Rev. Kelly Barber facilitated this month’s movie group.
The Razor’s Edge is based on a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham that tells the story of a young American veteran of World War I who, disturbed by what he had seen in the trenches, turns his back on sophisticated society and searches for meaning.
The movie’s title comes from a translation of a verse in the Katha Upanishad: “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.”
The main character, Larry Darrell, is given this same bit of advice after becoming a student in a Tibetan monastery. During a long retreat by himself in the mountains, Larry comes close to enlightenment. He tells his lama: “It is easy to be a holy man on the top of a mountain.” His teacher believes Larry is ready to return to the world but advises him: “The path to salvation is narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor’s edge.”
The remainder of the movie demonstrates Larry’s application of the spiritual practices of equanimity, attention, and compassion as he returns to the world.
You can find this movie on YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon, and Crackle.
