Sri Lanka, the Sacred Island

Sri Lanka, the Sacred Island

[Applause] Jerome’s different lives have taken him to the four corners of the globe scuba driving instructor sailor metr on an oceanliner and now hot air balloonist he has flown in Egypt Kenya Tanzania Libya South Africa Florida and Burma and last but not least he has landed with his balloon here in Sri

Lanka to fulfill his passion and at the same time earn his living by sharing it with others this is one of the most beautiful spots of Sri Lanka it’s an island in the middle of Lake kandalama we’re lucky we often fly over it in the morning it’s a bird sanctuary there are

Little Islands scattered all around and this one here is the main island with its unspoiled nature this is Sri Lanka the real Sri Lanka with the mountains all around the tea plantations the Lakes the birds the thick Lush vegetation we’re really in Sri Lanka and kandalama is the very heart Of Act Hello you can’t get any Freer than a hot air balloon the thing about a balloon is that you can’t steer it you just go with the wind you follow its whims you’re a passenger of the wind it’s guest you adapt according to what the wind decides you let yourself be carried so

It’s true freedom but Freedom where the wind Decides to Glide along without a sound to let yourself be carried by the slightest Breeze Jerome has found the perfect machine to enjoy the most stunning Landscapes it’s the most basic form of transportation apart from the propane which is a petroleum derivative all the rest is Reed and cloth it’s really very simple nothing more than that bubble of hot air above keeping us Al Loft you see that little brown patch down there it’s the kind of place where

We can usually land we won’t this time because of the wind it’s a question of luck depending on what’s down there now the idea is to go down as low as possible and skim the Treet tops hello Byebye hang on guys hello from country hello France France yes France each Landing is an intense moment and a celebration the surprise before this unexpected guest quickly gives way to a feeling of Wonder the GU going to pull pull pull there’s like two two or three minimum

Three guys there pull and he’s going to deflect like this and some guys they going to go so it doesn’t go into the water [Applause] okay Jerome can always count on help from the villagers here in Sri Lanka the whole Community turns out spontaneously to lend a Hand when he first came to this country Jerome had to the groundwork the first thing he did was to spot the best landscapes for flying and the best spots to take off he has the free use of cricket pitches and schoolyards I really love everything

About Sri Lanka I mean it’s not just the people it’s the country in general the hospitality everything it’s great weather every day from November to April you can fly practically every morning there’s good conditions almost every day it’s ideal for ballooning it’s just awesome hello sir how are you Jerome lives his life according to the rhythm of the Sun for he has to get his balloon a loft before it gets too hot the difference in temperature between the air outside and inside the balloon is what produces this Alchemy at 5: in the morning it’s already 25° C

In 2 hours it won’t be possible to Fly For Jerome hot air balloons are like poetry useless yet at the same time essential to elevate one’s soul and to contemplate the World today we live in a world where where everything is codified there’s not really any more space for Freedom whereas with Sri Lanka not that it’s a place where you can do anything you want but there’s much more space because it’s Virgin Territory what I’m really after is the

Nature contact with the nature contact with the people and the balloon will give me that it’s really total freedom every morning I do a flight and after that the day just whizzes by it’s Fantastic damad dasi was only 10 years old when he decided to dedicate his life to Buddha by becoming a Monk here at the Temple of aluvihara he is seeking to attain Nirvana the ultimate stage of Enlightenment bud Buddha said he who is master of himself is greater than he who is Master of the World by following the teachings and philosophy of Buddha dadashi has embarked on a spiritual Quest that leads to Enlightenment to a comprehension of our Reality mind the Thorns climb up a little higher is it a good frond it’s the fresh frond right Here at aluvihara the Buddhist monks are carrying on a tradition that’s over 2,000 years old it all starts in the heart of the jungle the frond they’ve cut is sacred dadashi carries it to his temple one of the oldest of Sri Lanka it dates back to the period when Buddhism first arrived in

The country in the 3r century BC We’re going to make a traditional prayer book it’s called AAL we start by preparing the Palm frons that will make up the pages of the book it’s an ancient tradition it’s remained unchanged ever since the early manuscripts writing is the Monk’s work and it’s all done with what the forest

