On May 28th at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2; then: “Nepal – Close to Heaven”
Vienna (OTS) – Monastery gardens are inspiring places of peace and inner contemplation – and they are places where the ancient botanical knowledge of many religious communities unfolds impressively. Because monastery gardens used to be what the pharmacy is today. The monks and nuns, who knew how to read and write, were something like “folk physicians” and have preserved their knowledge to this day. The “criss-cross” documentary “Healing Gardens” by Andrea Eder shows on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2: A careful, technically sound and well-considered approach to the use of natural healing ingredients is essential in order to to heal and become whole. Part 2 of the “criss-cross” two-part series “Nepal – Close to Heaven” designed by André Hörmann follows at 11:05 p.m.
“Healing Gardens” – A film by Andrea Eder
“The gardens are there so that people become healthy, that creation becomes healthy, that something good simply happens in this world,” Father Johannes Pausch is convinced. In the Salzburg European monastery Gut Aich, healing essences, creams and all sorts of other recipes are made under his herbalist eyes in the monastery cellar factory. The medicinal herbal knowledge that is so traditional here is reflected not only in the production of the products, but also in their cultivation. Each plant is carefully cultivated and harvested. But plants can bring well-being not only in the form of beneficial recipes. Award-winning chef Sissy Sonnleitner and her sister, herb expert Inge Daberer, regularly use all sorts of natural ingredients in dishes that are intended to delight body and soul. “Cooking with herbs requires knowledge, requires dedication and requires a bit of an idea – and mindfulness, of course,” she is convinced. Because of their diverse effects, natural healing substances are also used in sacraments and in mass. “We have active ingredients or materials derived from nature that we use. For example, incense, which has been of great importance throughout human history coming from the Orient,” says Prior Michael Hüttl from the Altenburg Abbey in the Waldviertel. There is also an apothecary garden there where medicinal herbs are grown.
Even conventional doctors like Dr. Peter Haubenberger from Vienna is convinced of the healing power of plants. But so-called phytotherapy, the science of healing treatment with plant substances, cannot always help. There are limits, as the scientist Dr. Liselotte Krenn emphasizes. The trend of using potent substances from nature – assuming they have fewer side effects – poses risks.
“Nepal – Close to Heaven” – A film by André Hörmann
Nepal – a country between jungles and mountain deserts, tropical hot regions and icy peaks. One of the poorest countries in the world and yet magical and mystical, kingdom of the gods and spiritual paradise. A country of ancient cultures, many peoples and eventful history, multi-religious between tradition and modernity. The Mahendra Highway, the trade route from east to west, runs through the Himalayan country with the highest mountains in the world.
The second part of the new “criss-cross” two-part series “Nepal – Close to Heaven” by André Hörmann – From Manang to Bhim Datta – begins in icy heights, at mountain lakes and Himalayan peaks. From the Hindu pilgrimage site of Muktinath via the original villages of the former Kingdom of Mustang, we then head to Pokhara and Lake Phewa. The spectacular trekking tours into the Annapurna area with its eight-thousander peaks begin here. Far below lie the green hills and rice terraces of Palpa and the birthplace of Buddha, one of the most important religious centers. In the vast plains of the western Terai lies Bardia National Park, home to hordes of monkeys, rare birds and the ruler of the jungle – the Bengal tiger. The malaria-resistant Tharu people live here in the hot plains. A “back and forth” journey of discovery to the natural beauties of Nepal and to the people in remote areas in a habitat that demands a lot from them.