The cross and the bodhi tree
This documentary film portrays the extraordinary spiritual journeys of Father François Ponchaud, a French Catholic priest, and Mother Rosemary, an English Anglican nun. The priest and the nun lead very different lives. Fr Ponchaud translated the Bible into Khmer and wrote the definitive history of the Catholic church in Cambodia. M. Rosemary entered a life of silence and prayer in her twenties. She took a sabbatical at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, where she struck enduring friendships. Both Ponchaud and Rosemary have faced difficult questions posed by their head-on encounter with Buddhism. Questions like, "Has your contact with Buddhism changed your thoughts on the uniqueness of Jesus Christ? Can the Holy Spirit act through a Buddhist? Is Buddhist meditation more passive that Christian Prayer?" Their answers are lucid and humble. The result is a film which brings East and West closer together in a profound and thought-provoking way.