In the Beginning There Was Light
Encyclopedia
In the Beginning There Was Light is a documentary film by Austria
n director P. A. Straubinger on the subject of inedia
. Straubinger visits several people who supposedly nourish themselves with "light" and tries to find possible explanations on how inedia might work. P. A. Straubinger worked on inedia for ten years. This led to the film’s production, which took five years. The film premiered on September 17, 2010 in Austria and Switzerland.
, who lived in the 15th century and was believed to had nourished himself with "divine light". Later, Straubinger starts research on the internet and subsequently has the desire to meet people practising inedia. He travels through different countries and interviews people who claim to nourish themselves with light, vitality, Prana
or Qi
, among them Jasmuheen
, Michael Werner and "Mataji" Prahlad Jani
. Straubinger also consults different people from esotericism, medicine and science and looks for explanatory models for inedia. Straubinger conveys that for him, the materialistic world view of modern science falls short.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n director P. A. Straubinger on the subject of inedia
Inedia
Inedia is the alleged ability to live without food. The word was first used to describe a fast-based lifestyle within Catholic tradition, which holds that certain saints were able to survive for extended periods of time without food or drink other than the Eucharist.Breatharianism is a related...
. Straubinger visits several people who supposedly nourish themselves with "light" and tries to find possible explanations on how inedia might work. P. A. Straubinger worked on inedia for ten years. This led to the film’s production, which took five years. The film premiered on September 17, 2010 in Austria and Switzerland.
Plot
P.A. Straubinger first encounters inedia in a television documentary about Nicholas of FlüeNicholas of Flue
Saint Nicholas of Flüe was a Swiss hermit and ascetic who is the patron saint of Switzerland. He is sometimes invoked as "Brother Klaus."...
, who lived in the 15th century and was believed to had nourished himself with "divine light". Later, Straubinger starts research on the internet and subsequently has the desire to meet people practising inedia. He travels through different countries and interviews people who claim to nourish themselves with light, vitality, Prana
Prana
Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", vac "speech", chakshus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" (from the root "to fill", cognate to Latin plenus...
or Qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
, among them Jasmuheen
Jasmuheen
Jasmuheen is an Australia-based proponent of "pranic nourishment" or breatharianism, defined as the practice of living without food or fluid of any sort...
, Michael Werner and "Mataji" Prahlad Jani
Prahlad Jani
Prahlad Jani, also known as "Mataji", is an Indian sadhu . He claims to have lived without food and water since 1940, and says that the goddess Amba sustains him.-Early life:...
. Straubinger also consults different people from esotericism, medicine and science and looks for explanatory models for inedia. Straubinger conveys that for him, the materialistic world view of modern science falls short.