| The voyage of discovery about the Christian version of the Apocalypse continues the prophetical tradition of Judaism. As Rabbi Elio Toaff says, "...in the Jewish tradition, the advent of the Messiah has to be preceded by huge disruption. In the Talmud this is called, 'hable mashiah.'" All the more or less obscure prophecies of the West originate from the Apocalypse, or Revelation, of John the Apostle, who saw mysterious visions that he transcribed into the book of Revelation while exiled in Greece on the island of Patmos and Mount Athos. Mount Athos, or Holy Mountain, is a monastic republic, the last theocratic state in our time, where no woman is admitted, and where monks live among twenty monasteries with no signs of the modern age. Here we find the great monastery, whose library holds thousands of manuscripts, including those of Plato, Aristotle and Homer; also in other monasteries we view enigmatic frescoes of the Apocalypse that date back to the 16th century. 07DR SCA 60 min. |
| According to the Eastern traditions, we are in the Kali Yuga, the Dark Age, the time of conflicts. We meet author Alain Daniélou (Gods and Myths of India; Shiva and Dionysus), who helped the West discover ancient texts and prophesies through his expert translations of Sanskrit. We learn in the East death is not seen as an end, but an alchemical process from which light is distilled. Cremation, called "Swargardhar" is known as the doorway to heaven. The dark goddess of Calcutta is Kali, who in creation is the creative force, while in dissolution, the destructive force. In Tibet we learn of Buddhism, and how each of us is responsible for his or her own destiny, how the king of mythical Shambala will one day fight against all negative forces; that monks practice the art of debating, which prepares them for the Shambala war, and how the present Dalai Lama has held the Kalachakra ceremony, which prepare people for the end of time, in western countries. Finally, we learn of Padmasambhava, who introduced Buddhism into Tibet, and of Lama Khamtul Rinpoche, who lives on the slopes of the Himalayas. 07DR SCA 60 min. |
| Life in the United States brings out many contradictions. Here the ancient ways of life of the Native Americans co-exist with the most advanced forms of technology, such as "virtual reality." Is Disneyworld, an entertainment park based on imitation, and an artificial environment, a vision of the future? Questions like this are contrasted against the sacred beliefs of tribes such as the Hopi, Seneca, Lakota, Suquamish, Tuscarora, and the Zuni. People who have always believed that all creatures share the same breath; that animals are our brothers; that the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth, and that the purpose of life is to seek balance, an equilibrium. Native American prophecies foresaw an artificial world, separated from nature. According to legend the legs of the buffalo represent the four periods of humanity, and the Oglala Indians say the buffalo now stands only on one leg, which begs the question: is there still time to determine a promising future for mankind on Earth? 07DR SCA 60 min. |
| Cities were built to create a safe space to shelter people from various dangers; yet today with nearly 70% of the world living in cities, they have developed into places with immense problems, confusing humans rather than helping them. One of the symbols of the book of Revelation is the Holy City, a vision of a perfect society. In England we visit the Schumacher Center, named after philosopher and economist Fritz Schumacher, who believed people should think on a human scale, bearing in mind both nature and spiritual values. Next we see the contrasts between "heavenly" Jerusalem, the ideal city, vs. its exact opposite, Babylon. Lastly, we visit the Abbey at Glastonbury, called the English Jerusalem, where it is believed the disciples led by Joseph of Arimathea brought the chalice of the Holy Grail. 07DR SCA 60 min. |
| Apocalyptic teachings can be seen not only as the prediction of historical events, but also as the map of an inner journey in search of reality. Fear of the end of time reawakens an ancestral fear of death, whether individual or collective. Philosopher Joseph Needleman explains that in Eastern thought, time is governed by Karma, the law of cause and effect; while in the West, time is seen as a straight line, a succession of irreversible events. For Christians, at the end will be the Apocalypse proceeded by the "heavenly" Jerusalem. We see many similarities in East and West beliefs, such as the Arunachala, the "sacred mountain," which comes from Indian mythology and symbolizes man's ascent towards God or toward what is unchanging; also that within the heart shines the truth, and the truth is timeless. We learn of Ramana Maharishi, who taught mainly by silence, speaking only to answer people's questions. Lastly, we meet Don Asnaghi, an expert on Russian culture, who speaks of the purple angel called Sophia. 07DR SCA 60 min. |