The Dharma of the Princess Bride

1987, Rob Reiner, USA, 98 min

Friendship. Romance. Family. These are the three areas Ethan Nichtern delves into in his book The Dharma of the Princess Bride. Thirty years after The Princess Bride made its appearance in contemporary consciousness, Ethan Nichtern hosts a special screening of the film at the Rubin, preceded by a conversation about his book, which explores what the film teaches us about relationships and Buddhist values.

In The Dharma of the Princess Bride, Ethan Nichtern investigates the indelible characters”•Westley, Fezzik, Vizzini, Count Rugen, Princess Buttercup, and others from Rob Reiner’s perennially popular film”•while drawing in lessons from his own life and his work as a meditation teacher.

“Ethan Nichtern has written a book filled with important insights, humility, and wonderful humor. A rare combination.”

—Christopher Guest, aka The Six-Fingered Man

A book signing will follow the program.

About the speaker

Ethan Nichtern is a Shastri, a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, studying primarily under Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He has also studied Theravadan and Soto Zen Buddhism and is an avid yoga practitioner. He is the author of The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, which was recently selected as one of Library Journal’s “Best Books of 2015” and one of Tech Insider’s “9 Books That Define 2015.” He is also the author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence and the poetry collection Your Emoticons Won’t Save You. Most recently, he authored The Dharma of the Princess Bride. He founded, and is now a board member, of the Interdependence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to secular Buddhist practice and transformational activism and art. For the past fourteen years Nichtern has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around the United States, including at the Rubin Museum.