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KUMARÉ is a documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples to unveil his greatest teaching of all.
Director: Vikram Gandhi
Share this film. Give others the chance to learn from the story of Kumaré.
Become your own guru! Look within yourself to find your own version of enlightenment.
Recognize, if you are in need of spiritual guidance, the difference between spiritualism and blind worship when seeking assistance.
Start practicing yoga! Research a basic regimen you can practice at home (you can find a lot of free instructions on Youtube) or join a local yoga studio for more in depth practice.
Familiarize yourself with a religion you know little about. Maybe you’ll find something you like, maybe not. Either way, it will enrich you knowledge of the world.
“It’s 50 years since Buddhist teachers started arriving in the west in the early 60s and Buddhism crash-landed into the counterculture. So what have we learned about western Buddhism?”
Read the article on the Guardian.
Curious about what people learned about Kumaré the guru and his history and teachings when researching him? Explore his official website here.
“The widely held scientific assumption is that we have six emotions: happy, surprised, afraid, disgusted, angry, and sad. But a new study from University of Glasgow scientists published in the journal Current Biology this week says humans may only have four biologically based emotions: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted.”
Read the full article here.
“They came to America at intervals of about 30 years, in eras that were vastly different, culturally and technologically. They were, of course, Hindu monks. At the same time, they were well-educated, fluent in English and knowledgeable about science.”
Read the Huffington Post article about three remarkably influential Gurus.
HE WHO DEVOTES HIMSELF
Films that see religion humanized by sacrifice and devotion.
“A three-year-old doing a downward dog? A four-year-old doing a cobra—and then helping a stuffed animal stretch into the same pose?
Yoga isn’t just good exercise for adults. A growing number of schools, hospitals and studios say it can also be a boon to kids, helping them relax and focus, and improve their flexibility.”
Read the full article here.
Do Yoga With Me offers hundreds of videos with yoga and meditation guides.
“Six years ago, I filmed a gang of sadhus smoking weed on the banks of the Holy Ganga in Northern India. Their guru stepped away from a young European woman meditating under a banyan tree, and approached me, machete in hand. ‘You want to know about gurus?’ He popped a squat, and lit up a bidi. ‘All those big gurus you see, they are not spiritual people. All they want is money. It’s not that easy man…'”
Read the full article by Vikram Gandhi here.
AM I A GOOD PERSON?
A set of six films exploring the blurry boundary between truth and lies, good intentions and plain deception.
Documentary filmmaker Vikram Gandhi discusses his fake spiritual movement, Mirror philosophy and leader Kumare’s second coming on the Colbert Report.
Watch the interview here.
"Begins with a large deceit and ends with a surprising spiritual challenge"
Spirituality and Practice
"It’s a trip that’s deeply, even startlingly rewarding, for seekers and skeptics alike."
The Washington Post
