A Swedish pastor fails a loving woman, a suicidal fisherman and God.

1961 film by Ingmar Bergman

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

本书收录了圣严法师谈论“宗教与人生”议题的十九篇文章，针对东西方宗教的流传、互动及观念上的异同，以理性的态度提出了分析辩证。法师深切期许，宗教与宗教之间应该彼此谅解、互相尊重，不要抱着“有我无敌”或“有敌无我”的态度，去肆意攻击或存心消灭，并也以其深厚的修行经验、敏锐的观察力点出人生的种种艰难苦痛，经由其深隽智慧的带领，我们得以超越人生的瓶颈，探寻终极圆满的真理。在瞬息万变、错综复杂的时代里，如何才能身心的安顿？——心性的超脱，就在一念之间。