Guest guest Posted September 24, 1998 Report Share Posted September 24, 1998 PAMHO AGT Sri Visnupad & srila Prabhupad Przepraszam, ze tak dlugo nie dawalem o sobie znac. Sprawy osobiste, przeprowadzki, klopoty z komputerem ect byly przyczyna tak duzego opoznienia. Wysylam ci projekt filmowy serialu filmowego ORIGINS. Jesli uwazasz ze jest wart zachodu i moglbys pomoc w jakikolwiek sposob w jego realizacji, to moja wdziecznosc nie bedzie miala granic. Od prawie roku mieszkam poza swiatynia, a od kilku miesiecy poza bhaktami. Nie jest to projekt swiatynny, wiec trudno mi znalezc w Polsce sprzyjajace dusze w ISKCONie, ktore chcialyby mnie finansowac. Pomaga mi troche finansowo Marici P. Nawiazuje kontakty z producentami, scenarzystami i szukam laxmi na pokrycie sporzadzenie wstepnego profesjonalnego scenariusza, ktory mozna byloby przedlozyc ludzim z TV w roznych krajach. Napisz co slychac u ciebie i swoje refleksje po przeczytaniu ponizszego tekstu. Twoj sluga Aravinda nabga das PS Mam nadzieje, ze teraz bede mogl byc czesciej z toba w kontakcie. ------------- Dear Maharajas, Senior Devotees and Prabhus !!! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Œrila Prabhupada. My name is Aravinda-nabha das. I am a disciple of H.H.Harikeœa Swami Visnupada since 1981. Before I met devotees I had been working in TV at the film production as a director’s assistant for a few years. In my Krishna Consciousness I have been in touch with the media for the last 6 years. Thus we have made about 10 films about the Hare Krishna Movement in Poland and 8 in India, also a lot of TV programs. Due to my inclination to make films I have been wondering for years how to engage TV around the world to give the true information about the Vedic philosophy. Surely only a few TV stations are willing to cooperate; the rest is interested in sensations, scandals etc. Therefore I thought we could make a film in which people from different religious groups would take part. The Hare Krishna people would be equal partners (in relation to other well-known religions’ members) in a discussion on topics which people all over the world think about for thousands of years. This project takes into consideration the prejudice of people working in the TV against the Hare Krishna Movement. Otherwise I would not have bothered doing it. I am not certain to what degree it is Krishna’s inspiration, but the fact is that when I talk to other devotees and some people from the TV or other religious groups, they induce me to definitely do this project. -- Copyright protect by: Writers Guild of America, East,Inc. 555 West 57th Street, NY-10019 Number of registration: 112843-00 Author: Andrzej Konopka ----- T h e T e l e v i s i o n S e r i a l "O r i g i n s" Towards interreligions dialogue on the turn of the millenium. The producers of the film series "Origins" have aspirations to initiate with their film project a more dynamic dialogue between different religions. This is especially vital on the eve of a new millenium when to a greater degree the mutual permeation of cultures will occur. The growing migrations of peoples and the increase of economical dependence of nations will irrevocably intensify these tendencies. The ignorance of other cultures and religions is one of the factors giving rise to misunderstanding and conflicts. Consequently, in order to avoid unnecessary tensions between cultures nowadays and in the future, followers of all the world religions should carefully consider their attitude towards the representatives of other faiths. The universal understanding of persons who believe in God is that God is the creator of the whole natural world. The logic makes us assume that all the revealed religions come from Him. It is a thought-provoking and sad fact that representatives of one religion often perceive everything beyond their own culture as pagan and barbarian. This leads to the discrimination of "others" and attempts to forcefully convert heathens into "the only true" religion. It can be seen as religious imperialism. The intention of our film presentation is to counteract this negative phenomenon. We hope it will contribute to better mutual understanding of believers of various religions and to an increased appreciation of the others cultural values. Premises of the Film Project. The main purpose of The film series "Origins" is to give people a better understanding of universal values and truths from the point of view of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. Each part will discuss a different subject. Representatives of different religious denominations will speak on these subjects in authentic settings of their places of worship. Speakers should be distinguished personalities of their traditions: monks, theologians, yogis, missionaries, religious and state leaders, academics. While editing each part we would like to include the most important opinions and to capture the essence of each subject. Statements will be illustrated with pictures of religious and daily life, iconography, nature and music related to the specific culture of the speaker. The following subjects will be discussed: Part.1. The title: Religion Has Many Names. 1. A few words about Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism is spoken by a reader or person who is a guide through all religions. 2. What is religion, yoga, dharma, and what purpose does it serve? (the notions of religion and yoga as synonyms) 3. What do you understand by Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism? 4. What do the following names mean? Allah, Jahveh, Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Abba, Elohim, Prapita, Rama, Jaganath, Adhoksaja. 