Soul’s Code

Arguably the most influential sci-fi movie ever, this abstract cinematic essay was penned by two visionaries: director Stanley Kubrick and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. Its central message is that a supreme intelligence is behind the leaps that have informed the evolution of human consciousness. The widely-copied “stargate” scene at the end, in which a lone astronaut is propelled “beyond the infinite”, suggests that mankind is on the brink of its greatest leap yet. Played by Keir Dullea, the astronaut arrives in a new dimension, has a last supper, dies — and after leaving his physical body, is reborn as a spiritual creature represented by an embryonic starchild.

Karma points: The “Clarke Belt” is named after the screenplay’s co-author because

This movie executes itself like a Mousetrap for mediation — or an induction into a state of profound compassion for one’s Self and *all* beings.

So it may surprise you that Kundun is the product of Martin Scorcese, more familiar to an admiring intelligentsia and media as Hollywood’s reigning monarch of mob violence.

A classic of world cinema for all time, in any genre, Kundun tells the story of the current Dalai Lama’s miraculous childhood — and it tells the story not through chatty characters but visual and sonic archetypes. One trope: the Tibetan sand mandala: intricate in its design and colors, the sand painting is swept away after months of work by the monk-artists as a sacrificial nod to the temporal quality of life and illusion of personal identity.

The screenplay is the lifetime achievement of

James Cameron and the Virgin Sacrifice | Originally uploaded by Jinxiecat.

James Cameron (in Perez Hilton-style photo, left) goes on record that the tomb of Jesus, the tomb of Mary was a myth — and that Jesus is dead and buried!

Or was buried, until he was dug up in a tomb in a suburb of Jerusalem.

Considering that Jesus and Mary are about as common a name at that time in the antique world as Bob and Betsy are in present-day North America odds are that Titanic-director James Cameron could be in way, way more over his head than he thinks. TIME magazine: “Tales from the Crypt”

A documentary about fundamentalist day-camping depicts another theological, spiritual and cultural divide between red and blue states

BY SOUL’S CODE — Introducing the new documentary, Jesus Camp, and a new tire-fire in America’s religious wars. According to an account in The L.A. Times the filmmakers are being terrorized:

When Fischer arrived home Tuesday after a few days touring with the filmmakers, her e-mail inbox was loaded with hate mail. She spent the next two days writing lengthy explanations to the most common accusations – “How dare you brainwash those kids!” and “Are you raising up Christian terrorists or another Hitler Youth movement?” – then posted them on her website Tuesday.

“I’ve gotten thousands of hits on my website from those people,” she said. “I’m wearing sunglasses in the airports. It’s really making me nervous.”

A poem by the Sufi mystic, Rumi, shows up in a love scene in Casino Royale

BY PAUL KAIHLA — We’re not about to add the new James Bond movie opening Nov.17, Casino Royale, to our Top 12 Spiritual Cinema list on Soul’s Code but if you’ve seen the trailer, it suggests Bond has been reincarnated with a deeper dimension.

This Bond film scraps special effects in favor of a retro repertoire for the spy, both in terms of his toolkit and character.

Viz, Bond’s highly mystical language in this romantic scene with Casino Royale‘s sophisticated Bond girl, played by French beauty Eva Green. Note the similarity of the words with a love poem that the Sufi mystic Rumi wrote more than 7 centuries ago.