HOME - The Mountain Path

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

SCREENINGS

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

  • Genre: Feature Length Documentary

  • Running time: 87 minutes

  • Production date: 2021

  • Filming location: People’s Republic of China

  • Language: Mandarin w/ English Subtitles

  • Copyright: One Mind Productions, LLC

  • Filming format: DV, 50i

  • Screening format: HD 2K, BluRay / DCP / ProRes

 

CREDITS

  • Directed by Edward A. Burger

  • Written by Edward A. Burger and Agnes Lam

  • Produced by Agnes Lam and Edward A. Burger

  • Edited and Recorded by Edward A. Burger

  • Original Music by Douglas Quin

  • Sound Design Douglas Quin

  • Color Grading and Technical Advisor: Jason Kohlbrenner

  • Executive Producers: Agnes Lam

 

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

NOTES ON THE MAKING OF

When I recently went back to view the original footage of the Zhongnan hermits I gathered in those mountains back in 2003 to make AMONGST WHITE CLOUDS, the teachings that I captured at that time took on a surprisingly new life to me. As a Mandarin speaker, a filmmaker and a practitioner, I had changed, and the words of the hermits rang true with a new richness that, in my youthfulness, I’d not fully grasped. This made me really want to make a new film, from this new vantage point where I stand right now, and apply myself anew to the task of sharing these profound encounters with Buddhist hermits in China.

THE MOUNTAIN PATH is a cinema diary - reflections of one young man on his journey into China’s Zhongnan Mountain range in search of contemplative guidance from Buddhist hermit practitioners living this ancient wisdom tradition. It is a film about the grit and the courage of these dedicated practitioners. The grit and courage it takes to step away from the seductive companionship of the mind’s myriad distractions in order to explore our inner world. The hermits will guide you in the exploration of your own inner-landscapes. Just as I’ve experienced with every visit to my shifu’s hermitage over the many years he has guided me; you will not walk out of these mountains as the same person who walked into them.

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ON WHY THESE FILMS MATTER

China is a rapidly changing society, struggling to find a new identity while rectifying its tumultuous past.  Over the past century, many old traditions and cultures have been lost, leaving an empty space in the hearts of many Chinese people. Most believe that these traditions are lost, or are corrupt in their current forms. There is little awareness, even in China itself, that communities such as the one depicted in ONE MIND (Zhenru Monastery), or the scattered community of hermits seen in THE MOUNTAIN PATH, still exist. The potential for such traditions and communities to become a wellspring of hope and healing for people is enormous. Therefore it is important to let the world know these traditions not only exist, but are in the process of revitalization in China.

I would like to add that in this day and age, with societies all around the world redefining their sense of truth, these communities who keep alive some of humanity’s most evolved and advanced spiritual technologies for us are more important than ever before. Contemplative communities fan the glowing coals of wisdom and kindness that illuminate our world. Without them that life-giving fire goes dark and cold. We may be upset by the actions of those in the world who seek only to benefit themselves, at the cost of others’ safety, dignity, and health. And contemplative traditions challenge us to see those actions as the blossoming fruit of deeply ingrained fear, attachment and ignorance. Impulses that arise and pass, arise and pass, arise and pass in an endless chain that binds us to our own, small point of view and blinds us to the broad and dynamic truths at work in the world. Turning one’s gaze inward is a radical act. Being at home with yourself, a contented heart, is the great protest against the world’s ills, and I think a powerful step toward healing those ills. Sitting quietly, or moving mindfully, is so simple. But it frees us from the influence of those who would seek to coerce us, and from the influence of the self-defeating impulses within us that narrow our view of the world.

Lastly, in recent years, the West has become very interested in Buddhism, its philosophies, cultures and spiritual technologies. “Mindfulness” is a household word now, appearing even on the front page of major magazines, the Twitter feed of CEOs.  But there are still many misconceptions about mindfulness and meditation practices which I hope my films, like ONE MIND and THE MOUNTAIN PATH seek to address. Moreover, as environmental issues gain burning urgency across the globe, communities like these Zhongnan Mountain hermits and Zhenru Chan Monastery are a model for ecological living, where people and communities not only remain conscious of their consumption of resources, but actually seek after a kind of direct and intuitive understanding of how our lives are affected by the natural landscapes we live in, and vice-versa. One does not need to be Buddhist to gain something from these cinematic experiences I have crafted for this purpose.

May all be well, may all be happy, may all be liberated, liberated, liberated.  

- Edward A. Burger