The Kopan Monastery Annual Meditation Retreat
Video Documentary and Music Soundtrack CD
Presented in a 'day in the life' style with students sharing their thoughts throughout retreat. Tibetan chants and mantras, birds, windchimes and prayer wheel bells provide a background while students explore Buddhism, the Dharma and ultimately, their minds.
30 Days to Enlightenment is for friends of Kopan, and for others who want to have a better idea of what it's like to spend a month meditating at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas. Have you been to Kopan Monastery, or are you interested in attending a meditation retreat or maybe even traveling in Nepal? Want to learn more about Buddhism and the Dharma?
Filmed on location at Kopan Monastery near Kathmandu, Nepal, the hour long documentary follows students through one day of Kopan's annual 30 day meditation retreat. Photographs, short interviews, chants and an original music soundtrack are blended together to give a gentle tour of one month at Kopan.
The Music Soundtrack for the documentary was written and recorded using samples recorded at Kopan Monastery. The Soundtrack CD features atmospheric music inspired by Kopan woven with the ambient sounds of Tibetan chants, mantras, monk debates and prayer wheel bells.
The Relics of Geshe Lama Konchog From the documentary '30 Days to Enlightenment' by filmmaker Curtis Brunet. Filmed in 2001, a month after the passing of Geshe Lama Konchog, a high spiritual master from Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Tenzin Zopa's longtime student shows the relics of Geshe Konchog to students who were at Kopan monastery, attending the one month meditation retreat:
Info and comments about the documentary and music CD:
"I really think the music is incredible... it has helped contribute to one of our best trailers yet" - Alex Jansen, Director of the Kingston Film Festival, Canada. The track "Kopan Sacred Soil" was selected as the soundtrack to the Film Festival trailer. Broadcast on CKWS and Cogeco Cable 13, and throughout theatres during the festival. In Sacred Soil you can hear the monks of Kopan Monastery chanting puja in the background.
Calling the music "exquisite", the title track from the soundtrack CD "30 Days To Enlightenment" was featured on CBC Canada's ZeDTV television show and home page as their "Featured Music" selection.
"I wanted to tell you how
much I have enjoyed the Kopan video and the CD. You have done a fantastic
job putting it together. I love it. I have shown it to some friends and
family who feel they now have a much better sense of my experience of Kopan
than before. For me, it brought back such lovely memories, and such an
internal experience of peace and real meaning in my life. Thank you. Thank
you. Thank you...
I liked that you gave general information
about Nepal, as well as more specific info about the course. Your filming of
the streets of Kathmandu helps give a context as well. I love listening to
the chanting during the course at different parts through out the video and
the CD. You've done a really superb job."
Meriel Randerson, Victoria, BC, Canada
"Wauw, this is simply speaking more than
WONDERFUL!!! With my pictures I can recall memories, feelings and
thoughts but with your video compilation I even felt
like I've been instantly transferred to Kopan again."
Dirk Linden, Brussels, Belgium
"Thanks a lot for that great gift! It’s incredible! You've done a great work! Both things... the music is awesome and the video is magnificent. I was so excited to live the retreat moments again. You really know how to do things great. I have heard the music a lot and played it to my friends. I'm going to show the video in my buddhist group."
José Aguilar, Guatemala
"30 Day's To Enlightenment" is a fabulous documentary that was recently translated into Mongolian and shown on TV9 a Buddhist-based TV station in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.
The people of Mongolia have been restoring their Buddhist culture since the collapse of communism in the early 1990’s and since the late 1990’s part of FPMT Mongolia work has been to demonstrating to the lay community in Mongolia (particularly the younger generation) that Buddhism is still relevant to modern daily life.
This fantastic documentary really inspired many people, not just by demonstrating that Buddhism (which has been a large part of Mongolian life since the period of the 3rd Dalai Lama) is popular among westerners (a style of life that many young Mongolians are aspiring to), but also to see the format and benefits of retreats/extended meditation courses for lay people (traditionally retreats and teachings were only given to the Sangha).
On behalf of FPMT Mongolia I would like to express my gratitude to Curtis and the people involved in making this documentary. Its my personal opinion 30 Days To Enlightenment has really benefited the people of Mongolia."
Shyla Bauer, Assistant Director FPMT Mongolia.
"I attended the Kopan course in 2001 and still hold it as one of the dearest experiences in my heart. I have been working as a disability adjudicator in the government here in British Columbia, Canada. Sometimes the job can be quite stressful, as I am required to balance a compassionate heart with the restrictions of government policy and funding. However, I always have the CD '30 Days to Enlightenment' in my desk drawer, and whenever things start to get a little hairy, I just put on my headphones, and allow the music, the chanting and the words of wisdom to bring me back to a place of clarity. It's truly amazing how it works. I wanted to let others know what a true blessing the CD has been in my life. Thank you, Curtis. And thank you to all the wonderful sangha and fellow students at Kopan Monastery that were part of producing the CD. I just love hearing your beautiful music and voices. My love to you all!"