RARE SPIRITUAL DISCUSSIONS IN COLORADO!

I arrived in Denver last night for the screening of MY REINCARNATION at the gorgeous Denver Film Center and am already back in the airport heading to Aspen today for more films screenings at the Wheeler Opera House this weekend. Joining me last night in Denver was Rabbi Steven Both-Nadav, Founder of Wisdom House Denver. Even after so many screenings, it is still a joyful surprise to see how audiences hunger to talk after screening MY REINCARNATION. In a modern world, open discussions of faith and ‘the meeting with the Devine’ (as Rabbi Both-Nadav termed it) are rare. But the way Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and his son Yeshi share their personal lives and spiritual journey so fearlessly in the film invites viewers to open themselves even with strangers in a crowded theater. As Rabbi Both-Nadav and I met for the first time on stage no one moved and after the near hour rapt discussion, many in the audience hung around outside still talking. The Rabbi spoke about how meeting other religions – such as Tibetan Buddhism – provides a mirror for his own search for the Devine. He asked the audience to share how the film reflected their own notions of spirit? One young man from South East Asia spoke about how he, like Norbu Rinpoche in the film, was raised in a monastery. Watching MY REINCARNATION made him think about how we all create our own monastery no matter where we are and carry it with us. Another young woman shared how the film itself -shot over 20 years — felt like its own spiritual practice to her, requiring perseverance, facing doubts and fears, and overcoming obstacles to attain the intimate story. I was so inspired by the sensitivity of the audience and the openness of Rabbi Both-Nadav, who told about how he had gone with other Rabbi’s in the late 80’s to learn how to ‘stop talking and start listening’ by taking a course in Vipassana Meditation. He now incorporates mediation into his daily practice and runs a weekly meditation group in Denver. He told me how he is not afraid of the intermingling of religious paths, saying “that if a well runs dry, do you let it die, or instead add fresh water from another well?” Thank you so much to Rabbi Both-Nadav for sharing with all of us, The Rabbi will also be hosting the MY REINCARNATION screening tonight at the Denver Film Center at 7:15 pm and we have a full schedule of wonderful hosts and discussions lined up all week at the film screenings in Denver! Meanwhile I am off to Aspen so you see the film tonight and meet me at the Wheeler Opera House! SO wherever you are SEE THE FILM AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION!