PI CO YER YE R ON TH E JOY WHA WHA CO IIYER ON THE JOY OF OF WHAT’S HAT’S FL EETI NG • AN OVERAC ERACHI HI EV EVER’ ER’S S GUI DE TO PRACTI PRACTI CE
B BU UD DD DH H II S SM M
C CU UL LT U UR RE E
M M E ED D I TA T I O N
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Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Not Your Ordinary Lama He’s an important Buddhist teacher and an award-winning filmm fi lmmake aker. r. He’ He’ss a rebel, rebel, and he’ he’ss also an impassioned defender of traditional dharma.
A LS O
I N
T H I S
I S S U E :
Thich Thic h Nhat Hanh H anh A pr practical actical appr approach oach to peace
Jonathan Schell T he Unc Un conquerable World World and the critical crit ical choice we face
Alice Walker Spont pontaneous aneous poems and drawi drawings ngs
Dian Dia n a Mukp Mukpo o The wife wife of the late Ch Chögyam Trungpa continues the fascinating Uncommon Lama: story of their life life together toge ther
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Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche directing on the set of Travellers & Magicians in Bhutan.
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An Uncom omm mon Lama D Z O N G S AR AR K H Y EN EN T S E R I N P O C H E
is both an important Tibetan lama and an award-
winning winnin g filmm filmmaker aker.. Some see him as a rebel, rebel, but h e’s e’s also also an impassioned defender of Buddhist teachings. NOA
JONES
writes from the set set of his newfi new film, Travellers & Magicians.
from Bangkok landed at Bhutan ’s airpor t last fall fall with with some very precious cargo. cargo. In addition to 578 solid-gold solid-gold biscuits biscuits hidden in the shoes of several several inter internation nation al smuggle smugglers rs seate seated d in back, back, a number of profess professional ional filmmakers were were on board, ready to make Travellers Travellers & Magicians, M agicians, a Bhutanese road movie directed by the only known reincarnate lama- cum auteur, Dzongsar Khye Khyentse ntse Rinpoche. The crew was greeted at the airpor t and t aken to a nearby guest guest house, while the Royal Royal Bhut Bhutan an Police Police swooped swooped in and arrested the t he smugglers. The incident would seem a mere coincidence —a bit bit of colo colorr — had the investigation not put Paro ’s airport customs of fice at a standstill. Travellers & Magicians’ produ ction company,Praye company, Prayerr Flag Flag Pictures, Pictures, was was expec expecting ting shipments shipments containing containing hundreds of thousands of dollars dollars worth worth of filmmaking equipment, and only a fraction fraction of the boxes boxes had arrived. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche had asked Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche —who acted as the menacing m enacing Gekko Gekko in Rinpoche ’s first film, The Cup—to do several several mos, or div divinations, during pre-production. One of these mos had establishe established d September September 29 as the most auspicious date for for cameras to begin begin rolling. Another p redicted redicted that the film would face one major obstacle. But which of the many m any obstacles obstacles arising was “the one”? Only a few days before before t he crew arriv arr ived ed in Paro, the key grip and un it manage man agerr were racing aroun d old Delhi in DRUK AIR FLIGHT KB 121
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a rickshaw rickshaw on a critical searc search h for fog machines, machines, fans, fans, dimmers, skimmers, skimmers, sun guns, dollies dollies and and all the necessary necessary lig lighthting equipment after the deal with a Calcutta company had fall fallen en through at th e last last minute. The hired equipment equipment was now making a thousand-mile drive from Delhi to Phuntsholing through the perils perils of Bihar State, State, famous for bandits and and bad roads. And as if if that weren weren ’t enoug enough, on the day the last flight carr ying Prayer Prayer Flag Picture Picture crew members m embers landed in Paro, Paro, the rain began. began. It was was an insis insistent tent storm. The director director of photography, photography, Alan Kozlow Kozlowski, ski, and the film’s two producers, producers, Mal Watson Watson and Raymon Raymon d Steiner, Steiner, came back from a scoutin scoutin g mission looking looking sodden, sodden, shocke shocked d and worried. worried. All the props were were missing. missing. The camp wasn’t ready. ready. It didn’t match pre-production maps. So the impending move move from from Paro up to base camp was stalled, stalled, and the t he crew was was left left to acclimate to th e altitude while Watson