0:00:10 > 0:00:14I'm Peter Owen Jones. I'm a vicar in the Church of England
0:00:14 > 0:00:18and I've taken a year off from my parishes to see for myself
0:00:18 > 0:00:23the richness of faith across six continents.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35I'm going to witness rituals never seen before,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39making people's journeys from birth to death.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I'm going to encounter strange and beautiful faiths,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46expressing people's deepest hopes and fears.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51How can you say such things?
0:00:54 > 0:01:01My biggest hope is to understand humanity's timeless fascination with the divine..
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Am I dreaming?
0:01:42 > 0:01:46This part of America is famous for Evangelists,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51whose preaching of traditional values keep the Bible Belt true to its name.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57And I've been invited to meet with the Revered Jared Sawyer
0:01:57 > 0:01:58and his family.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04They're not here.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I've timed by arrival badly.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12It's the school run, a daily chore for this renowned preacher.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15- How are you? - I'm doing good.- I'm Pete.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17- Nice to meet you.- You Jared? - Yes, sir.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22'Jared believes that God has called him to preach.'
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- Wow, so you must be going to public school.- Yes, sir.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33- When?- Well, I started last Monday.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38How did you feel... that you had to preach?
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Well, I was sleeping one night and I had a dream.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I had a dream, I don't know if it was true
0:02:45 > 0:02:47or if it were really a dream, but I was having a dream.
0:02:47 > 0:02:54And I felt that God was calling me to be a minister.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59I have my pencils and pens in here.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I have all of my sermons labelled.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- What's your favourite verse in the Bible?- Philippians 4:13.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12That says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- Do you feel that? - Yes, sir. If I want to be a pastor of my own church,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22I can be a pastor of my own church, as long as I just believe it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27GOSPEL SINGING
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Tonight Jared is guest preacher at a nearby Baptist church.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40GOSPEL SINGING
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Our topic for this evening is God's amazing grace.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- SHOUTING AND CHEERING - First, what is amazing?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Well, man defines amazing as wonder.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Well, we know that our God fits this description.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00- Uh-huh.- Yeah.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I don't know about you, but he makes me wonder all the time.
0:04:05 > 0:04:11We all need God's amazing Grace, in order for us to prosper.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It is your aid.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18And unlike some aids that you can buy from the store,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- you can't buy grace. - CHEERING
0:04:20 > 0:04:24In these Baptist churches it's the style of preaching
0:04:24 > 0:04:25that draws in the crowds.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And child preachers gain their authority from a Biblical custom
0:04:29 > 0:04:33where God's spirit inspires children to preach.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35..free us from sin.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Therefore do people in this place today know that you need the Lord.
0:04:41 > 0:04:47You need God on a day-to-day basis to survive.
0:04:47 > 0:04:54# We've come this far by faith
0:04:59 > 0:05:03# Leading on the road. #
0:05:07 > 0:05:11But surely only adults can be priests, can be ministers?
0:05:11 > 0:05:16- No.- No, no, God can use anybody.- Amen.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19God is using him. God is speaking through him.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21He's just an instrument for the Lord.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- You did it good.- Thank you.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Hidden away in this part of America
0:05:38 > 0:05:42is a unique off-shoot of Pentecostal Protestant Christianity.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47It takes a literal reading of the Bible to its very extreme.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Jimmy? Hi.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55'Jimmy Morrow is the pastor of The Church of Jesus Name.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'He's so proud of his tradition, he's even got the T-shirt.'
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Let's go and look at the snake hut.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'Jimmy's been a serpent handler for 40 years.'
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Gordon Bennett.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Wow! What snakes are they?
0:06:11 > 0:06:15How poisonous are they?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Right.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27In the name of Jesus Christ.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- I think I'll leave this bit to you. - OK.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34'For Jimmy, the Bible is literally the Word of God
0:06:34 > 0:06:36'to be followed to the letter.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40'He bases his tradition on just two verses of Scripture.'
