Theater Review: "Buddha—A Fantastic Journey" At The Bootleg Theater
“All that comes into being passes away. All that begins ends. All that is born dies.” So opens Evan Brenner’s one-man show, “Buddha—A Fantastic Journey,” directed by John C. Reilly. A dramatization of Buddha’s life story in 90 minutes, “Buddha” is truly an experience unto itself. From the building in which it takes place to the structure of the play, everything contributes to making the play an immersive exploration of Buddhism and the man on whose teachings the Eastern religion is founded. While addressing the underlying spiritual beliefs of the Buddhist tradition, writer and actor Evan Brenner also focuses on conveying Buddha’s story from a personal, human perspective. For, as he says in his introduction, this is truly a story about a man—not a statue, not a painting, not an idea, but simply a man.Brenner originally premiered his play in Boston in 2009, from where he toured the production around the U.S. He did first-hand research and wrote the script based on the original texts chronicling Buddha’s life. For the West Coast premiere, Oscar and Tony-nominated actor John C. Reilly joined the project as director. As such, he is responsible for the addition of live music and projected background images, an essential contribution indeed.
“All that is born dies.” Brenner begins and ends the play with Buddha’s death, thus giving the play a circular structure. In a way, this reflects some of the play’s deepest ideas: in order to achieve enlightenment in life one must first accept the inevitability of death. One must realize that with birth, comes old age, decay, sickness and death; only when one has embraced this fact can one begin to connect to that which is deathless and eternal. Throughout the play, there are several smaller occurances of circular structure. Brenner will begin a story, go on a tangent, come back to the beginning and start again, this time with a new perspective. The same lines and exchanges between characters will repeat themselves at various times over the course of the play. Finally, there are a few instances in which Brenner, with his wonderful performance, seems to capture infinity in a single moment. As a result, the form of the play imitates the content, the narrative thus immersing the audience in the experience.
Life Of Buddha - News
by Connie K. Ho For the next two weeks, until March 4, Buddha – A Fantastic Journey will be performed at the Bootleg Theater. Buddha is a one-man play that features the life of the Buddha from original texts. Written and performed by Evan Brenner,
I will never make such a mistake in my life," the CPM politburo member said. His statement at a chamber of commerce meeting in 2008 caused a flutter among trade unions and Left supporters. He also appealed to comrades to come out of the mindset that
So opens Evan Brenner's one-man show, “Buddha—A Fantastic Journey,” directed by John C. Reilly. A dramatization of Buddha's life story in 90 minutes, “Buddha” is truly an experience unto itself. From the building in which it takes place to the
He really has my voice and the details of my life, and that's great. And the other thing is being a regular on Marc Maron's podcast has really helped my visibility. Maron's has been great for me. TM: What's the back story on the Long Shot Podcast?
Taoists believe that by following practices that achieve balance in daily life, they gain harmony with the universe. And the Buddha said that for the enlightened one, harmony is his joy, his delight and his love. In Hong Kong the rounded shoulders of
Feeling Love Outside of a Relationship | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom ...
“There is no Love greater than Love with no object. For then you, yourself, have become love, itself.” ~Rumi
I have spent most of my life as a professional, half of that in Asia: managing a division of a company, doing long-term meditation retreats, and establishing cottage industries for impoverished refugees.
A long-term relationship was impossible since Asian men marry Asian women; European men had European wives and Asian lovers.
Along the way I thought I could give more value to the world by remaining single than being married with children.
I met a woman working at the UN who had raised a family. She suggested another scenario: there is a man who would love to join me in this endeavor.
We could raise children who also want to make a difference, thus making a bigger difference. I just had to find him.
She introduced me to a man who did want to make a difference while living in remote areas—exactly what I enjoyed. However, he wanted a wife to live in a city to raise his children, someone of the same ethnicity.
When I returned in 1998 to live in the US after 18 years in Asia, I experienced reverse culture shock. How people lived their lives (working non-stop at a job they did not like), what their priorities were (money, stuff, and power) and especially how they related to each other (networking to sell stuff, or to find a better job), was antithetical to my way of life.
Eventually I met more spiritually based individuals. Their way of life was to trust in Spirit. So when I thought it might be time for a compatible relationship I listened to their suggestion: trust in Spirit, let Spirit bring him to you.
Living in a small town, I did not meet any men with similar altruistic goals. I looked at guys’ photos on a dating website. When I found face and personal statement that made me feel comfortable, I wrote him. Not one replied.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly...our whole life would change. Buddha
RT @: “Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds.”
~ Buddha
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