and Steiner huddled with first assistant director Dean Steiner to assess the rami r ami fications of the delays. delays. All three had worked together on The Cup, a film with “half the budget and a quarter the obstacles,” Watson said later. When the huddle broke, broke, call call sheets sheets were were scrapped. scrapped. Moods were were tense. tense. Over Over dinner, someone gloomil gloomily y pointed pointed out that it was an El Niñ o year. year. It was easy to imagine that th is film would never get get m ade. And where was the masterm ind of all this chaos? Dzongsar Jamyang amyang Khy Khyentse Rinpoche, Rinpoche, a.k.a. a.k.a. Khyentse hyentse Norbu, vajra vajra master and and veteran veteran of the internationalinternational- film-festival lm-festival circuit, was overseeing a puja (ceremony) conducted by yogis at his retreat home in Paro. While the monks’ hypnotic drumming and chanting poured from the shrine room , Rinpoche Rinpoche tweake tweaked d his script script and coached the talent. Sitting in his video video librar librar y among amon g his favorite films— Natural Born Killers, Kurosawa classics, Iranian new wave—Rinpoche insisted he was not breaking conventions conventions of his centuries-ol centuries-old d lineage lineage.. His reputation for for outr ageousness ageousness and irreverence, he says, says, is exag exagge gerated. rated. “I am not u nconventional at all. In fact my bigge biggest st worry is that I am too conventional,” he said. “Between etween ethics, mor ality and wiswisdom, Buddh ism has alway alwayss put more emphasis on wisdom. wisdom. Wisdom Wisdom surpasses surpasses behavior. behavior. Some of the m ore conservativ conservativee generations might raise their eyebrows at what I do and what I say. say. But what they have forgotten forgotten is th at th eir so-called so-called ‘right thing to do ’ and their revered traditions were once upon a time very moder n and progress p rogressiv ive. e. I could dye dye my hair pink and wear wear high-heeled high-heeled shoes, shoes, but th at ’s not being unconventional at at all. all. That’s just just a sign sign of frustration.” Rinpoche Rinpoche had invited invited the principal principal cast cast members, all Bhutanese, all first-time rst-t ime actors, for a rehearsal weekend weekend at his home. hom e. The house is within walking walking distance of Paro Taksang, Taksang, where Padmasambhava manifested manifested his wrathful form, Dorje Trollö, and where where ten ten centuries centuries late laterr Ch ögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Rinpoche wrote his famous liturgy liturgy,, The Sadhana Sadhana of 30
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Mahamudra. Designed by producer Mal Watson (who ’s also Rinpoche’s architect), architect), the Japanese-inf Japanese-influence luenced d oasis is a departure from t raditional Bhutanese Bhutanese homes. homes. A sig sign n warns passersby passersby not to t o enter its boundar ies out of respect for for a halfdozen three-year retreatant s who who live live on the land. Few Few people are allowed within these gates. we entered the sacrosanct premises, I felt felt I had “That day we entered a Zen garden,” recalls recalls Tshewang shewang Dendup, the film’s key protagonist. “We sat sat on straw mats, the mon ks served served us tea, there was a gentle gentle dog und er the pine trees. Rinpoche sat sat amongst amongst us, talking talking about film as as an art, art, the ‘fourth wall,’ French directors and Japanese art films. I knew then that this experience experience was was indeed indeed going to be a mix of the modern mod ern and traditional.” This get-together was necessary not only to make sure the actors knew their lines, but to diss d issolv olvee the uneasiness most Bhutanese feel feel in the pr esence esence of such a high lama. lama. Though Deki Deki Yangzom, angzom, the beautiful temptr temptr ess ess of the film, descri describes bes her r eligious eligious conviction as being “halfway halfway between between hard-core hard- core and someone someon e who doesn doesn ’t even believ b elieve, e,” she felt overwhelmed that first weekend. weekend. “I was raised in a religious religious household, and Rinpoche’s port rait was alway alwayss on the th e shrine,” she says. “Being Bhutanese and Buddhist, Buddhist, you grow up with his name. The very very thou ght that he will be so close, close, that he will have to deal with you, you, was too mu ch. But Rinpoche made us feel at ease.” Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche conceived Travellers & intertwined stories stories,, a modern-day road road Magicians as two intertwined movie and a timeless, timeless, magical tale. The dialogue dialogue is deliv delivered ered entirely in Dzongkha, Bhutan ’s of ficial nation al language. language. The sets out to illustrate illustrate that high drama, obscurations obscurations and film sets suffering suffering exist exist even even in one of the planet ’s last Shangri-las, the only remaining Vajrayana ajrayana kingdom. Intersecting themes and two parallel characters—Dondup, play played by Tehe Tehewa wang ng Dendup, Dendup, and Tas Tashi, hi, play played by Lhakpa hakpa Dorji Dorji —are woven together together with the help of a story-telling story-telling monk. Both protagonists are on journeys —one sends himsel himself, f, the other is sent sent unwillingly. unwillingly. It is essent essentially ially a “grass is always greener ” tale, says says Rinpoche. He began began developing developing the script script during du ring the shooting of The Cup, but rewrites continued for three years —in retreat, on tr ains, ains, at cafes cafes,, between between teaching teachings, s, even even undercovundercover as he sat on a throne in the midst of a puja. in a land that has never seen a production of such proportion in all its history history generated generated a storm storm of activi activity ty that shook the countr countr y from from top to bottom. The curcurrent r an from the t he royal palace to the sleepiest sleepiest of villag villages. es. But the storm n eeded a calm calm eye, eye, and that th at was Rinpoche in Paro. Paro. When asked asked if he was was worr worried ied four four days before before Orgyen Orgyen Tobgyal’s start date with no film, no came cameras ras,, no prop propss, no sign sign of an end to the rain, the director director answered, answered, “I’m a little concerned about the last line.” The last line? But what about the rain? What about the
MAKING A FILM
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Above: Dzongsar Dzongsar Khyentse performing performing a pu ja (ceremony) (ceremony) on the th e firs firstt day of shooting shooting in Chelela, Chelela, Bhutan. Middle, Middle, right: right: movie poste poster r showing the fi the first rst shot, fi shot, filmed lmed just after the puja. And other moment s on on the set of Travellers & Magicians.
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shipments shipment s stuck in Bangkok? Bangkok? He glanced out at th e drizzle as if noticing for the first time. “The rain? Oh, I’m n ot at all worworried about that,” he said brightly. brightly. For a moment all the obstacles cles seemed seemed to t o evaporate. Maybe Maybe it would be all right after all. How could could you you doubt one of Buddhism ’s most venerated lamas? Even ven if he had nev n ever er been recognized recognized as an incarnat ion of the great Tibetan Buddhist master Jamyang Khyentse Ch öki Lodr ö (1894-1959 (1894-1959), ), Dzongsar Dzongsar Khyentse Khyentse Rinpoche would still hold a place place in one of Bhutan ’s most noble families as the son of contemporary Buddhist Buddhist master Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, and grandson of both tant ric yogi yogi Lama Lama Sonam Sonam Zangpo and His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. He has also also been recognized recognized as a promising filmmaker after his success with The Cup and also his experience as Bernardo Bertolucci ’s advisor on the Little Buddha. The Independent named Rinpoche “Most Inscrutable Filmmaker ” at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. It took such credentials to dissolve the obstacles that have prevented others from making films in Bhutan. Bhutan. Since the shooting of Bhutan Bhutan My Love, a propaganda film shot in 1983 by an Indian crew to encourage North/South relations, Travellers & Magicians is the first full-length feature made on Filmmaking aking is not seen seen as a particularly film in the countr y. Filmm praisew praiseworthy orthy occupation occupation here. Bhutan ’s Film Review Board guards the country’s reputation, reserving reserving the right to axe any project they deem deem questionable. Tourist visas visas can be up to $250 $250 per per day, day, making it impossibl impossiblee to import talent. talent. Film, Film, sound and editing equipment are nonexistent. nonexistent. Bhutanese hutan ese filmmakers (there are 41 “briefcase” studios in in the countr y, which which produce primarily Hindi-style, soap-operatic musicals) musicals) are relegated relegated to using second-r second-r ate video equipment. Rinpoche’s personal personal relationships relationships with members of the royal family, family, high-level high-level public servants servants an d well-conn well-connected ected devotees