Trent Gilliss, senior editor of Speaking of Faith, shares the thought-provoking and beautifully drawn short “The Animated Avadhuta.” Writes Gilliss:

This animated short is a bit of a mind-bender — but a tranquil, meditative one. It’s absolutely mesmerizing, Aum-like presence wanders through a labyrinth of fantastical illustrations bedded with sitar- and flute-playing and fused with narrated passages of ancient Vedantic wisdom such as this opening:

“Truly. You are the unchanging essence of everything. You are the unmoving unity. You are boundless freedom.”

Avadhuta is a Sanskrit term that refers to a type of mystic who has surpassed his ego and is pure consciousness in human form. As such, he has little regard for social norms and etiquette, and “roams free like a child upon the face of the Earth.” And this film tries to capture that quality of not being of this world while living in it.

The movie is based on single piece of artwork, a 20-foot-long illustration that was hand-drawn over a year’s time. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are “its backbone” and are connected with complex mazes. In the interstitial spaces, portraits of all types of characters and phrases and symbols like the all-seeing eye or the star of David.

For more on “The Animated Avadhuta” click here, or watch the short below.