Paths Of The Soul

“Paths of the Soul” chronicles the journey of a group of Tibetan villagers who embark on a “bowing pilgrimage,” where they prostrate themselves on the ground after every few steps, along a 2,000-kilometer route to Lhasa. Each pilgrim is equally committed to the journey but driven by unique motivations: one seeks to purify his family’s negative karma, another, a butcher, aims to cleanse his soul of the blood of animals, and a third, feeling his life nearing its end, hopes that his prayers and prostrations will break the cycle of cause and effect shaped by his past actions. Throughout their months-long trek, they experience the birth of a child, encounter other travelers, and face challenges such as severe snowstorms and physical exhaustion. Yet, no adversity, not even the looming threat of death in the high-altitude environment where a simple cold can be fatal, can deter them from reaching their ultimate destination.