0:06:40 > 0:06:44You've put the verse from Mark up here on the door.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Serpent handling services originated in Tennessee in 1908.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Reading the Bible literally
0:07:04 > 0:07:09was part of a back to basics protest against moral decay.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15However the serpents have claimed 100 lives, so far.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I was on life support one time for 28 hours,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22I refused medical treatment, and when I passed out they took me
0:07:22 > 0:07:26and I didn't want to go, but when you're passed out you don't know what's going on,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29they do what they want to do. I was on a respirator
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and I thought that would push me out of this,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33but I'm still here doing it.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35HE SINGS
0:07:41 > 0:07:47Pentecostal worship sometimes includes such shaking and shouting,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51the people around me believe that they are filled with the Holy Ghost.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Unless Jimmy too feels anointed by the Spirit,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57the snakes will stay in the box.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Picking up serpents is seen as a literal sign of God's power.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Serpent handlers have no fear, they believe they are protected by God.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23THE SINGING CONTINUES
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Look, I'm English. We walk into church, we stand up,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40we sit down, we pray, but apart from the Eucharist,
0:08:40 > 0:08:41nothing really happens.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46We don't ever do anything which threatens us.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49'But maybe we should.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Could I feel called to hold one of these things?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I don't think I'd do it in any other name.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Just hold your hand out if you want him.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Oh, Hallelujah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16They'll bite you...
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Yeah. In Jesus name, Hallelujah.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22In the name of Jesus Christ.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Thank you Lord.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I felt complete peace.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- I didn't feel fear.- That's good.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Praise the Lord.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- HE SHOUTS IN PRAISE - Yeah, come on!
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It's easy to look at this as an act of maniacs,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05but in fact, this about letting go of human power
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and allowing yourself to be held by your faith, your belief in God.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14So you come away from that experience not with a sense of power,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18but with a sense of being...humbled.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33I'm heading south to Italy.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39This is the heartland of the oldest and largest faith in Europe... Catholicism.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45It's a fact that the conversion of barbarian Europe to Christianity
0:10:45 > 0:10:48was largely led by Benedictine monks.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52So I've come to a monastery founded over 1,000 years ago.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Hello. Luigi.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- Father Luigi.- Nice to meet you. - Wonderful to meet you.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Welcome in Sacro Speco of St Benedict.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Men live here and devote their lives to serving God.
0:11:04 > 0:11:11They believe that by obedience and prayer, their existence is beneficial to humanity.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20Benedictine monks have to vow to stay in the monastery and give absolute obedience to the Abbot.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28The rule that they live by was written by St Benedict who lived in Italy 1,500 years ago.
0:11:29 > 0:11:36They live by a strict timetable, praying seven times a day, seven days a week,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39starting with vigils at five in the morning.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41The time given to God must not be wasted.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Now the monks have gone into what they call the great silence,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54which means that there's no talking in the monastery whatsoever, so we've had to nip outside.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00And then, I think after breakfast they're allowed to speak again, but they don't speak a great deal.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04They tend to wander around in silence most of the time and when they say hello,
0:12:04 > 0:12:09it's a brief sort of... so that's it.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20BELL TOLLS
0:12:20 > 0:12:25The monks start praying at five every morning.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Everything here has to run by the absolute minute.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37These are the SAS of monks -
0:12:37 > 0:12:41these are the hard guys, these are the hard cases.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44You know, when you're a little boy, if you want to be a monk,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48this is the monk you want to be cos these guys are the toughest monks...
0:12:50 > 0:12:55..all dressed in black in their hoods.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59This way of life is for someone who actually thrives on order.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03At the height of its powers in the 14th century,
0:13:03 > 0:13:08the Benedictine order had 37,000 monasteries across Europe.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13Today, there are just over 150 left.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17How many novices at the moment?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19One, only one, that's the Korean, Matean.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20The Korean.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24We have only one. We don't have... much vocation for the moment.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- No young men, no young Italian men? - Not for the moment.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32They don't want to enter in the monastery at the moment because they prefer to be in life,
0:13:32 > 0:13:38instead of to come inside and to be alone and quiet.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43But what happens in 20 years' time? Many of the brothers here are quite old.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48We have to pray that our Lord will send us vocation.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50We have to pray.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I'm heading off to the land of the Sami -
0:14:11 > 0:14:15nomadic reindeer herders now converted to Christianity.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20It's their stories and traditional way of life
0:14:20 > 0:14:23that inspired much of the Santa Claus legend.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25BELLS RING
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Oh, will you look at that?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Oh, look at that!