devotees helped helped to remove some some of these extr extraordinar aordinar y barribarr iers. His eminence eminence gav gavee him certain certain imm unity, unity, opened doors and cleared some uncharted unchar ted territor y. Everyone veryone who helped helped seemed seemed to t o find it an extreme honor to participate in his activities in in any way way, even even if it was “ just a film.” But all the favors in the world couldn ’t stop stop the rain, rain, and with the rain, Rinpoche Rinpoche and his crew couldn ’t make a film. On September 26, a decision decision was made to shift shift everyone everyone up to the t he soggy soggy loggi logging ng camp camp in Chelel Chelela, a, regardles regardlesss of weather. weather. Rinpoche was con fident. Others were were hesi hesitantly tantly hopeful. hopeful. Prayer Flag Picture Pictur e’s crew and its convoy convoy of 15 buses, buses, cars, vans and jeeps made a pion eer voy voyage as a unit: un it: the 86 Bhutan Bhutan ese, ese, ten Indians In dians and 16 Weste Westerners rners finally converged as a team. reference. C H E L E LA LA I S N O T S O M U C H A T O W N as a point of reference. There There are are no shops shops,, no phones, phones, not even even a tea tea stand. stand. Just monkeys, monkeys, trees and rushing streams. streams. One hour straight straight up from Paro, Paro, the weather weather was noticeabl noticeably y colde colder, r, the moun tain seemed seemed to trap dampness in the crook crook of its neck, neck, the trees
hoarded t he sun for their leaves, leaves, leaving leaving little little for the hum ans struggling in the th e mud below b elow.. All 108 108 people were neatly packed packed into 33 cabins, cabins, rooms, tents, truck cabs and even even in a lean-to lean-to off the kitchen. kitchen. Rinpoche’s quarters were no more elaborate than the rest —in fact, fact, his room was the smalles smallestt in camp. He requestrequested the ornate curt curt ains to be taken taken down, and he slept slept on a mattress on the floor like everyone everyone else. else. He had t o step over over the beds of several several monks to get get outside. outside. Neten Neten Chokling Chokling Rinpoche was was just just on th e other side of a thin plank wall. wall. In the m ornings, Rinpoche Rinpoche bathed and brushed his teeth al pebbles,, steam steam r ising ising from from his fresco standing on the cold pebbles soapy head. He took meals in in the m ess ess tent —a three-sided shed with fresh fresh pine needles for for carpet. Being the director gave him one special privilege —at dawn he shook the camp awake awake with with selections from his iPod: Bob Dylan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ravi Shankar blasted from the little Bose speakers on his windowsill. These public displays displays of nor mality helped level level the playing field for those who didn ’t recognize him as the supreme guru (of the 16 foreigners foreigners on the crew, crew, only sev seven en were were students of Rinpoche), while relaxing relaxing the Bhut Bhutanese anese who who were were unsure how to behav behave around him. They were were timid at first. rst. They They covered their mouths when they spoke and kept their eyes averted. averted. An audible gasp gasp escaped escaped the kitchen kitchen when one of the Westerners whacked Rinpoche on the arm in jest. Rinpoche seemed seemed to t o enjoy the casual atmo atmosphere. sphere. “For the first time I had the opportunity to work with the ordinary Bhutanese people—sit sit together together with with them, eat with with them, trav tr avel el with with them, th em,” he says. “I have experienced experienced so m any things that I have never had the opportunity to before in Bhutan. This has been very important to me.” for the start of filming arrived. arrived. The production’s unit manager and all of the lighting lighting equipment were were stuck in Phunt sholing. But th ere was was a camera and there t here was film. Rinpoche rose early early and headed up to Chelela Pass Pass with a small group. At more m ore than two miles above above sea sea level, level, it is one of the highest highest passes passes in Bhutan. Sandwiched andwiched between between two thick cloud tables —one in the th e valley valley below, below, one overoverhead—nine monks struggled against the damp to light 13 ridge. Down to the last last match, match, the fires for a puja along the ridge. wet wood finally succumbed to flame. Rinpoche inpoche emerged emerged from the t he smoke and m ist wearing wearing his favorite favorite cru shable str straw aw hat —white with a black band —and monks’ robes. robes. He looked looked happy. “No matter what we do we still have some kind of superstition necessary,” he said. “What do you think?” The puja was to app ease the local deities. deities. “We are doing doin g something that has never been done before,” he said. “We need to make sure the spirits are O.K. O.K. with it.” He gracefully gracefully switched switched hats, joined the mo nks on the cushions and the puja bega began. n. Eventually entually the rest rest of the film crew T H E AU AU S P I C I O U S D AY AY
