Now I Know You: A Video Tribute to Taizan Maezumi Roshi; Sacred Wildness: Zen Teachings of Rock and Water

These are two high quality productions, beautifully photographed and skillfully edited, which provide insights regarding Zen Buddhism in the west. After a prologue which describes the transmission of Zen from generation to generation as "mind to mind" and dependent on a direct and deeply personal relationship between teacher and disciple, Now I Know You goes on to profile the life and teachings of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi, who came to the United States in 1968 and founded a lineage, the White Plum Sangha, through which he passed the Zen tradition. Scenes from his funeral and a 100 day memorial service are intercut with commentary by his 12 successors and their Dharma heirs (including a Rabbi and a Jesuit priest), family, and friends, illuminating their emotional bond with the master. Finally, we see the White Plum teachers planning ways to carry on the legacy of the departed master: by establishing an archive, publishing a journal, even creating a virtual White Plum Sangha in cyberspace. Recommended for collections with large holdings in comparative religion. Aud: C, P.Filmed during wilderness retreats, canoeing trips and rock climbing seminars, Sacred Wildness explores spiritual teachings that are cultivated during outings which are offered at the Zen Mountain Monastery. John Daido Loori, Abbot and spiritual director of the Mountains and Rivers Order, explains that Zen is experiential and that by immersing ourselves in nature we become recipients of endless lessons. Participants in the programs learn that we are in dynamic equilibrium with the universe and must take care of the body of earth as we would our own bodies. Environmental problems such as endangered species and damage to the ozone layer can be healed by humans; we need to learn to be at home in the wilderness because it is our home. The video concludes with exquisite and peaceful landscape scenes, accompanied by Buddhist readings. Sacred Wildness can be appreciated by anyone interested in the combination of spiritual and environmental issues. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)