Chapter Five: Journey of Radiance

Travels with Father | Journey of Radiance | Spring Break Adventure
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Chapter Overview

Indiana Jones faces death in this deeply moving story of faith and trust. A jaunt through the mystical Far East takes Indy to the Holy City of Benares where he befriends the lonely and isolated young leader of the Theosophy movement, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Surrounded by supplicants and hangers-on, Krishnamurti struggles to have faith in himself and to fulfill the destiny decreed for him by his worshippers. In the process he shows Indy just how strong the power of faith can be. Indy's mother also learns a lesson in faith and trust when she must rely on some poor Chinese villagers and their traditional medical techniques to save the life of her son who lies perilously close to death with typhoid fever.

Key Topics:

Summary and comparison of major world religions; overview of Chinese culture (this film can easily be divided into two separate lessons; each stands alone very well!)

Historic People:

Jiddu Krishnamurti— philosopher and appointed messiah of the Theosophy Society until renouncing his title
Annie Besant—English-born leading member of the Theosophy Society
Yen Fu—a pioneer in China’s attempts to understand the West



People and Topics


Jiddu Krishnamurti

Descriptor

In 1909 Charles Leadbeater found a 13 year old boy playing on a beach and claimed to see the aura of the messiah surrounding the child. Jiddu Krishnamurti was taken from his home and instructed in the ways of Theosophy and groomed to be the messiah. Eventually disillusioned with the Theosophy Society, Krishnamurti renounced his title as messiah and world teacher at age 34. He spent the rest of his life in America offering guidance and philosophy to the thousands who sought him out. Ironically, Krishnamurti remained a world teacher until his death in 1986.


Books

Blau, Evelyne. Krishnamurti: 100 Years. New York: A Joost Elffers book of Stewart, Taboori, & Chang, 1995.

Jayakar, Pupul. Krishnamurti: A Biography. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1988.


Websites

Krishnamurti Foundation

Krishnamurti Information Network

Krishnamurti.net


Annie Besant

Descriptor

English-born leading member of the Theosophy Society. Besant, with Charles Leadbeater, discovered Krishnamurti and proclaimed him the new messiah and world teacher.


Books

Jinarajadasa, Cherry. A Short Biography of Annie Besant. Wheaton, IL: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2000.

Dixon, Joy. Divine Feminine: Theosophy and Feminism in England. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.


Websites

Theosophical Society

BBC: In Our Time - Annie Besant

Besant Bio

Besant Bio

Krishnamurti Foundation




Chinese Medicine

Descriptor

Traditional medicine practices of China. Typically involve herbal medicines, acupuncture, and massage.


Books

Beinfield, Harriet, Efrem Korngold. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

Kaptchuk, TJ. The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. 2nd ed. New York: Congdon and Weed, 2000.


Websites

Acupuncture

The Chinese Medicine Sampler

BBC- Traditional Chinese Medicine Video

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine Times

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Educators are strongly advised to review any resources prior to allowing student use.

Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section.

Documentary Previews

Below you will find information about each documentary that supplements Journey of Radiance.

Jiddu Krishnamurti: The Reluctant Messiah


He was plucked from poverty and illness in India and was declared to be the new messiah, groomed to bring salvation to the world. As a boy, he became the symbol of a new spiritual movement and spoke to those weary of social strife, religious dogma and materialism. As a man, he came to reject his position and instead discovered his own path. In front of throngs of followers, Jiddu Krishnamurti defied the expectations of those around him, and did not offer salvation. Instead, he called for an abandonment of religious dogma, and encouraged those who could hear him to discover their own answers. Produced and written by Adam Sternberg and Lisa Clark.

Running Time: (0:26:50)



Annie Besant: An Unlikely Rebel


Annie Besant was strong-willed woman in an authoritarian era. Journeying from vicar's wife to spiritual leader, Besant lived courageously and passionately. She brought attention to the working conditions of the poor, she spoke out on such radical issues as women's rights, birth control, Indian nationalism and the brotherhood of man. The common thread was her compulsion to end the world's suffering and to seek spiritual enlightenment. Produced by Adam Sternberg. Written by Adam Sternberg and Lisa Clark.

Running Time: (0:26:55)

Medicine in the Middle Kingdom


One of the world's oldest civilizations, China created a complex and sophisticated culture emphasizing on order and harmony. Part of that culture was a system of health care radically different than that of the West. Today, traditional Chinese medicine is practiced well beyond China's borders. How did that happen? What is Chinese medicine? Does it really work? And if it does, how? Produced and Written by Sharon Wood.

Running Time: (0:26:49)



Eastern Spirituality: The Road to Enlightenment


The world's religious beliefs as determined by compass points group the major faiths into Western spirituality (Christians, Jews and Muslims) and Eastern spirituality (Buddhist or Hindu). These faiths have much in common in the questions they ask, yet their differences in tradition are quite pronounced. In the West, death is the end of the human experience while in the East, it is on step in a continuing cycle. In the West, happiness can be achieved by the ultimate fulfillment of all desires, while in the East, fulfillment is achieved by the abolishment of all desires. In the West, there is no brook for ambiguity, while the Eastern path to enlightenment requires relinquishing the need for certainty. Produced and Written by Adam Sternberg and Lisa Clark.