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began began to arrive. arrive. For some, this was was a first. Soon they were were all joining joining in, in, carrying plates plates of torma offerings offerings and dump ing them in the fires, pouring whiskey whiskey on the flames and calling out like banshees to scare away the evil. evil. The fog was still thick but for t he first day in a week week it was was not raining. A rainbow appeared and tea was served from Chinese flasks. A few hours later the crew—saddled with shiny black black equipment, equipment, shrouded in hi-tech hi-tech polar polar fleece, wired in walkie-talkies—stood silently watching the moun tainside. tainside. Each wildflower stood out in the bright, indirect indirect light. light. From around a giant boulder, boulder, Gomchen Penjor Penjor stomped into view, view, bare-cheste bare-chested, d, his straw straw hat at a tilt. As Agay Agay,, Penjor is steering steering the han dsome hero, Tashi, away away from his remote hu t and sheltered wife. wife. Tashi limped limped behind him, strikingly strikingly good-looki good-looking. ng. They delivered their lines perfectly. “Cut!” called Rinpoche. The cheers cheers echoed echoed into the next valley valley.. The begun. That very very first shot is featured in the film had begun. film’s poster. Pre-production chaos paled compared to the mayhem that th at ensued. The set set was located ten minutes from camp, deep in the forest, forest, down a railroad-tie stairwa stairway y, in a tiny house the size size of a walnut. walnut. The crew crew swarmed swarmed in and out o ut like ants. Monks and Hollywood Hollywood professionprofessionals tangled tangled together together with with wires wires,, cable cables, s, planks planks.. Traditional wooden phalluses used in ceremonies to ward off evil spirits lay about am ong plastic mugs, chili peppers, peppers, battery packs packs and bundles bundles of bright, knotted, weaving thread. For some of the profes professi sionals onals on the crew, crew, Rinpoche’s style was sometimes too casual. Pandemon ium betwee b etween n takes t akes often left left people wondering who was was in charge charge.. He was was too generous generous,, they thought —welcoming welcoming suggestions, suggestions, allowing allowing people to experiment, experiment, open to advice. advice. “But if you watched closeclosely, ly,” said first assistant director Isaiah Seret, “you saw how skillfully he was in actually realizing his original view. view. Rinpoche Rinpoch e was always always in charge.” Peace came only when the camera was rolling. .D. yelle elled. d. “Kemachup,” “Quiet on the set!” the A.D. wheez wheezed ed an asthmatic monk into h is megaphone. megaphone. The policemen policemen at the r idge locke locked d down the on e-lane blackblacktop, the main artery between between east east and west west Bhutan. Silence descended but for the trickling bamboo aqueduct. Magpie Magpiess tiptoed tiptoed in the treetops treetops.. “Speeding,” called a crewmember with her boom all balanced. “And …action!” Rinpoche said into his headset. Although th ere were were cameras of all kinds kinds on th e set, set, it seemed to some impossible to truly capture the precious mom ents as they fled fled by. by. There was tea break ➣ page 75
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If I’m Lucky They Call Me N O A J O N E S:
How is this fi this film lm different than your last fi last film lm, The
Cup? In every aspect —scale, story, location. But I am afraid I have have used the same techniqu techniqu e. I still haven’t achieved the courage to do something different. D Z O N G S A R K H Y EN EN T S E R I N P O C H E :
Some of your methods meth ods of teaching teaching dharma dharm a are quite progres progressive sive ...
No, not at all. all. I am very very traditional. Well, Well, your outward behavior is interpreted interpreted as very modern.
I may not be fulfilling some people’s expe expectations ctations.. If I am lucky lucky they only go so far as to call me “unorthodox ”; if I am am unluc unlucky ky they call me “wild wild and untamed.” So some people are surprised that your method of filmmaking filmmaking and storytelling are quite conventional.
