“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.”
– Thich Nhat Hahn
Thich Nhat Hahn is a world renowned Zen Master, author of more than a 100 books and in my opinion, a winsome meditative stroller. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. Then in 1982, Thich Nhat Hahn founded a community called Plum Village in the south of France. In 2008, a young man was ordained a monk at Plum Village. The young man’s brother is a filmmaker, Max Pugh, who was in attendance reflected upon this experience of bearing witness to his brother’s ordination as a Buddhist monk.
Later, Max Pugh would Direct and Produce the film Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hahn. Max has crafted a remarkably meditative film about the Plum Village that his brother joined. In our conversation, Max shares how he was asked to make a rock and roll road documentary about Plum Village without the sex and drugs, how the ringing of chimes can break the unconscious noise, and what Thich Nhat Hahn taught him about being a parent.
Learn more about Max at maxpugh.com, walkwithmefilm.com or on Instagram @maxpugh1
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EPISODE SHOW NOTES
Films by Max Pugh
- Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hahn
- The Road to Freedom Peak
- View Max’s full filmography
Resources Mentioned
- Man with a Movie Camera by Virtoff
- Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hahn
- Fragrant Palm Leaves by Thich Nhat Hahn
- Three Colors Blue by Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Dekalog by Krzysztof Kieślowski
People
- Michael Nyman (score for The Piano)
- Thich Nhat Hahn
- Plum Village
- Marc J. Francis
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Stanley Kubrick
- Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Andrei Tarkovsky
Drinks Pairings
- Tea Ceremony
Highlights
- I want to start outside of my expertise, Tell me about your work in art installation…can you share a recent example of your work in this arena to someone unfamiliar with this world?
- I’ve heard you say that when Plum Village (Thich Nhat Hahn’s community) approached you to make this documentary, they had the idea akin to a rock road band movie–without the sex and drugs?
- Regarding your brother, knowing him before he was a Buddhist monk and now after, what changes have you witnessed in him over the past decade?
- What was it like to bear witness as his brother?
- What impact did being in Plum Village and with Thich Nhat Hahn have on your personal life?
- Can you share about the chimes and rhythms of Plum Village?
- What were you most surprised about while being at Plum Village community or Thich Nhat Hahn?
- Why did you choose to not make this film the Thich Nhat Hahn story, but rather focus on his community at large?
- Is there a quote of Thich Nhat Hahn that has deeply resonated for you? Why?
- Do you find that both you as an artist and your brother as a monk are both following a similar vocation with different clothes on?
- If someone were going to teach a class on the formation of Max Pugh what 3 filmmakers or films that formed you would definitely be on that syllabus?
- What projects are on the horizon?
- We always pair an episode with a drink, what drink of choice goes best with this conversation?
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