The Flow of Zen (1969)
1969 · Short film · 14 min · dir. Alan W. Watts
- Documentary
Synopsis
Alan Watts illustrates in this elegant meditation on Buddhism the nature of reality using the paradigm of flowing water. It is one of his best. "The waters before and the waters after, now and forever flowing, follow each other." Watts conveys the essence of Buddhism by focusing on how to develop greater flexibility and sensitivity to the beauty that surrounds us. His inspired narration, enhanced by beautiful photography and a musical score by Iasos, ensures that his message will last.
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Alan W. Watts
- Released
- 1969-01-01
- Running time
- 14 minutes
Cast & crew
- Alan W. Watts Director
Alan Watts
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · Beautiful · SarahEAllen · 2018-01-19
This film is a stunning example capturing nuances of the era in which it was created. It is a meditative delight that introduces some basic tenants of Zen philosophy.
★★★ · Stoned? Watch this. Not stoned? Don't. · kerriganm · 2017-02-09
At first, I thought this was a film about Zen Buddhism, what with the title and all. And for almost half the film, it sort of is. But then all pretense goes out the window and it becomes a Film to Enjoy Psychotropic Drugs By. I suppose the filmmakers told the backers that the film itself IS Zen, but who are we kidding? Most of the film is just swirly patterns and mystical chanting (or discordant chimes). I agree with XMarine that watching a trickling stream into which gallons of paint have been poured does not induce relaxation- quite the contrary, it gives me (and apparently XMarine) a…