Because I am not experienced yet, yet, I dare not be too un convenconventional. tional. I can can’t afford to make a film that will flop —otherwise people won’t give give me m oney to make th e next film. But at times it occurs to me to do something different. Like what?
Like ike showing showing action action in real time, for instance. instance. Ohi Imamur a’s film Warm Water Wat er Under Red Bridge Bridge comes to mind. Are there any fi any filmmakers lmmakers whom you would like to study or work with?
Ridley Ridley Scott, Scott, John Boorm an and an d Abbas Abbas Kiraostami. Kiraostami. If money mon ey were were no objec object, t, what would be the dre dream am project project for you? you?
actually, with a Cinemascope. I would like like to Life of the Buddha, Buddha, actually, work with with a crew of only Buddh Buddh ists who who really put h eart into it—not just their artistic talent, talent, not just as work. work. Working on a fi a film lm brings with it a pretty grueling schedule. schedule. Did you manage to keep up your own Buddhist practices?
Yes. It just meant mean t I had on e hour less less sleep sleep than t he others. other s. Sometim es on the road you’ you’d be in the middle m iddle of calling calling a shot and a nomad would wou ld come come to prostrate prostrate at your feet. feet. How was that for you? Did you take any measures to conceal your Rinpoche-ness?
Since it was was happening in Bhut Bhutan, an, it came as very very natural. natu ral. I am sure some of the non -Buddhist -Buddhist crew may have have thought I was
Unorthodox
An intervie inter view w with Dzongs Dzon gsar ar Khyentse hyentse Rinpoche. Rinpo che.
Dzongsar Khyentse with a cameraman on the set of Travellers & Magicians.
practicing tyranny, tyranny, but I have to remember the t he Buddh Buddh ist practice of not caring what people people think.
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One of the non-Buddh non- Buddhist ist crewmembers crewmembers said he thought you were pretty pretty groo groovy vy,, but that your foll followe owers rs seemed seemed kind of of nuts. He thought the reason reason they th ey were following following you was that th at they t hey needed help. help. Care Care to comment? comment?
I would would take it as a compliment. Because in Budd Buddhism hism personalities like like myself myself are considered like doctors an d followers followers are like patients. What ’s the difference between teaching and directing?
It all depends depends on th e motivation. motivation. I could be teaching teaching dharma purely for for worldly gain. gain. In th at case I might as well well ride in a limousine half-doped like like some some of the directors do.
In the fi the film, lm, one of your characte characters rs has a series series of experiences experiences that may or may m ay not be a dream — in fact his whole storyline storyline may m ay not be real. real. Do you thin t hink k we are responsible responsible for what we w e dream? Can we create karma in our sleep?
Of course. In fact this life life is a big sleep. sleep. W hat does your father, father, Thinley Th inley Norbu Rinpoche, Rinpoche, say about your filmm filmmaking aking habit? habit?
My father? father? I am sure he t hinks it is a useless useless worldly pur suit, ego ego boosting, boosting, everything everything that ’s not right. right. And I honestly honestly believe he is right. The title title o off the fi the film lm is Travellers & Magicians. If you you didn didn’t have to worry about about m arketing or posters posters,, what would you title t itle this film? film? ➣ page 77 SHAMBHA HA MBHALA LA SUN
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after tea break, but never really really a break long enough to snap snap out of the work work and appreciate appreciate the uncommonness of the situation: uation: standi standing ng the there re,, in Bhuta Bhutan, n, with with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche hovering above the branches in the rusty Indian crane. Watching Chokling Rinpoche Rinpoche gallop awa away y on on horseback. horseback. Catching Catching first glimpses glimpses of the film film played played back back on video video,, fresh fresh from from Bangk Bangkok, ok, in a leaky leaky bamboo hut. Late night night tr ance parties parties by the fire. fire. Monks Monks with with megaphones megaphones.. Disasters Disasters beyond compr ehension. A month into the shoot, shoot, the Aaton Aaton XTR Prod camera crashed onto a gravel road when its tr ipod collapse collapsed. d. The filters were were scratched, scratched, the