Compassion and Wisdom: The Bodhisattva Way of Life

In looking through my notes, all three pages of yellow legal-size paper, I became deeply…confused. Narrated by Peter Coyote, filmmaker James Zito's rather unfocused primer on the teachings of Buddha features widely divergent viewpoints from scholars, teachers and monks--including the Dalai Lama, B. Alan Wallace, Robert Thurman, and H. H. Sakya Trizin. Attempting to illustrate the key concept of ‘emptiness,' for example, viewers are offered seemingly contradictory analogies from interviewees that include a boat, a desk, feet, a jacket, and the soul. In addition to the onscreen interviews (some of which look years old), the program's visuals include a combination of both stunning Buddhist imagery and old run-of-the-temple stock footage. At 107 minutes, a tighter editorial rein could have simplified the message: we are in a state of confusion and uncertainty; we need to cultivate a global awareness that merges we/they/other; the Bodhisattva is like a "Buddha-in-waiting" who sees the Buddha in everyone and who performs incredible acts of compassion and generosity to help others achieve enlightenment. Or, in Keanu Reaves-speak, we all need bigger hearts, dude. Theological explication is a difficult task enough without clouding the effort with the kind of repetitive double-talk exhibited here. While this may be useful in extensive religious collections, it's not a necessary purchase elsewhere. Aud: C, P. (N. Plympton)