Running Time: (0:29:06)




The above descriptors were acquired from Starwars.com

Disclaimer: All resources (including books and websites) provided on indyintheclassroom.com are intended to be used by educators. Indyintheclassroom.com is not responsible for the content on linked websites.
Educators are strongly advised to review any resources prior to allowing student use.

Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section.



Indy Connections: Journey of Radiance

Below are current event articles that relate to events, topics, and people found in Journey of Radiance.


Could Noah’s Ark Float? In Theory, Yes

Smithsonian.com
4/4/2014

Noah has a lot going for him, in the biblical tale and in the recent Hollywood adaptation. Divine help would be a pretty useful tool in a quest to round up two of every species on the planet and build a gigantic ark to survive an apocalyptic flood. But, is the story rooted in truth or is it merely fable?


Ten Ancient Stories and the Geological Events That May Have Inspired Them

Smithsonian.com
4/4/2014

Myths have fed the imaginations and souls of humans for thousands of years. The vast majority of these tales are just stories people have handed down through the ages. But a few have roots in real geological events of the past, providing warning of potential dangers and speaking to the awe we hold for the might of the planet.


The Little-Known Legend of Jesus in Japan

Smithsonian.com
1/3/2013

On the flat top of a steep hill in a distant corner of northern Japan lies the tomb of an itinerant shepherd who, two millennia ago, settled down there to grow garlic. He fell in love with a farmer’s daughter named Miyuko, fathered three kids and died at the ripe old age of 106. In the mountain hamlet of Shingo, he’s remembered by the name Daitenku Taro Jurai. The rest of the world knows him as Jesus Christ.


Swastika-Bearing Buddhist Statue Was Chiseled From Meteorite

Nationalgeographic.com
9/27/2012

Known as the "Iron Man," the 22-pound (10-kilogram) figure is likely a Buddhist god. Seated, he wears a large swastika on his midsection—a good-luck symbol in Buddhism. In 1938 a team of Nazis traveling in Tibet came across the statue and—possibly intrigued by the familiar bent-armed cross—brought it back to Germany. There, the "Iron Man" remained in a private collection in Munich until 2007, when the statue became available for study.


The Inside Story of a Controversial New Text About Jesus

Smithsonian.com
9/18/2012

Harvard researcher Karen King today unveiled an ancient papyrus fragment with the phrase, “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife.’” The text also mentions “Mary,” arguably a reference to Mary Magdalene. The announcement at an academic conference in Rome is sure to send shock waves through the Christian world. The Smithsonian Channel will premiere a special documentary about the discovery this fall. And Smithsonian magazine reporter Ariel Sabar has been covering the story behind the scenes for weeks, tracing King’s steps from when a suspicious e-mail hit her in-box to the nerve-racking moment when she thought the entire presentation would fall apart. Read our exclusive coverage below.


How Looking to Animals Can Improve Human Medicine

Smithsonian.com
8/28/2012

If humans and animals experience some of the same injuries, diseases and disorders (and they do), then why don’t doctors more often seek the advice of veterinarians and animal experts? It is a good question, and one that Barbara Natterson-Horowitz asks in her new book, Zoobiquity, co-authored by Kathryn Bowers.


New Terra-Cotta Warriors—And Unprecedented Armor

Nationalgeographic.com
6/20/2012

View pictures of this terrific archaeological find!


What Secrets Do Ancient Medical Texts Hold?

Smithsonian.com
5/1/2011

In 2002, Alain Touwaide came across an article about the discovery, some years before, of a medical kit salvaged from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany. Divers had brought up a copper bleeding cup, a surgical hook, a mortar, vials and tin containers. Miraculously, inside one of the tins, still dry and intact, were several tablets, gray-green in color and about the size of a quarter.


Nails Tied to Jesus' Crucifixion Found?

Discovery.com
4/13/2011

Two Roman nails dating back 2,000 years, found in the burial cave of the Jewish high priest who handed Jesus over to the Romans, may be linked to the crucifixion, an Israeli filmmaker has claimed.


Searching for Buddha in Afghanistan

Smithsonian.com
11/25/2010

Clad in a safari suit, sun hat, hiking boots and leather gloves, Zemaryalai Tarzi leads the way from his tent to a rectangular pit in the Bamiyan Valley of northern Afghanistan. Crenulated sandstone cliffs, honeycombed with man-made grottoes, loom above us. Two giant cavities about a half-mile apart in the rock face mark the sites where two huge sixth-century statues of the Buddha, destroyed a decade ago by the Taliban, stood for 1,500 years.


Disclaimer: All resources (including books and websites) provided on indyintheclassroom.com are intended to be used by educators. Indyintheclassroom.com is not responsible for the content on linked websites.
Educators are strongly advised to review any resources prior to allowing student use.

Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section.

Travels with Father | Journey of Radiance | Spring Break Adventure
Young Indy Home