Film looks at Jesus legend

A legend that Jesus spent some years in India and the East before beginning his public teaching life at the age of 30 is explored in a movie to be shown at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the University of Hawaii Spalding Auditorium.

“;Jesus in India,”; a 2007 film directed by Paul Davids and produced by Yellow Hat Productions, is the first in the UH Cinema Series organized by Don Brown. Biblical scholar Elaine Pagels, a Princeton University professor, and others discuss theories the Jesus lived with Hindus and Buddhists before returning to teach what became the Christian religion.

This Summer Enlightenment Film Series is the first time the series has focused on films with spiritual themes.

Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for general admission and $3 for UH faculty, staff and students. For information, call Brown at 223-0130 or write to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Clips of the films may be seen at UH Cinema Series on YouTube.

The film series will continue at 5 p.m. Sundays. The following will be shown:

» July 12—“;Rumi, Poet of the Heart”; and “;Suzuki Speaks,”; featuring David Suzuki

» July 19—“;Enlighten Up: A Skeptic's Journey into the World of Yoga”;

» July 26—“;The Knowledge of Healing”; about Tibetan medicine, including an interview with the Dalai Lama

» Aug. 2—“;Fierce Grace,”; a 2003 American made film about Hindu guru Ram Dass

» Aug. 9—“;The Living Matrix: On the New Science of Healing,”; a 2009 film by Greg Becker and Harry Massey

» Aug. 16—“;Through the Eastern Gate,”; a Dutch documentary on three young Westerners who chose Eastern spiritual traditions, and “;Yoga as Therapy”;

Buddhist teachers in isles

Zen Buddhist teachers and practitioners from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand will join local members of the Diamond Sangha in a 50th-anniversary celebration July 12.

Robert Aitken, 92, founder of the organization, will attend the events at the Palolo Zen Center, 2747 Waiomao Road. Aitken, a retired University of Hawaii professor, was introduced to Zen meditation while a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II. He trained for several years in Japan and is a recognized master. He is the author of 10 books on Zen thought and practice.

The program will begin with a ceremony from 9 to 11:30 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch. Storytelling, music and other activities will continue through the afternoon.