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Christmas card.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40This Protestant church, deep in what used to be the Sami homelands,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- caters exclusively to the Sami.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45SINGING
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Today, they are all wearing traditional costumes
0:14:48 > 0:14:51because their priest is performing a baptism.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00This little boy has 14 godparents.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09This area has been Protestant for hundreds of years.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15The Sami were forced to convert in the 18th Century as Lutheranism spread north from Germany.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Just over 40 years ago, an African American in Chicago
0:15:44 > 0:15:50received a divine revelation that he should lead his people out of America and back to the Holy Land.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Many people believe that God speaks directly to them
0:15:55 > 0:16:01and that ancient text contained prophecies that they are destined to fulfil.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Would you change your life because of something written thousands of years ago?
0:16:06 > 0:16:11- Morning, how are you? Welcome to the Village of Peace.- Thank you very much. It's a delight to be here.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15The African Hebrew Israelites believe Africans are descended
0:16:15 > 0:16:21from the ancient tribe of the Israelites whose history is recorded in the Hebrew Bible.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25THEY SING A HYMN
0:16:33 > 0:16:39These African Americans say they're fulfilling a Biblical prophecy by returning to the Holy Land.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Today, about 1,200 Hebrew Israelites live here
0:16:42 > 0:16:46and their commune interprets the Old Testament in some unique ways.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53They follow a strict vegan diet and grow their own organic food.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Our worship is all encompassing.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58It's holistic.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01That relationship with the creator governs our agriculture.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06Their spiritual connection with the Holy Land is based on the book of Genesis
0:17:06 > 0:17:11that says God promised this land to their forefather Abraham.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Biblically we are tied to the land.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17What influenced most of us to leave America and the cities there
0:17:17 > 0:17:22was a calling to come back to what we considered our ancestral homeland.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27I'm very happy doing this, I could do it all day.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31I think the way in which people are living here is seeing
0:17:31 > 0:17:35the land in this way and to see working on it as an act of worship.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I can't think of anything better.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Well, here's breakfast.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49Ahmadiel has taken the idea of healthy living much further than I could have ever imagined.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51We believe in eternal life.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56We believe it is attainable objective and should we return back
0:17:56 > 0:18:01to the proper cycles we can indeed, in these bodies,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06continually renew ourselves, and we will put an end to the idea of death.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11The Bible talks about death being the final victory, the victory over death.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We are living in that day.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Voila!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19That's something to chew on, right?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21That's quite big, that one.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31As his children set off to school, Ahmadiel wants me to see for myself
0:18:31 > 0:18:34the importance of faith in his community.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36He introduces me to the gym teacher.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Those look pretty hideous.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Don't do this unless you got strong faith.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45No.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Right.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58I don't really want to do this.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Just there.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04That's it.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Can you stand up straight?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Then you've got to relax.- Oh, man.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18BBC...be basically calm!
0:19:18 > 0:19:20THEY LAUGH
0:19:22 > 0:19:27That's the consciousness that is moving throughout this anatomy, this temple...
0:19:27 > 0:19:30In the evening I'm invited to attend a seminar in the village hall.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31Hallelujah!
0:19:31 > 0:19:37Studying the Old Testament is an important part of the African Hebrew Israelites' way of life,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42but their Bible study group is a bit funkier than the ones I'm used to.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS
0:19:44 > 0:19:45# Hallelujah!
0:19:47 > 0:19:48# Hallelujah!
0:19:50 > 0:19:51# Hallelujah!
0:19:51 > 0:19:56The African Hebrew Israelites have created an inspiring model
0:19:56 > 0:19:59for how to connect with God and how to live a good life.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08But their return to the Promised Land is based on a literal reading of the stories of the Hebrew Bible.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13The problem with this way of reading Biblical history
0:20:13 > 0:20:21is that Jews, Christians and Muslims have all created their own competing claims to this land.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44I set off to Palestine to visit a tribe who've taken a religious belief
0:20:44 > 0:20:51in the unity of their tribe to such extreme lengths it has pushed them to the edge of extinction.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54They're called the Samaritans and they've been living
0:20:54 > 0:20:58on the West Bank of the Jordan River for over 3,000 years.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06The Samaritans' unbending adherence to the rituals of the Old Testament
0:21:06 > 0:21:11makes them a living embodiment of the ancient practice of Judaism.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15I'm here to witness the Samaritan Passover.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19The Samaritans are Palestinian but they are Jewish.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22There are only 712 Samaritans left.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26The name Samaritan means "keeper of the law".