Here around the temple can give us it all comes from right Here To produce his book damasi repeats the gestures carried out by so many monks before him they would inscribe on these leaves the teaching of Buddha as well as all the learning of the time certain of these works are the only existing records of the Region’s history others give a comprehensive view

Of the knowledge of a bygone age in medicine and Astrology I’ve been doing this ever since I was a small child I stopped for a few years but I learned it all here I really like this work I also know how to write very well it’s an ancient Buddhist language used by the monks the man who taught me how to hold

The leaf in the stylus was a great monk but he didn’t teach me the art of writing so I figured that by studying the Sacred Scriptures I could learn on my own and that’s exactly what I did The Temple of nalanda gedig has remained outside of time far from the bustling modern world the building is deeply suffused with Spirituality tadasi likes to be off on on his own when he’s transcribing the sacred words of Buddha this is the path he has chosen it’s his contribution to humanity the words and philosophy of Buddha were not written down right away in the beginning everything was transmitted orally By Word of

Mouth then they began to write on these leaves from that moment on the teachings were no longer form because they were teaching what was written I’m doing exactly the same work as the scribes of long ago and they dedicated their lives to this task I inherited this tradition and it gives me great Satisfaction For As in all religions the faithful make pilgrimages to the holy sites voyages to the heart of their spirituality the railroad that once transported salon’s tea down to the coast and that contributed to its reput ation still rattles along carrying the country’s inhabitants every Buddhist in Sri Lanka

Hopes to make the pilgrimage to the summit of sria the Sacred mountain in the center of the country at least once in their life it thrusts up into the sky a perfect cone a bridge between humanity and the Divine Come on SRI Legend has it that Alexander the Great Marco Polo and other famous voyagers came here to see the sunrise the kings of Sri Lanka all made the journey here to bow to its Eternal grander sria is one of the rare places on Earth that is venerated by Buddhists

Hindus Muslims and Christians alike the belief is that Buddha himself left his footprint here the Hindus on the other hand believe that Shiva danced on the Mountaintop as for the Muslims they call this mountain Adam’s Peak lastly for Christians it was St Thomas who left his Mark here Here we’re in the sanctuary of the god saman the city gangula it’s an icy Mountain stream we purify ourselves and then we will do our prayers The pilgrims wear white damasi ties a coin wrapped in a piece of saffron colored cloth around their wrist they will deposit it as an offering when they get to the top of the mountain damasi will accompany this Pilgrim couple to the top they’ve chosen

A night of the full moon a poya in Sri Lanka this is a Time dedic dedicated to spirituality they set out early while it’s still dark in order to get to the top for the Sunrise 4,800 steps to the summit a prolonged effort which allows one to exhaust the body in order to free the mind and attain Enlightenment the final goal of all Buddhists is to reach nirvana the ultimate state of being with that goal in mind we pay great attention to what we say we learn how to dominate the violence that exists within each of us in our gestures in our thoughts Buddhism teaches self-mastery

This is the wish of all Buddhists and this is the path that will lead us to [Laughter] Nirvana the tradition is that each Pilgrim rings the bell upon arriving at the summit once for every time they have visited this holy site at an altitude of more than 2,200 M

The sound fills the space and fires the faith of Believers of all confessions S The manuscript that damasi is holding dates back more than 500 Years I’ve already read this sacred book down below but this is the first time I’m reading it here on the mountain and it’s a great honor for me it’s an incredible experience it’s thanks to my good karma that I’ve been blessed with this good fortune it’s the result of my past

Lives my entire life is based on the principles of Buddhism I have no other ambition I’m content with what I Have I’ve had good fortune and strength to be able to teach to spread the word of Buddha to many of the faithful that’s the goal I’ve set for myself I plan to continue studying and deepening my knowledge of this philosophy and I want to follow this path as far as possible N

In the heart of Sri Lanka, we discover a preserved land, a sanctuary where nature has remained intact: the real Sri Lanka, with its lakes and mountains, tea plantations, birds, lush vegetation.

Director: Scott Schneider
Original Title: Somewhere on Earth: Sri Lanka