5. On what basis can we ascertain that a given religion is revealed and that other beliefs are barbarian or heathen? 6. What is monotheism, polytheism, monism, pantheism and to witch of this ways can we classified your religion? Part.2. The title: You Shall Have No Other God to Set Against Me. In the light of this commandment, representatives of all beliefs should tell what they know about God, in order to be able to honestly define idolatry, religious speculation, forbidden iconography and false rituals. 1. What is God? What is the Absolute Truth? 2. What are illustrations and pictures of God - iconography, truth or representation? 3. How did God manifest Himself in your religion? 4. What does God look like and what does he do? Has anyone seen God? If so, to whom does He reveal Himself, what qualifications should one have to be able to see Him? If it is impossible to see Him, why? 5. Why didn't God manifest Himself only to one religion? Then life would be much easier, without interfaith conflicts. 6. How many Gods are there? Are they all genuine? Are they competitors? 7. What is anthropomorphism and theomorphism? Attribution of human qualities to God - man is the origin of God. God as a perfect and supreme Entity, and a man as His imperfect copy. 8. What is reality, illusion, dualism and relativism? Can we, with our human defects (we make mistakes, we have imperfect senses, we are under illusion, we tend to cheat others and ourselves) speak about the absolute, and if so, then on what basis? 9. Is religion not an opiate for the people? 10. What is idolatry? Part.3. The title: God of Love. 1. Should we fear God? If so, why? 2. Different motives and moods in approaching God (surrendering to Him). Do we surrender to God because of: - fear of punishment, - common sense, because It's logical, - love for Him, - failure on the material plane or in family activities? 3. What does it mean that God is love? How does it manifest? 4. What kind of activities reveals love for God and God's love for man? Part.4. The title: The revealed Scriptures. 1. The history of rise of the revealed scriptures in each religion. 2. Do the scriptures contain Absolute Truths or relative ones? 3. Why are there differences in the knowledge included in the different scriptures? 4. Are there similarities in the teachings of different scriptures? Part.5. The title: Feasts. 1. Why do you keep a holiday on Sundays, Saturdays and other days? What do these days commemorate? 2. What is the purpose of going to the church, mosque, temple, synagogue? 3. On what basis can we ascertain that someone is a spiritually advanced person? e.g. - education? - character? - ascetic life? 4. What is the origin of the rituals that you perform? What do they mean? Is their meaning symbolic or absolute? Part.6. The title: Tell Me What You Eat and I Tell You Who You Are. 1. Recommended forms of nourishment suggested by various Holy Scriptures. 2. The solution of food problem on a world scale. 3. How do eating habits influence longevity and health? Part.7. The title: Art in Religion. 1. The role of: music, singing, theater, painting, dance in religion. Part.8. The title: Creation. 1. Why did God create the material world? What purpose does the creation of the material world serve? 2. Is there any evidence of the fact that the material world was indeed created by god? 3. Can the cause of the material world be time fluctuation in space, an accident, Big Bang, emptiness or it? 4. How was a man created and how was the natural world created? 5. Do you consider the Darwin's theory the true picture of events? Why? Part.9. The title: The Phenomenon of Consciousness. Who Am I? 1. Who am I, where do I come from, why do I live in the material world? 2. What is the purpose of my existence? 3. What is death, what happens to me after death? Should one fear death? 4. What is life and when does it begin? (reincarnation and karma for Buddhists and Hinduists) The scientists on the Conference of Consciousness, San Francisco 1990, and the representatives of religions. 1. What is consciousness? 2. What is the difference between a living body and a dead one? 3. Who am I: - a bio-physical and chemical machine, - a psychological process, - a soul? 4. The symptoms of the soul. The question of its eternality. Part.10. The title: Heaven - Purgatory - Hell - Paradise. 1. Where are the Heaven, Purgatory, etc. situated, and what is their purpose? Explain the terms: Vaikuntha, kuntha, mrtyuloka. 2. What does God do in heaven and what are the engagements of those who have reached it? What happens in Hell, Purgatory, who is in charge and what happens to those who go there? 3. Is the punishment proportionate to the sin? How to reconcile the punishment of eternal condemnation with the idea of an all-merciful God? Part.11. The title: Good and Evil. Sin. 1. Are the good and evil relative or absolute? 2. What is sin? 3. What is faith and what are deeds? 4. What is prayer? The role of prayer in spiritual life. 5. Can one learn morality like one learns arithmetic at school? What is the point of this art? 6. What is the difference between the observance of religious rituals and spiritual life (inner experience)? 