0:21:26 > 0:21:31They claim to uphold the true faith of the ancient Israelites.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Tonight, almost all of them are here on Mount Gerizim.
0:21:34 > 0:21:41This is where the Samaritans believe Abraham came to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46The Samaritans believe in Mount Gerizim, the place where you are right now.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- This is a holy place for the Samaritans?- Yeah, this is a holy place.- Only 712?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- 712, that is the number? - Yeah, that's what I was told.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- It is the exact number? - Unless someone's had a baby.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- Or somebody died.- Or somebody died.
0:22:02 > 0:22:08- What's going to happen this evening?- There is going to be the sacrifice of Passover.
0:22:08 > 0:22:15- Something the Samaritans do for 3,000 and more years.- How many sheep?
0:22:15 > 0:22:20- Between 40 and 50 sheep.- Enough to feed a lot of people. It's bloody. It's brutal.- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Lots of blood? - Yeah. What can you do?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29We're just waiting for sunset, which is getting pretty close.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Vegetarians turn away now.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42Do you think there is still a place for such ancient rituals in our modern world?
0:22:42 > 0:22:49This is a rite, practised by a people who trace their origins to the creation of man himself.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55I'm 162 generations from Adam to me.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57How I know, because I live here.
0:22:57 > 0:23:04The Samaritans, this is the origin of the tribes of Israel.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11When the Israel come here 3,646 years,
0:23:11 > 0:23:16until now the Samaritans have not left the Holy Land. We live here.
0:23:19 > 0:23:25The idea of sacrifice is deeply ingrained within monotheism,
0:23:25 > 0:23:32within the traditions of monotheism, starting with Abraham's near murder of his own son Isaac.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36From there, sacrifice has been deeply rooted
0:23:36 > 0:23:44within the monotheistic faith, leading up to and perhaps evolving into the crucifixion of Christ.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49I wonder whether the reason there are so few Samaritans left in the world
0:23:49 > 0:23:54is that they have not adapted their beliefs and practices to reflect the modern world.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59And I can't help wondering how much longer they can survive with their attachment
0:23:59 > 0:24:04to their own genetic identity and to this piece of land.
0:24:19 > 0:24:27Islam is a religion with Semitic roots and a global, 21st Century identity.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Muslims around the world differ greatly in their cultural practices.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34However they are united in the basic creed
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and tenets of the faith as a way of life.
0:24:39 > 0:24:46One of the Muslim traditions I find most intriguing is the mystical faith of the Sufis.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51These are Muslims who seek a direct spiritual union with God.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57Sufi Muslims can come from either the Sunni or the Shia traditions
0:24:57 > 0:25:03One of the most famous Sufi sects is the Mevlevi sect, better known as the Whirling Dervishes.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I head north, to the ancient Ottoman city of Aleppo.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19I want to find out what lies behind the Whirling Dervishes' famous dance.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Though they often appear on tourist brochures, Whirling Dervishes
0:25:27 > 0:25:32are actually viewed with suspicion by many Middle Eastern governments.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Wandering through the narrow streets of the Old City, I come across a tiny mosque.
0:25:48 > 0:25:521394, this is a Sufi mosque.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54And it's been here since 1394.
0:25:54 > 0:26:02The issue with Sufism is that slowly it's become more and more frowned upon by mainstream Islam.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07And it's here, hidden, tucked away now in the back streets of Aleppo.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18We've come here to this house which is attached to the mosque next door,
0:26:18 > 0:26:25and we're awaiting the arrival of a Mevlevi Sufi, someone that we know as a Whirling Dervish.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28But I want to find out why.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Why is this whirling necessary, what's the spiritual purpose of it?
