Product Details

• Actors: Chinese Buddhist hermit monks
• Directors: Edward A. Burger
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Festival Media
• DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000S76VHQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,414 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exceptional grace..." --True/False Film Festival

Product Description

An unforgettable journey into the hidden tradition of China's Buddhist hermit monks Amongst White Clouds is an intimate insider's look at students and masters living in scattered retreats dotting China's Zhongnan Mountain range. These peaks have reputedly been home to recluses since the time of the Yellow Emperor, some five thousand years ago. It was widely thought that the tradition was all but wiped out, but this film emphatically and beautifully shows us otherwise. One of only a few foreigners to have lived and studied with these elusive practitioners, American director Edward Burger is able, with humor and compassion, to present their tradition, their wisdom, and the hardship and joy of their everyday lives among the clouds. Filmed on location in China Written and Directed by Edward Burger Produced by Chad Pankewitz A Cosmos Pictures Production Official Selection: Mill Valley Film Festival, Taos Mountain Film Festival, Denver Starz Film Festival, True/False Film Festival, Maui Film Festival, Santa Fe Film Festival, Tahoe/Reno Film Festival, Mt. Shasta International Film Festival

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amongst White Clouds is down to earth, January 12, 2008

By	Nyghtingale (Gilroy, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amongst White Clouds is the DVD of one man's search for enlightenment among China's hermit monks. It is really more than a documentary. If you are patient, there is real teaching offered in each vignette that gives someone who might be interested in a path of spiritual practice true insight into the benefits as well as the difficulties in such an endeavor. Yet, throughout there is a real sense of this very rich tradition and community. The chanting and musical track overlays are well timed and communicate that ineffable longing and completion that are the matrix of a spiritual journey. I give this one 5 stars.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Buddhist film I have seen, February 27, 2008

By	M. Childs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just viewed this film in a local theater. I plan to purchase the DVD and pass it on to others. The hermit monks in this video are authentic and some or all of them are very, very far along the path to enlightenment. The close-ups of their faces, their eyes, the clear translation of what they say, their openness, the quiet peace of the mountains in which they live, the attention to small detail - everything about this film exudes an awareness of a deeply spiritual reality which is at the heart of Buddhist practice. This one is the real mccoy.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Among the hermits: where cameras never go, July 6, 2008

By	ShriDurga - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

Amongst White Clouds is an amazing document of the human adventure revealed not only in it's principle subject, but also in the making of the film.

First-time American director Edward A. Burger went to India in the late 90's to study Buddhism but found a greater connection to China. A book about Buddhist hermits pulled from an Indian monastery library led him north in search of an ancient way of life. Arriving in Beijing, he studied Chinese and began asking around for contacts that could introduce him to a mountain meditator. He ended up in the Zhongnan range of Shaanxi Province, where he lived and practiced for four years with one of these hermit masters. In 2003 he took a small film crew into the mountains to interview half a dozen of these practitioners and document their lives.

What comes across clearly in the interviews is that all of these men and one woman are serious about perfecting themselves, revealing their true natures and escaping from the suffering of mundane reality. What isn't always clear, and what many refuse to discuss, is their motivation for removing themselves from society and monastic communities. Besides footage of fetching water, working in the garden, or working on their huts, there is very little film of actual spiritual practice, no tantric rituals, no sitting zazen, no chanting of mantras. The recluses exhibit a few noticeable differences. Some live alone, while others reside in pairs or small groups. Some have electricity and running water. Others lead sparser lives, for example refusing to accept offerings of food. But still, we don't really get any idea of what kind of practices these hermits engage in - do they meditate most of the day? On what? Do they copy sutras? Recite mantras or the names of the Buddhas?

The most interesting questions are left unasked. How is the daily life of a mountain recluse - which consists in meditating, working around the hut, preparing the day's meals, washing, and perhaps a little study - different from the life of a village lay practitioner? What exactly is "the practice" and why is it necessary to isolate oneself from society in order to do it? Once realized, what then? Is there any obligation to return to society, or is "practice" an excuse to escape from the pressures of living with other people?

Despite the lack of probing questions, this remains a film worth watching for the light it shines on a little documented corner of the human experience.

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