7. Are there common values cultivated in religions? If so, what are they? Part.12. The title: The issue of Peace and the Cause of Wars. The museum of war in London. There is a ticking clock specially designed and connected to the counter. Every tick of the clock (about 1 min.) states that one person has died in a war. This unique clock, the clock of extermination, is a link seen through the whole film. It appears from time to time, so that the viewers may calculate how many persons have died during the film broadcast. Representatives of religions, scientists and politicians involved in the issues of peace and weapon production speak. The world seen with the eyes of a little boy (8-10 years old). A little boy plays with toy soldiers, older boys play computer games simulating killing and grown-ups play with the real appliances meant for killing. Does the contemporary society educate murderers!? 1. How many days since the WW1 and WW2 weren't there wars around the world? (Answer: a few days). 2. Thus one may ask: What breaks: war or peace? rather peace, because fighting is taking place all the time. Warfare, economical war, propaganda war, fights in a family and man’s inner fights. 3. How many millions $ are spent on weapons every day? How much money is it for a year and what budget does it constitute in accordance to the income of certain countries? 4. How many scientists around the world are employed in the weapon industry? Is the weapon industry a main factor driving the development of technology and economy on the world? What would happen if the industry producing appliances for killing people were to be abolished? 5. Which countries have got the largest armies as per numbers and equipment, i.e. the most technically powerful weapons? (it should be compared to the number of inhabitants of a given country) Show the Earth and put two schedules: the distribution of chosen religions and the distribution of armies and weapons. 6. How many amassed weapons are there: conventional, biological, chemical, nuclear. How many times can each man on the earth be killed with those weapons? It seems that a man can be killed only once, hence is it not a waste to produce such large amounts of weapons? In the history of the world never have all weapons produced been destroyed. They have always been used to kill people. How will it be this time? will each of us be killed X times? Questions to the representatives of religions: 1. What is a religious war? (Holy war) 2. Can we speak about a holy war if the commander, army or society that take part in this war don't follow religious principles? 3. The representatives of which religion were the most aggressive in the history and caused the most wars? (statistics, charts) 4. Which believers are less warlike and what are the values that are conducive to being tolerant in dealings with others? Can representatives of other religions cultivate these values? If not, why? 5. Does the whole society want a war or only a group of politicians? If a group of politicians wants a war, can we commit violence (imprison or kill them) in order to prevent breaking of the war? 6. Can force violence be used to counteract evil? 7. What should be done to prevent wars? The formula of peace (spiritual solutions to material problems - the representatives of each religion state conditions that have to be met so that there will be peace in the world). Example: A Muslim and a Hindu fight with each other. They both believe that they fight in justice. Unfortunately they both die. A man comes, puts their bodies on a cart and then he throws them to one pit where you cannot distinguish who is of what faith. Question: What is the difference between them after the battle in which they both were killed? What is fight in justice and what is faith in justice? 8.Should children at school be taught about great politicians - criminals who caused wars? There were so many people killed during these wars but nowadays these politicians are respected as national heroes. Part.13. The title: The Purpose of Marriage. 1. Why do people get married? 2. What does a man expect from a woman? What does a woman expect from a man? 3. Different models of the family: patriarchal, based on partnership, free connections, monogamy, polygamy. 4. Different ways of arranging marriage: through a matchmaker, arranged by the family elders, by one's own choice, matrimonial agency, astrology. 5. What factors determine whether the marriage will last? 6. Why do people desire to have children? What is the responsibility of parents to their children? 7. Children learn by observing the conduct of their parents and guardians. Children are taught religious principles by parents, grandparents and guardians. 8. Should parents prepare for the act of conceiving a child? How? 9. Why do spouses quarrel and fight with each other? Who should dominate in a family? Husband's mistreating their wives and the other way round. 10. Are parents authority to their children, up to what age and to what degree? 11. Question to children: would you like your future spouse to be like your father or mother? Show different forms of getting married and getting divorced. Part.14. The title: The System of Education. 1. At what age should we start educating children at school? 2. Different systems of education: - state school, - private school, - special exclusive school, - English experiment - the most unsubordinated youth, - monastic and religious schools in different religions. 3. Recognition of student's inclinations. 4. What should a student learn at school? Interviews with many older people from different environments: What do you remember from school? Did the knowledge taught at school prove to be useful later on in your life? 5. The teacher's responsibility before the student. 