Date: Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 6:30pm - 10:00 pm
Contact: jao12@duke.edu
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Richard B. White Auditorium

Why:

Schedule of Events:

• 5:30pm: small reception in lobby of Richard White lecture hall
• 6:00pm: a talk on "Buddhism and Modernity" by guest speaker
                Sandy Gentei Stewart, Abbott of the NC Zen Center at Pittsboro
• 7:00pm: film screening - one short film and one feature film (see below):

(1) Present (dir. Jacqueline Kim, 2006, 11 min, USA, in English, Color, DVD)
Part metaphor, part pun, part cautionary tale, Present depicts a futuristic and surreal café experience for a young couple. The film juxtaposes a sterile, calm dining area ("Welcome home" is the waitress' refrain) with a noisy, threatening and chaotic scene outside.

(2) How to Cook Your Life (dir. Doris Dörrie, 2007, 93 min, USA, in English, Color, DVD)
"The food will taste better when the cook is joyful" pretty much sums up the Buddhist philosophy explored in the new film How to Cook Your Life. The quote comes from Edward Espe Brown, a California Zen teacher, one of the founders of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. Filmmaker Doris Dörrie follows Brown in culinary action, surrounded by clearly adoring disciples, at Austria's Scheibbs Buddhist Center and, in California, the San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Mountain Center. This last venue is where the younger Brown began cooking as a self-described "arrogant, bossy, short-tempered know-it-all"" and from where he first conceived and wrote his landmark The Tassajara Bread Book. Brown eventually united his love of cooking with the teachings of Zen priest and mentor Suzuki Roshi, whose early advice was "when you wash the rice, wash the rice, when you cut the carrots, cut the carrots, when you stir the soup, stir the soup."

About the guest speaker: Born in 1938, Sandy Gentei Stewart became interested in Zen when he was 16 and heard Alan Watts speak on the radio. At age 29 he heard a radio interview with Joshu Sasaki Roshi and immediately knew he had found his teacher. In 1971 he was ordained as a Zen teacher (Osho) and became Vice-Abbot of the Cimarron Zen Center (now Rinzai-ji in Los Angeles). In 1975 he was appointed abbot of the Jemez Bodhi Mandala (now Bodhi Manda) in Jemez Spriongs, New Mexico. Three years later he moved to North Carolina with his wife Susanna and step-daughter Lara. Sandy has been the guiding force behind the North Carolina Zen Center since its inception in the early 1980's.

Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 - 8:00pm - 10:00 pm
Contact: jao12@duke.edu
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Richard B. White Auditorium
Why:

Two rarely seen documentary films:

(1) The Mountain of Signs (dir. Mika Johnson, 2003, 30 min, Japan, in English, Color, DVD)
A young woman moves to Tokyo. Her quest to find spiritual values hidden in the modern city leads her to take photographs and ends in a pilgrimage to an ancient Buddhist cemetery in the mountains of Koyasan. Set amongst the neon lights and crowds of Tokyo and the graves and forestry of Koyasan, The Mountain of Signs explores the relevance of Buddhist values to modern-day spiritual practices. As its protagonist assimilates into the hyper-accelerated pace of life in Tokyo, she adopts the practice of photography as a coping mechanism. Following the zuihitsu literary tradition of Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book and the Buddhist priest Kenko's Essays in Idleness, the film traces the subtle links between ostensibly random subjects through images, aphorisms, anecdotes, and observations. From the lurid maze of urban desires to the sanctuary of Buddhist tradition, The Mountain of Signs reveals not a path to enlightenment, but rather a transformation of ideals.

(2) The Wheel of Time (dir. Werner Herzog, 2003, 80 min, Germany, in German, English and Tibetan, Color, DVD)
Noted German filmmaker Werner Herzog's (Grizzly Man/The White Diamond) marvelous documentary gives us an eyewitness report on the annual Buddhist pilgrimage gathering of some 500,000 of the faithful in May of 2002 (the Year of the Horse) in Bodh Gaya, India, the site where the Buddha some 2,500 years ago found enlightenment under the bo tree. Herzog (who claimed to have once walked from Munich to Paris) magically captures their lengthy pilgrimage to the Holy Mt. Kailash in Tibet (covering more than 3000 miles) and the monks' creation of the intricate sand mandala (“the wheel of time”) along with many secret rituals that have never been seen before on film. Herzog also takes us to a considerably smaller gathering in a convention hall in Graz, Austria, during the same year, where the Kalachakra ("Wheel of Time") ritual was presided by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The Wheel of Time delivers a personal and introspective look at what Buddhism really means to its most ardent followers, as well as gives outsiders an intimate look into a fascinating way of life.

Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 8:00pm - 10:00 pm
Contact: jao12@duke.edu
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Richard B. White Auditorium

Why:

(1) Yonder (dir. Mika Johnson, 2006, 20 min, USA, B/W, DVD)
The story of Yonder follows a man who is lost in his dreams. There, in a world that mirrors his sense of loss and isolation, he comes face to face with his spiritual double in what becomes a quest towards the re-creation of his identity.

(2) Enlightenment Guaranteed (Erleuchtung garantiert) (dir. Doris Dörrie, 2000, 109 min, Germany, in German, Japanese, and English with English subtitles, Color, DVD)
Uwe (Uwe Ochsenknecht) and Gustav (Gustav-Peter Wöhler) could hardly be more different as brothers: the former is an utter slob and the latter a practising feng-shui expert. When Uwe's wife leaves him suddenly, taking the entire contents of their flat and the children with her, he turns to his brother for a shoulder to cry on. As Gustav is about to embark on a Buddhist retreat to Japan, Uwe has no choice but to tag along - much to his brother's alarm. En route, their midlife crisis turns into a midnight crisis when they get lost in Tokyo's neon jungle and can't find the way back to their hotel. It's down and out in Asia's brave new world. With no papers, credit cards, directions, and with no Yen in their pockets, they wander through a kaleidoscopic alien environment where the simplest everyday things become major, often comical, challenges. They have to survive by their wits and certainly never expected the Zen concept of "leaving everything behind" to be like this. Life in the monastery is an immersion of a more subtle kind. The mundane and the sublime - where does the one stop and the other start? What does cleaning the floor have to do with cleansing your heart? Still, the enigma of enlightenment keeps them going. But although it often seems just within their grasp, it continues to elude them. And yet, even if they don't fully realize it, at the very core of their being, it's changing them...

Date: Friday, December 14, 2007 - 8:00pm - 8:00 pm
Contact: jao12@duke.edu
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Griffith Theater, Bryan Center

Why: This event took place on NOVEMBER 14.  We apologize for the confusion.

Date: Monday, November 12, 2007 - 8:00pm - 10:00 pm
Contact: James Abordo Ong
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Griffith Theater, Bryan Center

Why: Milarepa depicts the humble beginnings of the man who was to become Tibet's greatest saint. A true story based on centuries-old oral traditions, a youthful Milarepa is propelled into a world of sorrow and betrayal after his father's sudden death. Destitute and hopeless, he sets out to learn black magic - and exact revenge on his enemies - encountering magicians, demons, an enigmatic teacher and unexpected mystical power along the way. But it is in confronting the consequences of his anger that he learns the most. Photographed in the stunning Lahaul-Spiti region of Northern India, Milarepa offers a provocative parallel to the cycle of violence and retribution we see consuming today's world.
Winner: National Geographic Audience Favorite Award for Best Feature-Length Film

Date: Friday, October 26, 2007 - 6:30pm - 8:30 pm
Contact: Matt Wolfe, matthew.wolfe@law.duke.edu
Sponsor: Parents Attending Law School
Where: Law School Annex Lounge/Lobby (formerly known as the Chemistry Building)
Why:

International Week is here, and the famed "International Food Fiesta" takes place this Friday, October 26th starting at 5:30 PM in the Annex Lounge/Lobby. This event involves the entire Duke Law Community; we need your participation! Get those recipe books out and submit a dish to one of 24 categories. Winners take home a prize! For more information and to sign up to submit a dish, please go to: http://www.law.duke.edu/intweek/dishes

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If you wish to just attend, tickets are $7 (free to those participating and judging) and may be purchased at the door. Attendees and participants enjoy wine/beer tastings and foods from around the world prepared by Duke Law students, faculty, and staff.

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Invite the whole family! Parents Attending Law School (PALS) will be operating a kids-friendly, Halloween-oriented space during the International Food Fiesta.  Children--and adults--are invited to dress in costume, play Halloween games, enjoy the delicious food offered at the Fiesta, and help judge the two PALS-sponsored categories: (1) the most kid-friendly dish and (2) best dish for a food fight (the food that makes the best projectile)! For this PALS event, please RSVP to Matt Wolfe at matthew.wolfe@law.duke.edu (PALS EVENT SPONSORED BY GPSC).