0:26:37 > 0:26:43HE SINGS IN ARABIC
0:27:25 > 0:27:31Within this state, you reach eternity - a joining of God and man.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12The Dervishes have found a niche to practise their rich spiritual tradition,
0:28:12 > 0:28:18despite the mistrust of mainstream Islam, and of many secular governments in the Middle East.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40We're just coming in to Istanbul.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44It's a city I've always wanted to go to, but what I didn't know
0:28:44 > 0:28:51is that here in Turkey, there is a religion with 20 million followers called Alevi,
0:28:51 > 0:28:58that I'd never heard of before, and it's that religion that I've come to find out about.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11Alevism is Turkey's second largest religion, and possibly its oldest, but they've suffered
0:29:11 > 0:29:19a history of discrimination and violent attacks that has made them very cautious of outsiders.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24As I head off to attend a weekly meeting of Alevis in the suburbs of Istanbul,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I discover even the Turks don't know much about them.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59Alevism is a folk religion that started some time before Islam
0:29:59 > 0:30:03in the villages of Anatolia, a rural region of central Turkey.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08It shares many beliefs with Shia Islam and Christianity.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12But most Muslims regard them as heretics.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The first difference I notice from Islam is that this private ceremony
0:30:16 > 0:30:21takes place not in a mosque, but an ordinary house.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25The next big difference is that men and women worship together.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34Like many Alevis, Ayse's life has been shaped by her faith.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Is it difficult being an Alevi?
0:30:36 > 0:30:44Yes, at school my mum said, "Don't say you are an Alevi. Don't say."
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- Why?- I don't know why she said that sentence.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53But nowadays, it's becoming dangerous.
0:30:55 > 0:31:01But in my opinion, the main rule is to love everyone. Everyone.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06Alevism is based on an oral tradition, not a sacred book.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14One of the most important symbols in their songs is the crane.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12This folk tradition is surviving in Turkey, despite a history of intolerance.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37How do Buddhists get to heaven?
0:32:37 > 0:32:42How do they escape the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth?
0:32:42 > 0:32:44I am travelling to a village
0:32:44 > 0:32:47in the Himalayan mountains called Jomsom,
0:32:47 > 0:32:48to visit a Buddhist monastery.
0:32:48 > 0:32:55What fascinates me about the Indian religion is their idea of the afterlife.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59Christians like me believe the soul has one earthly life
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and after death it is reunited with God in heaven.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07Indian faiths believe in the transmigration of the soul.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12Everyone's soul is trapped in a long cycle of birth and rebirth,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16and it might take generations before the soul
0:33:16 > 0:33:20is reunited with the ultimate source of being,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Brahman, or God in the case of Hinduism.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28Or extinguished, in nirvana, in the case of Buddhism.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31What I want to ask the Lama, and the monks there,
0:33:31 > 0:33:37is about this notion of eternity, the notion of the wheel of life,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39the notion that when we die,
0:33:39 > 0:33:46rather than going to this paradise called heaven, we actually return here.
0:33:49 > 0:33:56The Kutsab Ternga monastery sits on a high bluff overlooking the village.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58That's the monastery up there.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02The head monk has told me I can join one of their rituals.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06It's a tough two-hour walk up to the top...
0:34:06 > 0:34:08through a timeless landscape.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15What happens in the afterlife is the fundamental basis
0:34:15 > 0:34:18of most Indian religion.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Earthly life is seen as short, and full of suffering.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Faith offers a chance to escape from that suffering,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26but Hindus and Buddhists provide different solutions.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Although Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48in its purest form, it no longer exists in the subcontinent.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Instead, they have Tibetan Buddhism, which arrived here
0:34:51 > 0:34:54in Nepal in the 9th century AD.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57CHANTING
0:34:59 > 0:35:02All Buddhists believe that suffering and the cycle of reincarnation
0:35:02 > 0:35:06is caused by our attachment to people and things.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Escape from the cycle is possible
0:35:08 > 0:35:13through a life of meditation, and ultimately, enlightenment.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27BELLS RING, DRUMS BEAT
0:35:50 > 0:35:52THEY CHANT
0:35:52 > 0:35:57The monastic life is a tough regime that few are capable of following,
0:35:57 > 0:36:02but Tibetan Buddhism offers an attractive outcome.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Monks can accumulate good actions,
0:36:04 > 0:36:09what Indian religion calls "good karma," and gradually
0:36:09 > 0:36:14inch their way up the cycle of death and rebirth towards nirvana.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18During another break for tea,
0:36:18 > 0:36:23one of the senior monks answers my questions.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25What is it to have good karma?
0:36:37 > 0:36:42If I have bad karma in my life,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45in my next life, what can I expect to happen?
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I see.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Do animals have karma? Does that horse have karma?
0:37:15 > 0:37:19So he could have been a woman or a man in a previous life?