6. What values should parents and teachers implant into children and youth? 7. What features of character should teachers model? 8. Should school children be reprimanded? If so, in what circumstances? If not, why? Part.15. The title: What Happiness Is and How to be Happy? The desire to be happy is a superior desire uniting all people in the world regardless of occupation, sex, age, skin color, nationality and religious affiliation. 1. What is happiness? - happiness derived from the full stomach, - intellectual happiness, derived from the acquired knowledge and from the ability to understand the world’s affairs, - from having power, being distinguished, singled out and appreciated, - from having followers, great wealth. Are these prerequisites of being happy? Happiness as the inner state of a person, not dependent on external conditions? e.g. a yogi, a hermit. Example: Happy people in the refugee camp in Africa. They cook awful mash for dinner into which flies fall. They all enjoy it. It seems that this meal makes them more blissful than would a dinner in an exclusive restaurant in Rome. 2. Why are people not happy? 3. A child to a monk: Why have you chosen a monastic life, a lonely life without a wife and children? Don't you feel lonely? What is solitude? 4. Unselfishness leads to happiness. 5. The first step towards happiness is the peace of mind. How can one reach the state of peaceful mind? Controlling the mind, controlling the senses. 6. Why doesn't happiness last forever? The life is like ice-cream with sand. The ice-cream is happiness, and the sand is trouble. The whole is not tasty. 7. Can one reach mental happiness thanks to work on oneself? 8. Ask the question to a man who says that he is happy. Does he use the advice of a psychologist or the help line? 9. Who is a true friend? Why do we need a friend? What is trust? 10. Is happiness just a break in suffering? Is suffering the basis for happiness? Part.16. The title: The Problem of Evil and Suffering in the World. 1. What is evil? What is suffering? 2. What is the nature of suffering ? - biological and chemical - physical pain - mental and intellectual - psychological pain - spiritual - spiritual pain 3. What is the cause of evil in the world? Kali's ethics: -egoistic nature of human beings, egotism, -the world of contradictory interests - because of this it is difficult to cooperate, competition predominates, -people tend to cheat others. 4. Do honest persons exist? Do you know such persons? Are many people honest? Have you ever cheated anyone? What is honesty? 5. What is truthfulness? Do you know truth-telling persons? How many? 6. Delinquency in the society. How many people are there in prisons? (sentenced for robbery, theft, murder, domestic violence, etc.). 7. Should the capital punishment be accepted? 8. How much does it cost to maintain a prison? Who pays for this? 9. Is a severe punishment an element of reclaim 10. Why does God allow so much evil and suffering if He is all-powerful and all-merciful? 11. Why is God's creation, i.e. the so called material world and man, imperfect if the god is perfect? 12. The relativism of a valuation of the same situation. The same situation is often the cause of happiness for one party and the cause of suffering for another, e.g. war, theft, quarrel, fight, humility. How many people daily: - die in car accidents, in a war, being murdered and because of abortion, - are robbed, - suffer from hunger, overweight, mental disease, - are in hospitals suffering from tuberculosis, venereal and other diseases. Victims of: alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, sexual pedophilia. Disasters: earthquakes, hard frost, torrid heat, droughts, hurricanes and floods. Part.17. The title: The Perfect Leader - Harmonious Society. 1. Different social systems: slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, democracy, utopian social systems. 2. Different forms of being in authority, their advantages and disadvantages. Monarchy, dictatorship, President elected in a democratic way. 3. Which system provides people with the greatest safety? Which system educates in morality? Which system inspires people to take up spiritual life? 4. Who should choose the state leader? 5. What features of character should characterize the leader of society? 6. What is the obligation of a king, president towards the society? 7. What percentage of rich and poor people is there in different social systems? 8. Does the society need a charismatic and courageous leader? 9. Can the position of power influence the leader’s character ? How? What dangers to one’s character are related to acceptance of an authority position? 10. The social system of the 21st century. In the totalitarian countries there are political prisoners in prisons, and few criminals. In the democratic countries there are many criminals and people feel frightened and unsecure, they don't feel the protection of the government. In which system are there fewer prisoners? Part.18. The title: A Holy Person in Various Religious. Part.19. The title: Is Dialogue Possible? 1. What is your attitude towards other religions? 2. Do you believe one can be redeemed in other religions? 3. Is the cooperation between different religions possible? If so, on what grounds? If not, why? 4. What do you like in other religions and why? What don't you like in other religions and why? 5. What advice would you give to representatives of other religions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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