Encountering the Beauty of Being in Tao Through the Mindful Viewing of Films

With Francis Lu

July 18 - 20, 2025

Workshop Schedule

Friday
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm*How to Drop into Esalen*
7:15 pm – 9:30 pm
Saturday
9:30 am - 12:30 pm
4:15 pm – 6:15 pm
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday
9:30 am – 12:00 pm

See general schedule information including arrival, departure and meal times.

  • Sleeping Bag Space – $560.00
  • Bunk Bed Space – $740.00
  • Standard Shared Space – $930.00
  • Standard Queen Room – $1,230.00
  • Standard Room Two Beds – $1,950.00
  • Premium Queen Room – $1,800.00
  • Premium King Room – $1,932.00
  • Premium Plus King Room – $2,184.00
  • Premium Wooden Yurt – $2,184.00
  • Premium Wooden Yurt Two Beds – $2,184.00
  • Rolf Suite – $4,176.00
  • Point House – $4,176.00
  • Fritz Point House – $4,176.00
  • South Point House – $5,000.00

Through mindful viewing of four feature films — today’s vehicles of myth and meaning — participants will open their hearts to encountering the beauty of being in Tao. The word Tao points toward a natural harmony that can be attained within everyday existence accompanied by a sense of the meaning of life itself as a source of resilience. This seminar will offer a self-enhancing mindfulness experience through films by Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Wim Wenders in which characters experience the beauty of being in Tao. These films are being shown to inspire similar discoveries in the lives of workshop participants. 

This workshop employs mindful film viewing, contemplative reflection, and group interactions focused on participants’ unique experiences of carefully curated films. The viewing experience will be supported by 4K Blu-Ray video projection on a large screen and surround sound of six loudspeakers.

2.5 CE Credits for Health Professionals are available for an additional $35 fee payable to the workshop leader. Click here for details. For further information about the workshop, please get in touch with Francis Lu, MD, at francislumd@gmail.com

About the Leader

Francis Lu

Francis G. Lu, MD, is the Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry, Emeritus, at UC Davis. Since 1987 he has led 35 seminars at Esalen exploring film and the transpersonal, 28 of them with Brother David Steindl-Rast. www.francislumd.com

Learn more about Francis Lu

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