The Buddha/David Grubin

In The Buddha, a two-hour documentary by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin, experts from various disciplines relate key episodes of the Buddha’s life and reflect on what his journey means for us today. Experts include poet Jane Hirshfield, then Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin, scholar Robert Thurman, astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan, and psychiatrist Mark Epstein, as well as practicing Buddhist monastics. A companion website, www.pbs.org/thebuddha, serves as a resource center and exchange platform. Visitors to the site can learn about the history of Buddhism, view articles and interviews, share stories, and explore ways to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life. The site features the works of some of the world’s most important artists and sculptors, who—across two millennia—have depicted the Buddha’s life in art.

The film features key episodes of the Buddha’s life and reflect on what the Buddha’s journey means for us today.

Photo provided by David Grubin Productions​.