0:37:27 > 0:37:31I'm surprised at how young so many of the monks are here.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34They are drawn from the surrounding villages.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37And clearly, this is still a thriving religion.
0:37:39 > 0:37:45One of them invites me to his cell on the second floor of this 14th-century monastery.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50To my astonishment, it's like any teenager's bedroom at home.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52- Is this your room?- Yes.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- And your room?.- Yes.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- So you both share?- Yes, share.- OK.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- How long have you been here? - I've been here seven years.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- Seven years?- Yes.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- In this room?- Yes.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09OK. Why have you got a picture of London Bridge on your wall?
0:38:12 > 0:38:17How do you see your life from now on? What will you do?
0:38:17 > 0:38:19I will...
0:38:24 > 0:38:26- I hope.- Are you going to be a monk? - Yeah.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36So, no girlfriends?
0:38:36 > 0:38:41- No, no.- No, no. Just a very strict, disciplined life.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43OK.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45It's a difficult thing to do.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Yes. Very difficult. - Very difficult.- Yes.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52For the monks, there is a world of difference between here and Tibet.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55In Nepal, they are free to practise as they wish.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00Just a few miles north in Tibet, Buddhism has come under sustained
0:39:00 > 0:39:06attack from a secular Chinese government ever since it annexed the country in 1950.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12The Tibetan Buddhist precepts of non-violent resistance now symbolise
0:39:12 > 0:39:17a worldwide protest led by their exiled leader, the 14th Dalai Lama.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22The Buddhists' way of deliverance from reincarnation is a demanding one.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27Not all can manage the difficult path of these Tibetan Buddhist monks.
0:39:27 > 0:39:34What fascinates me about the Indian religions is their idea of the afterlife.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50Followers of religion are often forced to choose between following their religious leaders
0:39:50 > 0:39:52and obeying their government.
0:39:52 > 0:39:58I'm travelling to the Kalmyk Republic which used to be part of the Soviet Union.
0:40:00 > 0:40:06The Kalmyk people originally came to this area of Southern Russia in the 17th century.
0:40:06 > 0:40:14During the 2nd World War, Stalin deported the entire population to Siberia, where 50% of them perished.
0:40:14 > 0:40:21They returned here in 1957, and really this whole landscape
0:40:21 > 0:40:23must have seemed familiar to them,
0:40:23 > 0:40:28must have reminded them of the Mongolian steppes from where they came.
0:40:32 > 0:40:38And once again, the Kalmyk people can proudly boast to be the only Buddhist state in Europe.
0:40:38 > 0:40:44They revere the Dalai Lama and frankly, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Tibet!
0:40:44 > 0:40:46CHANTING
0:40:48 > 0:40:51From a grey Russian winter...
0:40:53 > 0:40:55..to tropical colour.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57How wonderful.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09The idea behind repeating the same chant is to actually fall into a meditative state,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13where almost the words of the chant become immaterial,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16and by taking it in
0:41:16 > 0:41:19you are cleansed from samsara,
0:41:19 > 0:41:24which is, what... the general state of being human.
0:41:24 > 0:41:29The joy, the anguish, the pain, the dichotomy, the frustration,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33and this process of meditation, meditative chanting,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37- LOUD METALLIC BANGING - ..and banging of cymbals...
0:41:38 > 0:41:45..cleanses you and leads you into a state where you're free.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57It's remarkable to see Tibetan Buddhism flourishing far away from its homeland,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59but even Russian tolerance has its limits.
0:42:01 > 0:42:07The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists across the world.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11A visit from him would give a great boost in confidence to the Kalmyk people.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15But Russian has denied permission for the Dalai Lama to visit them,
0:42:15 > 0:42:22despite having built an enormous apartment on top of the temple especially for him.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25This is very swish.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28'But he hasn't even seen it.'
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Dalai Lama bedroom.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Yup, Dalai Lama bathroom.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Dalai Lama meditation.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Yup. Meditation.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47No-one, no-one else is allowed to stay here. We've been very privileged to be able to come here,
0:42:47 > 0:42:51but he hasn't been here yet - it's been sitting here for two years.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55No-one's sat on the sofas, no-one's turned the telly on,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58No-one's turned the kettle on... Yet.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Indian society is divided into many castes.
