10 Questions for the Dalai Lama
A couple days ago, I took a voyage down to Monterey to see a movie: 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama. Oh, it was worth the trip. This movie is moving, thoughtful, painful, and beautiful. I cried many times, both from compassion and from inspiration.
Here’s the descriptor from the website:
The film shows many sides of the Dalai Lama. I enjoyed seeing his playful side in particular, the part that is bored with religious ritual (despite his embodiment as a religious leader). There was amusing footage of the Dalai Lama dashing delightfully into the crowd that had gathered to watch a religious procession because he recognized someone there. During long pageants and celebrations, he sometimes gazes at other people or examines a nearby flower arrangement.
When he traveled the world in the 70s and 80s to gain support for Tibet, he traveled coach class. His logic was that if world leaders were truly welcoming him as a person, it would not matter what door of the plane he walked out of.
There was a moving interview with a Tibetan monk who had been imprisoned and tortured in China. The monk had begun believing in nonviolence, but after being tortured, his mind was filled with hate and revenge, and he told the Dalai Lama that they should use weapons to attack the Chinese. In his account, he talked with the Dalai Lama for two hours, after which he returned to favoring nonviolence. The Chinese may be powerful enough to make a monk want to kill, but it took them years of torturing him to do that. The Dalai Lama altered him back to a mind of peace and goodness in just two hours. Which is more powerful?
Some of the most amazing footage is that filmed in secret in Tibet. Some is being released for the first time in this movie. It shows Chinese forces attacking monasteries and towns, sometimes beating unarmed monks and citizens.
I very much appreciated seeing the Dalai Lama’s compassionate and equanimous side in the movie also. He takes in the violence of the world—really sees it—but fashions a skillful response. He does not get upset or vengeful. Nor does he deny it or condone it. He deals with it, patiently trying to transform what he calls “negative emotion” into feelings of connection. It’s a long task, given the floods of negative emotion running through the world, but he’s a patient man. He never stops this task. Every chance he gets—from encountering a minor annoyance to facing the brutality of war—he finds a way not to fall into the trap of perpetuating hatred, ill will, greed, or fear. In every case, the buck stops here. It’s inspiring to watch.
I highly recommend this movie.
Here’s the descriptor from the website:
How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet. Part biography, part philosophy, part adventure and part politics, "10 Questions for The Dalai Lama" conveys more than history and more than answers - it opens a window into the heart of an inspiring man.
The film shows many sides of the Dalai Lama. I enjoyed seeing his playful side in particular, the part that is bored with religious ritual (despite his embodiment as a religious leader). There was amusing footage of the Dalai Lama dashing delightfully into the crowd that had gathered to watch a religious procession because he recognized someone there. During long pageants and celebrations, he sometimes gazes at other people or examines a nearby flower arrangement.
When he traveled the world in the 70s and 80s to gain support for Tibet, he traveled coach class. His logic was that if world leaders were truly welcoming him as a person, it would not matter what door of the plane he walked out of.
There was a moving interview with a Tibetan monk who had been imprisoned and tortured in China. The monk had begun believing in nonviolence, but after being tortured, his mind was filled with hate and revenge, and he told the Dalai Lama that they should use weapons to attack the Chinese. In his account, he talked with the Dalai Lama for two hours, after which he returned to favoring nonviolence. The Chinese may be powerful enough to make a monk want to kill, but it took them years of torturing him to do that. The Dalai Lama altered him back to a mind of peace and goodness in just two hours. Which is more powerful?
Some of the most amazing footage is that filmed in secret in Tibet. Some is being released for the first time in this movie. It shows Chinese forces attacking monasteries and towns, sometimes beating unarmed monks and citizens.
I very much appreciated seeing the Dalai Lama’s compassionate and equanimous side in the movie also. He takes in the violence of the world—really sees it—but fashions a skillful response. He does not get upset or vengeful. Nor does he deny it or condone it. He deals with it, patiently trying to transform what he calls “negative emotion” into feelings of connection. It’s a long task, given the floods of negative emotion running through the world, but he’s a patient man. He never stops this task. Every chance he gets—from encountering a minor annoyance to facing the brutality of war—he finds a way not to fall into the trap of perpetuating hatred, ill will, greed, or fear. In every case, the buck stops here. It’s inspiring to watch.
I highly recommend this movie.
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