housing cracked, cracked, the French flag and and follow follow-focus -focus bent. The intern al mechanical damage could not be determined. The crew crew slumped slumped back to camp, freak freaked. ed. Rinpoche didn ’t flinch. Instead, Instead, he was was jubilant. “If we weren weren’t doing something grea great, t, we wouldn’t have obstacles,” he said. said. He call called ed Orgy Orgyen Tobg Tobgy yal Rinpoche, Rinpoche, who confirmed that this was the complica complication tion he had predicted. predicted. The camera was fine, said said O.T., O.T., but get it tested to appease the skeptics. skeptics. A pilot for Druk Air agreed to hand-deliver a test roll to the lab in Bangk Bangkok, ok, but a r esult esult would take days. The crew was only just recovering from this shock shock when when another, anot her, even even more dramatic dramatic,, acci accident dent took place place in Chendebji villa village. ge. This ancient ancient Bön village lage is the setting for t he openin g scene scene of the film, the village village Dondup Dond up is seeking seeking to escape. escape. Chendebji is stage stage to a perfectly perfectly preserv preserved ed Bhutanes Bhutanesee way way of life life.. It is beyond beyond bucolic. bucolic. The entire entire population lives lives in a cluster cluster of seven seven large houses, houses, each each with its own name and history. history. The crew embraced the village. village. The cook staff peasant girls. girls. Hemp-fed pigs pigs flirted with peasant rolled in the bushes. It was here here that t he second second camera, an Aaton A-Minim A-Minima, a, fell fell from from t he Flo Flo Cam, an aerial dolly which had been suspended twenty feet above above the ground grou nd between between 36
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two houses. houses. The massiv massivee roof beam at the far house snapped like a brittle chicken bone. The camera’s hothead hoth ead was smashed and t he body was was scratched. scratched. And while while could be fed fed through, suspicious suspicious film could grinding grindin g sounds had be investig investigated. ated. The house from which the beam fell is called “the Black Roost ” and is known to be haunted. Locals ocals had no doubt that spirit interve inter vention ntion played played a role in the incident. Then, three days days before before wrapping in in Thimph u, Gomchen Penjor went AWOL AWOL.. He was needed for an important scene. Visas were were expiring, the crew needed to go home. Aside side from arr iving iving at the set wearing earing a long long,, blac black k wig wig,, Rinpoche inpoche appeared appeared completely completely unfazed. unfazed. He spontaneously taneou sly wrote a n ew scene. scene. “Watching Rinpoche’s reaction was the ultimate teaching,” one of the acto actors rs said later. Rinpoche quietly left left Bhutan right after the wrap party party in Thimphu. Thimphu. He spent spent the next several months in Australia splitting his time between overseeing a ngö ngöndro retreat at his secluded Vajradhara Gompa and overseeing the post-production at editing studios in Sydney. ydney. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, sevseveral of his former former crew back back in in Bhutan began seriously practicing dharma. “I am more of a practic practicing ing Buddhist uddhist than a Buddhist in principle now,” said one crewmember. Two others were were inspired to make a pilgrimage to Dzongsar Institute in Himachal Pradesh, Pradesh, India. But Rinpoche contends Travellers & Magicians was purely a creative venture. He’s saving the Buddhist message for his life of the Buddha. Buddha. “Teaching film about the life was never on my mind,” he says, “as I was rather caught up with shots and camera angles. angles. But if some people see it that way, way, then I have all the more reason to believe the Buddhist concept that Buddha ’s blessing comes from your own dev d evotion. otion.” o Travellers & Magicians premiered on August 3 in Bhutan and is set to travel the film-festival film-festival circuit before popular release in 2004. N O A J O N E S is a freelance writer for The Los
Angeles Angeles Times Tim es and other publications.
They Call Me Unorthodox contin contin ued from page 35 35
An Illusion Illusion During A Sip Of Wine. That is
the Bhutanese Bhutan ese title. W ho would you like to see see come come to the t he premiere?
Boy Georg George. e. Or Michael Michael Jack Jackson. son. What do you think? I love Boy George. Why do you make fi make films? lms?
I make films because I love films. But don’ don’t you do it for the money too?
