The “Spirituality For Everyone” Course  Multimedia info

Chapter Thirteen

 

 

13   Chapter Thirteen: Finding the Deep Calling of Your Soul  (Read the full chapter)

         

 

 

Video Adjunct:

This short video tells the story of how a lovely monk friend from Italy found his calling at a leper colony in India.

 

 

 

 

 

   

13a   Intro

            

 

 

   

13b   Discovering your dharma

           

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

13b1 Discovering your righteous path of living

      

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

13b2   Finding your calling

             

 

 

Video Adjunct:

In 1991, Whitney Houston sang "The Star Spangled Banner" during the Super Bowl, and bowled over our entire nation with an exquisite perfection of voice and feeling that brought patriotism to more hearts better than most political speeches could. In spite of the challenges in her life, Whitney -- in that moment, and in many other performances -- is an example of someone who found her calling and dove in fully. At the time, I was working as an editor and occasional producer for KCAL's Prime Nine News in Los Angeles, where the executives would often allow me to put together inspired music and other videos to air during our broadcasts. Inspired by Whitney's rendition, I produced and edited this music video several months after the Super Bowl that showed at the end of our news broadcast on Memorial Day.

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

13b3   Being guided from within

             

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

13b4   Following your bliss

             

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

13c   Being an Artist of Life

           

 

 

Video Adjunct:

One evening, I attended a concert by one of the master Baul singers of Bengal. Purnadas Baul and his son were amazing artists, as they sang with full feeling, played sweet stringed instruments, and danced at the same time, swirling around in colorful patched robes that enthralled my mind, ears, and eyes. I really wanted to capture this beauty on film and asked Purnadas if he would like to have me produce a video of them the next time they came to town. He was very appreciative of the offer, and University of San Diego loaned a couple cameras that I used while hopping here and there to film their movements. Purnadas and his son also came to my home and went to the nearby beach where I was able to film more of his artistry simply walking by the ocean waves. Watch these magnificent Baul artists of life in this twenty-two minute film:

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13c1  Finding your own style

           

 

 

    

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

13c2   Sharing the treasures of your journey

             

 

 

Video Adjunct:

The professor who originally introduced me to my Guru came to visit San Diego a few decades later when he was spending time with his son, Ned, who was slowly dying of ALS. The challenges Ned Mann faced cannot be imagined by most people -- he lost any ability to use his arms, and then the rest of his body. By the time I met and filmed this short video of Ned, he could barely speak. Ned was a musician and sound engineer, and his brother Dave was still an accomplished musician who often played with popular singers. Dave gathered some jazz musician friends, and recorded an entire two-CD set of top-notch music for Ned, who had just received a special tool that allowed him to control his computer just by lightly moving or nodding his head. As you'll see in the film, he mixed and edited the entire 2 CD set with those gentle nods. Even in the midst of such trauma, you will see a glowing smile as Ned relished his love of music and his ability to still share these treasures with the world, with funds from the CD going to ALS research.