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 8:00pm - 10:15 pm
Contact: james.ong@duke.edu
Sponsor: Buddhist Community at Duke
Where: Richard White Auditorium
Why: This is a thought-provoking, elegantly filmed religious tale from award-winning director Im Kwon-Taek, focusing on the lives of two very different Buddhist nuns and their separate journeys toward personal enlightenment. In intertwining these two stories, the film successfully explores issues regarding a woman's role in Korean society and the place of religion in the modern age.
In Korean, English subtitles. 134 min.
Sponsored by the University & Cultural Fund, the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, the Lilly Library, and the Film/Video/Digital Program.

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2007 - 8:30pm - 10:34 pm
Contact: Roxolana Kashuba; roxolana.kashuba@duke.edu
Sponsor: Ukrainian Association of North Carolina
Where: North Raleigh Christian Academy 7300 Perry Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27616
Why:

The Ukrainian Association of North Carolina is importing an amazing Ukrainian dance troupe, Lyman, to hold an exclusive concert on Saturday, November 3 at 7:30PM in Raleigh.

I don't know if any of you have ever seen a Ukrainian (or any kind of slavic) dance concert but it's AWESOME-- lots of jumping, whirling, Kozaks with swords!

You can buy tickets online (see http://ncua.inform-decisions.com/index_en.php), or let me know (roxolana.kashuba@duke.edu) and I can get you some minus the online tax/fees. There is a student discount and kids under 12 are free!

Hope to see you there!

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2007 - 9:00am - 12:30 am
Contact: dukeocc@gmail.com
Sponsor: Duke ONE Campus Challenge
Where: http://www.one.org/campus/
Why:

Last day of the membership challenge week to sign up to support Duke in the ONE Campus Challenge.

Sign up as a Duke student at http://www.one.org/campus/

Join the Duke ONE Facebook group by searching for "Duke Poverty" or going directly to http://duke.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17986189448

Those expressing interest can get more involved in the Duke Campaign through the Duke facebook group or by sending an e-mail to dukeocc@gmail.com

Students have played a critical role in every major movement in American history. Ending extreme poverty is no different.

Date: Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 4:14pm - 4:14 pm
Contact: Cong Jin, cj25@duke.edu
Sponsor: DCSSA (Duke Chinese Student and Scholar Association)
Where: 1Chinese Culture Week (Sep 22th-Oct 1st):

During the week around the Chinese National Day, Duke Chinese Student and
Scholar Association (DCSSA) will sponsor a series of activities to expose the
Duke community to the various aspects of Chinese culture. Come to learn about
Chinese culture and have fun!

1.    Mid-Autumn Karaoke Contest
Why: Enjoy mooncakes, Chinese songs, and free gifts!
When: 7:30-9:30pm, Sep 22th (Sat)
Where: Schiciano Auditorium ( Pratt's Fitzpatrick Center)
http://map.duke.edu/building.php?bid=7735

2.    Chinese Paper-cutting workshop
Why: Learn Chinese paper-cutting, the most popular folk art in China!
When: 5-7pm, Sep 26th (Wed)
Where: Women's Center lounge
http://wc.studentaffairs.duke.edu/wc/location/our_space/map.html
Please email to cj25@duke.edu for the registration.

3.    Chinese Game Expo
Why: Come to the campout ground to play the fantastic Chinese traditional games:
Shuttlecock, spinning top, diabolo, and tangram!
When: 1pm-3pm, Sep 29th (Sat, Campout weekend)
Where: Campout ground (at the corner of Wannamaker drive and Duke University
Road)

4.    Chinese National Day Celebration
Why: Get free Chinese flags and Chinese knots!
When: 11am-3pm, Oct 1st (Mon)
Where: Bryan center Plaza
http://map.duke.edu/building.php?bid=7791

For more information, please visit www.dukechina.org.

DCSSA


Why: Come to learn about the Chinese culture and have fun! Sep 22^th, enjoy mooncakes and Chinese songs. Sep 25^th, learn the folk art of paper-cutting. Sep 26^th, come to the campout ground to play the fantastic Chinese traditional games: Shuttlecock, spinning top, diabolo, and tangram. Oct 1^st, go by the Bryan center to get free Chinese flags and Chinese knots!