0:43:14 > 0:43:20A glance at the matrimonial pages in the newspapers shows exactly how many.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24There is every caste represented here.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Punjabi, Sikh, Rajput, NRI - Non-Residents in India.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34But, so far as I can see, there is no section for Parsis.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39The Parsi population is shrinking and a Parsi wedding
0:43:39 > 0:43:44is...is becoming an incredibly rare event...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46and we're going to one!
0:43:48 > 0:43:531,300 years ago, the Zoroastrians or Parsis arrived in Mumbai
0:43:53 > 0:43:56from Persia, fleeing Muslim persecution.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00They were granted asylum so long as they did not seek to convert Hindus,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04and this ancient promise is their historic problem.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Their numbers are dwindling.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10I've come to the wedding to find out why.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21So you have to be born, otherwise you can't join?
0:44:27 > 0:44:33The wedding will take place behind the closed doors of the fire temple,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36a place always absolutely forbidden to outsiders.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42Zoroastrian fire temple. We're not really supposed to be filming here.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I've just been told it's not allowed.
0:44:47 > 0:44:48Enigmatic!
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Luckily, we find a Parsi cameraman
0:44:51 > 0:44:55to give us a brief insight into this ancient monotheistic faith.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Have you used a camera like this before, Sir?
0:45:00 > 0:45:02- Have you used a camera like this? - No.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08So we just have to hope that our cameraman-cum-wedding video bloke
0:45:08 > 0:45:09does a good job.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14'The ritual is ancient.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17'At first, the bride and bridegroom are divided by a sheet,
0:45:17 > 0:45:20'indicating their former separation.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23'But then they are encircled by seven threads -
0:45:23 > 0:45:27'each one easy enough to break in itself
0:45:27 > 0:45:31'but when joined together, symbolising an unbreakable union.'
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Keeping to the ancient promise not to convert has created a dilemma
0:45:42 > 0:45:47for Zoroastrians, one which makes this orthodox marriage especially joyful.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Even the fathers accept that their other children
0:45:50 > 0:45:53may well marry out of caste.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09No, a heavy heart!
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Love knows no boundaries!
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- Because of the ancient promise. - Yes, the promise.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48- HE SNIFFS - You can smell...
0:46:48 > 0:46:52You can smell...burning flesh.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55After death the bodies of most Hindus are cremated.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00This takes place in sacred areas called ghats.
0:47:00 > 0:47:06The cremation ghats in one particular place in India called Tarapeeth are unique.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Bodies are often only partially burnt
0:47:09 > 0:47:12before being buried in shallow graves.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16It means that they are accessible to Aghoris, who make their homes
0:47:16 > 0:47:17among the cremation grounds.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Aghoris are holy men,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25followers of the creator and destroyer god, Shiva.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Hindus see life and death as part of a cycle.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30The gods create,
0:47:30 > 0:47:32sustain and destroy the universe.
0:47:32 > 0:47:39Shiva, the destroyer, is a key player in this cycle.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43Aghoris believe all of creation is perfect, even death and decay.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46To show their devotion, and to overcome their fear,
0:47:46 > 0:47:49they will embrace death by being close to it.
0:47:51 > 0:47:57'I'm expecting to meet a man, but instead I meet a holy woman.'
0:47:58 > 0:48:00'This is Gauri Karima,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03'who lives with her disciple just yards from the fires.'
0:48:06 > 0:48:09I can't take my eyes off her necklace of skulls
0:48:09 > 0:48:11carved from human bone.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18In Hinduism one way of earning good karma is to devote your life to a holy cause.
0:48:18 > 0:48:23And some Hindus feel called to do things that we would consider extraordinary.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Why do you choose to live around death?
0:49:05 > 0:49:09In Hinduism many of the rules and laws are not written down.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Instead sacred knowledge is passed down
0:49:11 > 0:49:16from generation to generation by wise holy people known as gurus.
