Kumare

Profound teaching wrapped in a social experiment
Watched this last night with my husband who follows his own Eastern guru, so the irony was not lost on either of us. ;-) Part interesting social experiment, part art project, part truth-seeking, from my perspective. I thought it was artfully done and thoughtfully filmed, considering the hoax being perpetrated on some particularly sensitive, spiritually-minded folks. Regardless of the filmmaker's motives, which I'm sure were complex based on his own life experience, and viewpoint as an artist and truth-seeker himself, my take-away was that the positive experience of the participants was no less authentic because their teacher was a "big faker," and his method was made up. All of our rituals and beliefs are made up anyway, and the only real reality is that elusive place beyond language and identity we all know is there inside us, and leaves us at some level feeling like something is missing in our lives if we don't connect with it regularly. (Through a blue light meditation, maybe...

Brilliant! Hilarious! Courageous! Empowering!
OUCH! Having spent the last 15 years immersed in the US yoga scene, this excellent and insightful documentary hits painfully close to home. Vikram delivers a profound and positive message through the use of light-hearted humor and satire. He manages to expose the irony inherent in the guru industry, while endearing the individual seeker to the viewer.

Must Watch!
I was eager to watch Kumare after Ghandi appeared on The Colbert Report in July, but the limited runs of this documentary sent it to the back of my mind until a friend brought it up in conversation as to whether or not I had seen it.

I must admit, as a yoga practioner, I was thoroughly moved and impressed at the insight of Ghandi to even set a plan like this into motion. I think it should be watched by all, not just the more spiritually astute or "walkers of the path". It speaks VOLUMES to how desperate the Western society has become for "enlightenment" that they will attach to anyone/thing.

MUST WATCH!

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