Most human beings search for a meaning to existence. We seek to understand the purpose of our lives, who we are, and how we can have better and happier lives. There are many ways to reach this understanding, and Buddhism is one of them. The Buddha-dharma is a way of fulfillment through compassion and wisdom. The Buddha says that we have this enlightened nature. We already have that. All we have to do is to realize: open our eyes, wake up.

"Dharma Yatra - An Outer, Inner, and Secret Journey " is a documentary that will show these issues through the pilgrimage that a group of people - mostly Brazilians, all students of Buddhism - will carry out in India and in Nepal, a route that includes the eight major holy places of pilgrimage of Buddha Shakyamuni's life.

Our pilgrims will face constant confrontation, with regard to their expectations and beliefs. In deciding to be in touch with the Eastern culture, Indian and Nepalese, they voluntarily leave their usual comfort zones: their homes, their beds, their food, and their country. They are, then, challenged by their own mental structures, and forced to look at that which is taken for granted, and usually goes unnoticed.

The group will receive, throughout the trip, lessons related to the relevant historical places of Buddha's life in the actual locations. Travelers will constantly be in the company of and oriented by Ven. Ngawang Tenphel (monk Gabriel), who presents the teachings translated directly from their original language. That way, reproducing the movement done by many teachers and students through generations. The physical distance between them and the masters of the past ceases to exist, there only remains the time distance.

The audience identifies with the human aspect of the film revealed in the personal experiences of the pilgrims and, at the same time, is exposed to teachings and teachers that reflect the basis of the Buddha's path, awakening to a greater understanding of themselves, of their own existence, and the universe around them.

The images on the screen bring out the sensory Eastern world, with its colors, textures, light, taste, and reveal a deeper meaning. The travelers leave behind their nests, anchorages, and go forward with their eyes open for the adventure of looking at a new world, with the courage to find out what this same world says about themselves. The viewer is invited to ponder on comprehensive issues wherein more important than being a Buddhist or not, is to get to know the tools that can help us have better, happier lives, and positively define our path through the world.

Production Notes

The documentary "Dharma Yatra - an outer, inner and secret journey" is a film fully captured in full HD (1920x1080 pixels), which provides excellent picture quality both for domestic distribution (DVD and Blu-ray) and for broadcasting on digital TV or digital projection in cinemas. We can also provide a transfer to 35mm film, without loss of image quality.

The production team who accompanied the travelers was composed of a small number of people to ensure quality and agility at the same time, given the constant shifting from place to place. A small team also allows for greater closeness with the participants, avoiding the rigidity that a film crew is known to cause in non-actors. It was used no artificial light, making the most of the available light in the environments.

The film is in the process of fundraising for editing and post-production. The sound and image postproduction will be done in Brazil, with soundtrack composition and color correction in high-end facilities. We will be using motion design resources to display information about the cities visited (such as maps, distances in miles, dates, demographics, language, etc). Subtitled versions are provided in English and in Portuguese.