0:49:16 > 0:49:21To submit yourself to following this spiritual teaching of a particular guru
0:49:21 > 0:49:25is seen as a very worthy thing to do.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30Gauri came here because so many gurus have lived their lives here before she did.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55By living close to death and the souls of her predecessors Gauri believes
0:49:55 > 0:49:59that she will earn a better life for herself next time.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23Many sects within Hinduism follow the teachings of different gurus,
0:50:23 > 0:50:28spiritual leaders who interpret how the religion should be practiced.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32If their message is popular, they can have thousands of devotees
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and even start their own branch of the faith.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41I'm off to the desert in Rajastan to meet a Hindu sect
0:50:41 > 0:50:45whose followers are prepared to do anything for their guru,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48including paying the ultimate sacrifice.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54My journey takes me into a beautiful land of dramatic sand dunes,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56with tiny farms and villages
0:50:56 > 0:50:59scattered in the scrub woodland between.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05The local wildlife, too, seems incredibly tame.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09All this harmony is the result of a violent struggle
0:51:09 > 0:51:13that took place here two-and-a-half centuries ago.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16The story goes that in the late-18th century
0:51:16 > 0:51:22the Maharaja of Jodhpur needed some wood to construct
0:51:22 > 0:51:27a new palace, so he sent his men into the desert forests to get it.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30But in the way stood the local guru.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34I call in at a Bishnoi farmstead to find out more.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43I heard that in the 18th century many Bishnoi
0:51:43 > 0:51:47were killed protecting trees. Is that true?
0:52:29 > 0:52:31How did that come about?
0:52:31 > 0:52:33How did that tradition emerge?
0:53:06 > 0:53:11By making trees sacred, the Guru had guaranteed
0:53:11 > 0:53:15the survival of the Bishnoi in a harsh and unforgiving desert.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18It is the first religion I have come across
0:53:18 > 0:53:22where such deep respect for nature is enshrined in faith.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40Over 2,500 years ago in ancient China
0:53:40 > 0:53:45a man called Lao Tse came up with a new philosophy that tried to find
0:53:45 > 0:53:49harmony in the chaos of the world.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53It's called the Dao - the way.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56You just need to find it.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00I arrive at the Jade Spring monastery,
0:54:00 > 0:54:04a Taoist temple 500 miles south-west of Beijing,
0:54:04 > 0:54:09hoping to make sense of what I know to be a deeply enigmatic religion.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Master Mae, the deputy abbot, meets me by the gate.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18We're just in time for the evening devotional.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20BELL CHIMES
0:54:22 > 0:54:25It's beautiful to watch. It feels mystical,
0:54:25 > 0:54:29with very ancient rhythms and forces spanning thousands of years.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37All I know is that there's no creation story in Daoism,
0:54:37 > 0:54:38but beyond that, it's a mystery.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45The answer will be clearer in the mountains, I'm told.
0:54:45 > 0:54:51The next day we begin the 7,000-foot ascent to the sacred Hua Shan peaks,
0:54:51 > 0:54:56for centuries the haunt of Taoist mystics seeking enlightenment.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Further up, there are symbols I recognise.
0:55:01 > 0:55:06I've seen this round the necks of many Westerners
0:55:06 > 0:55:10and I understand it as Yin and Yang, but what does it mean?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12What does it really mean?
0:55:12 > 0:55:14HE SPEAKS MANDARIN
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Is it good and evil?
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Dark and light?
0:55:22 > 0:55:23Imbalance and harmony?
0:55:39 > 0:55:42I feel as if I'm entering some kind of divine landscape,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45but this is good for my brain cells.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49Lao Tse said that there was a pre-existing order behind chaos.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51And he called it the Dao,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54an impersonal force that rules the universe.
0:55:57 > 0:56:02It's made up of those two opposing, but complementary, forces -
0:56:02 > 0:56:04the Ying and the Yang.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Light and dark. Male and female.
0:56:07 > 0:56:08Hot and cold.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16What's interesting is that when they act in harmony
0:56:16 > 0:56:20they produce a kind of cosmic energy, called Qi.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28I'm about to meet a monk seeking the Dao.
0:56:37 > 0:56:42If you don't like heights, this is definitely not the place to come.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52To my intense relief, there is a cave.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58So this is the concentration of the Qi they speak of.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00By human endeavour.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26I was desperate to ask the master how on earth
0:57:26 > 0:57:29they tapped into the Qi.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32What are the basics of Daoism?
0:57:32 > 0:57:34HE SPEAKS MANDARIN
0:57:56 > 0:57:58How long have you been a Daoist monk?
0:58:04 > 0:58:06What made you change?
0:58:23 > 0:58:27The most extraordinary thing of all is the belief that if you do get
0:58:27 > 0:58:32the Dao, you can live longer, and even achieve immortality.
0:58:48 > 0:58:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:51 > 0:58:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk