Arnaud Desjardins
Arnaud Desjardins was a French author. He was a producer at the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française from 1952 to 1974, and was one of the first high-profile practitioners of Eastern religion in France. He worked on television documentaries about spiritual traditions not well known to many Europeans at the time, including Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, and Sufism from Afghanistan.
Life and work
Arnaud Desjardins was the son of Jacques Guérin-Desjardins. He was part of the George Gurdjieff group, his first contact with mysticism. Educated in a Protestant Christian environment, he was exposed to spiritual aspects of Christianity on a visit to a trappist Catholic monastery. He then became interested in yoga, and when asked to direct a film for French television, he chose to make a series of films on India, for which he gained attention for his first film, Ashrams.He met a spiritual teacher, Swami Prajnanpad, whom he got to know after filming a number of mystics from various traditions. He became a practitioner of Adhyatma yoga, which is a branch of Advaita Vedanta.
Works
Filmography
Hinduism:Ashrams, 1959Tibetan Buddhism: Le Message des Tibétains: Le Bouddhisme , 1966
- * The Message of the Tibetans: First Part, Buddhism, Alize Diffusion Le Message des Tibétains: Le Tantrisme , 1966
- * The Message of the Tibetans: Second Part, Tantrism, Alize Diffusion
Zen Buddhism:Zen: Ici et Maintenant , 1971Zen: Partout et Toujours , 1971
Soufism:Soufis D'Afghanistan: Maître et Disciple , 1974Soufis D'Afghanistan: Au Cœur des Confréries , 1974