spiritual traditions, although at that time she did not go deeply into them. Later, living and travelling in India in 1999-2000, she met Swami Vivekananda Saraswati in Rishikesh, which became a major turning point in her life. She was amazed at Swami’s power and wisdom. All the teachings she received made so much sense and suddenly the missing pieces in the puzzle of her understanding of life came together and formed a beautiful picture: a pathway to God. Endless wanderings came to an end, and life opened up with a new light and a meaning to truth. Ronela has a background in theatre studies and comparative religion.She has been studying and practising in Asia under the direct guidance of Swami since 2002.
•Venerable Yeshe Chodron is a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She became a Buddhist in 1994 when, at the age of 17, she encountered Buddhism while travelling in India. She has since trained with Tibetan Lamas in the Sakya tradition and currently teaches Buddhism and meditation retreats at various centres in India and Australia. In addition to her meditational practice and personal studies, she has worked with the poor in India, HIV-positive patients, nursing home residents, and students, offering counselling and other services. Sister Yeshe is committed to living the traditional contemplative life of a wandering mendicant - she may often be seen wandering the streets of Sydney and India with a Buddhist begging bowl!
Sister Yeshe is the author of Everyday Enlightenment – How To Be a Spiritual Warrior at the Kitchen Sink (HarperCollins Publishers).
•Aziz Abbatiello is a whirling dervish upholding the traditions of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis who follow the great 13th-century Islamic poet and mystic Jellaleddin Rumi. He grew up on the West Coast of the United States where his parents were among the first to take up Sufism from teachers who came there from India and the Middle East. At the age of 17 Aziz began to study fervently the Sufi practices under the guidance of his father so that he could join the ceremonies with his family. Now he spends much of his time in Turkey studying and practising with sheikhs in Istanbul and Konya – a holy city for the whirling dervishes. The rest of his time he spends in San Francisco involved in woodworking and carpentry, while he continues his prayers and remembrance of Allah.
Aziz has been a semazen (whirling dervish) for seven years and a student of Sheikh Sherif Baba Efendi for the past five years.
the Mevlevi Sema Ceremony (UNESCO intangible heritage of humanity)
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For those present in the evening you can win fresh launched book published by Editura Herald. This book is sponsored by Seeds for Happiness center: Alan Watts-"Become what you are".
We look forward seeing you to watch together these documentary about young courageous life. Then we can continue the discussion with a warm tea, sharing impressions and perhaps other similar stories.
It seems that if we don't share our life in the company of people who authentically nurture our humanity and our spirituality, we simply fade away. The company of certain people gives us the energy and inspiration we need to grow and perform. Sometimes we desire their company and sometimes it is they who look for our presence.
CONTACT and Registration: email: vlad@seedsforhappiness.ro / phone: 0735 565 141
*Price: Entrance is free, but we suggest a donation, all money collected are used by the center to continue organizing programs for personal and spiritual growth of those who show a genuine interest in this direction.