The documentary "Dharma Yatra" is part of a bigger project that connects two worlds - East and West - through an anthropological and spiritual journey in Asia.

Yatra is a vehicle for transformation of the mind over an expedition in search of understanding life and the nature of our being. A road of access and exploration of a mysterious universe that exists both in and outside of ourselves. It is an ancient practice that takes place through outer, inner, and secret journeys to Buddha's holy places and the great masters of mankind.

The film is born of the intention to communicate this unique experience, touching and bringing benefits to all those who have contact with the documentary. Thus, it acts as a means of expanding this vehicle of transformation and practice of the Dharma which is the Yatra.

Knowing the culture, the environment and the way of life of Buddha Shakyamuni's mother civilization is the outer form of contact with the masters of the past. To look with western eyes to a way of life that gives little importance to time, that relates to life in a patient pace, is a rare experience for us dwellers of the turbulent cities of the world. To observe life expressing such a sense of freedom, inner peace and contentment - as do the people of the Himalayas - that is the physical pilgrimage.

The spiritual journey is revealed in going beyond our comfort zones. Not only the areas of material security, but all the familiar notions such as identity, self-image, the very limits of our body. It puts our certainties in check. To dive into the mind and its obscurations, honestly, is to exercise the uncertain, the unknown, voluntarily. From this perspective, the fundamental journey is internal.

The message that Buddha Shakyamuni left in the form of an eight-step path is like a raft that we can use to cross the great river of suffering and unsatisfactoriness in which we are immersed. As such, it should be abandoned when we reach the other side.

The question that Buddhism asks us has to do with the nature of mind and ultimate purpose of our existence. When faced with these questions, the traveler actually carries out a personal journey. His findings are the result of a deep exploration and direct contact with his true nature.

It is a subtle process and profoundly transformative that involves the understanding that what we experience as "external" to us is simply a reflection of our internal states. The sacred manifests itself as the discovery of what is always present while everything changes, both outside and inside of us. The realization that our life experiences are inseparable from the mind that perceives them, and the nature of this mind is creative, free and luminous. This is the biggest and most remarkable discovery: the secret journey.

Learn about the project, check out the travel routes and read more about the pilgrim of Dharma at www.yatri.dharma.org.br.