Belief

A Good Life (1x7)

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Explore how beliefs help us face the fear of death and the mystery of what happens after we die. In this episode, we witness how death can also be a powerful call to action, compelling us to embrace life and those we love. In the shadows of Mount Everest, Lekshey Choedhar, a young Buddhist monk at the Pema Ts'al Sakya Monastic Institute , learns a valuable lesson about the fleeting nature of life. There, Buddhist monks make devotional works of art called sand mandalas, which they then destroy in a ritual that symbolizes the impermanence of existence. Next, atheist Alex Honnold walks the edge between life and death as a world-renowned free solo climber. He faces his mortality and finds meaning in his life as he climbs—with no ropes or harnesses—up a towering cliff in the desert outside Moab, Utah. Then Donna Winzenreid, a military wife and mother of three in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, fights for her life by holding on to her Methodist faith. Next, India is home to more than a billion people and one of the world's largest religions, Hinduism. Once a year, on the first day of spring, Hindus from all walks of life unite to celebrate Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors. Gopesh Goswami, a Hindu priest, celebrates Holi as an opportunity to set aside daily responsibilities and experience joy, togetherness and the essence of a good life. Finally, from a space shuttle orbiting Earth, astronaut Jeff Hoffman stares out at a pale blue dot suspended in the vast expanse of the universe. He describes it as a transcendent experience, an overwhelming feeling that human beings are all truly connected.