on dvd at
Http://festivalmedia.org

The Internati... (more)
Added: May 19, 2007
on dvd at
Http://festivalmedia.org
The Internationally Acclaimed
Classicâ??
Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy

'Astonishing achievement.'
--The Times of London

'Profoundly moving.' --LA
Times

'An epic documentary of
sp
more

on dvd at
Http://festivalmedia.org

The Internati... (more)
Added: May 19, 2007
on dvd at
Http://festivalmedia.org
The Internationally Acclaimed
Classicâ??
Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy

'Astonishing achievement.'
--The Times of London

'Profoundly moving.' --LA
Times

'An epic documentary of
spirituality in exile ...
compellingly beautifulâ??a
very special masterpiece.' --
The Village Voice

Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy is
one of the very highly
accomplished films to be made
about our culture ... The film
also captures the sense of
inner peace and
light-heartedness in the face
of adversity, which many have
remarked is a compelling
quality of the Tibetan
character. --His Holiness the
14th Dalai Lama

New direct-to-digital transfer
and remaster from original
16mm film

Bonus Features Include:
Interview with the Producer
and Director and the complete
sound recording from a tantric
Buddhist ritual

Stunning cinematography,
unprecedented access and
informed direction take us on
an intimate journey deep into
the heart of the ancient
Buddhist culture of Tibet.
This is a classic work filmed
in 16mm on location in India,
Nepal and Ladakh during 1977.
Hailed as a masterpiece, this
is a spellbinding exploration
of Tibetan Buddhism.

Written and directed by Graham
Coleman (editor of the
recently released first
complete translation of the
Tibetan Book of the Dead) and
produced and photographed by
David Lascelles, the film
features an intimate portrait
of the Dalai Lama, a rare look
at an ancient tantric ritual
associated with the female
deity Tara, commentary based
on the teachings of the great
20th century Tibetan master
Dudjom Rinpoche, and the
moving response of a monastery
to a death in the community.

In making the Trilogy, we were
searching for an immediacy,
intimacy and unobtrusiveness,
which had been so masterfully
achieved in such classic
documentaries as Robert
Flaherty's Nanook of the North
and the films of Fred Wiseman.
We were trying to allow the
Tibetan way of life to speak
directly to the audience.
Above all, we hoped that the
film would draw the audience
into the spirit of the Tibetan
way of life, into its
lightheartedness, openness and
quietly powerful awareness of
the sacred. --Director Graham
Coleman

Part I: The Dalai Lama, the
Monasteries and the People
Filmed in the Dalai Lama's
residence in Dharamsala,
India, and in the rebuilt Sera
Monastery, the second largest
monastery of the old Tibet,
the opening part of the
Trilogy observes the Dalai
Lama in his dual role as head
of state and spiritual
teacher. The film interweaves
this personal portrait with an
intimately observed
exploration of the ways in
which the inner knowledge of
Tibetan Buddhist culture is
developed in the monasteries
through vigorous debate and
solitary meditation, and
communicated to the lay
community.

Part II: Radiating the Fruit
of Truth
Part II journeys deep into the
mystical inner world of
monastic life. Set in the
ancient village of Boudha,
Nepal, and the isolated
mountain caves of the yogis,
the film follows the lamas of
the Phulwary Sakya Monastery
through their contemplative
retreats, the building of an
intricate cosmogram, and the
performance of an ancient
protective ritual invocation
of the female deity Tara known
as 'A Beautiful Ornament.'
With a commentary based on the
teachings of the great 20th
century master Dudjom
Rinpoche, the essence of
tantric Buddhism is powerfully
revealed.

Part III: The Fields of the
Senses
Set in the majestic mountain
landscape of Ladakh, Part III
is a meditation on
impermanence and the
relationship between the mind,
body and environment. It
follows monks and farmers
through a day, ending with an
unflinching depiction of a
monastery's moving ritual
response to a death in the
community. As in the Tibetan
Book of the Dead, the departed
is guided through the
dream-like intermediate state
between death and birth.

Written and Directed by Graham
Coleman
Produced and Photographed by
David Lascelles
Narrated by Thupten Jinpa

A Thread Cross Films/Orient
Foundation (UK) Presentation
Official film website

FM1005â??134 minutes / Color /
English, Tibetan (English
subtitles) / Stereo / NTSC /
All-Region
SRP $29.95 (less)

Category Entertainment

Tags Tibet, , Buddhist, His, Holiness, 14th, Dalai, Lama, India, Nepal, Ladakh, tantric, ritual, Dudjom, Rinpoche, Narrated, by, Thupten, Jinpa