First First of all, all, I am not that keen keen on making money. money. I still still conside considerr myse myself lf a yet yet uncorrupted uncorrupted artis artist. t. Beside esides, s, if I want want to make money, money, there are many other ways ways to do so. In fact, fact, filmm aking is very risky, risky, especially the films that I hav h avee been making, where you have have no entertainment, no sex, sex, no viole violence. nce. If I reall really y wanted wanted to make money I would have chosen to make HollywoodHollywood-style style—even Bollywood Bollywood-style—films, lms, avoidi avoiding ng the agony agony of not being acc accepted epted by fes festiv tivals als,, not being liked liked by critics. critics. Then it doesn d oesn’t have to be artistic, because as long it it ’s entertaining, you m ake ake money. money. Having Having said said all that, in the future I might actually do commercial films because being being artistic and commercially successful can be quite challenging. Are you putting spiritual messages into your film? film? Is this a way way of teaching teaching dharma?
People say, say, “You are a Buddhist lama, why do you make films?” This question is a bit puzzling. It indicates to me that from certain standpoints this work is viewed as almost sacrilegious—like I am breaking some kind kind of holy rule. At the same time, I understand. understand . People autom atically atically assoassociate film with money, money, sex and violence violence because there are so many such films coming oming out of Holl Hollywood ood and and Bollywood. ollywood. But if only they had access access to likes of Ozu, Satyajit atyajit Ray Ray,, films by the likes Antonioni, people people would would understand understand
that filmmaking doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, fact, it is a tool. tool. Film Film is a medium, and Buddh ism is a science. science. You can be a scientist and you can be a filmmak lmmaker, er, a salesperson and a politician at the same time. So is this proper behavior for a Rinpoche?
I have often heard t hat som e people feel feel I am Westernized, Westernized, I guess partly because of my associ association ation with Wes Westerners. terners. But I totally disagree. disagree. I may be slig slightly htly modern, this is true. But when when it comes comes to Buddh ist teaching itself, itself, I totally oppose people attempting to make Buddhism more adaptable to the West or to the modern worl world. d. It is is not not require required: d: Buddhism has always been up-to-date. From the moment Buddha Buddha taught, taught, the esse essence nce of the teachings teachings hasn’t changed, and it shouldn ’t change. change. Anyone nyone who tries to modernize buddhadharma is making a grave mistake. It’s important to make a distinction between between the culture culture and Buddhism. Buddhism. As the wisdom of Buddh a traveled traveled to differdifferent count ries over over different different ages, ages, the culture and tradition of each each particular time time or place became intrin sic to the th e teaching. Culture is indispensable because withou withou t it, there is is no medium to conv convey ey the teachings teachings.. Dharma is the tea and culture is the cup. cup. For someone who who wants to drink tea, tea is is more important than th e cup. The cup is also also necessary necessary but it is not the most ess essenti ential al.. Hence, Hence, you can say say that I am not attached attached to the cup. cup. If necnecessary essary,, I am r eady to change the cup, cup, and for that reason you can say that I have a modern mind. Will you ever direct a fi a film lm set in the West with Western actors?
Yes, es, if I have the opportun ity. ity. W hich of the Western Western actors do you like?
Alec Alec Guinness and Anth ony Hopkins. Which Western actresses do you admire?
Kate Winslet, Winslet, because she has the most sexy hips. o SHAMBHA HA MBHALA LA SUN
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Life as Cinema On being told this isn’ isn’t really happening. that we have been born in a cinema hall. hall. We don’t know that what is going on in front of us is just a projecti projection. on. We don ’t know that it is just a film, just a movie, movie, and that the events events in in the movie aren’t real, that they have have no tru e exis exis-tence. Everythin verythin g we we see on that screen screen —love, love, hate, viole violence, nce, suspense, suspense, thrills—is in fact just the effect of light light projected projected through cellulo celluloid. id. But n o one has ever ever told us th is, so we just sit there watching, fixated on the film. If someb somebody ody tries tries to attrac attractt our attention, attent ion, we say, say, “Shut up!” Even ven if we have have something important to do, we don ’t want want to do it. We are completely engrossed and blind to the fact that this projection pr ojection is completely ffutile. utile.
This is what the dharma practitioner needs to understand —that the whole whole of samsara, samsara, or nirvana, is as essence essenceles lesss or u ntr ue as that film. Until we we see see this, it will be very very dif ficult for dharma to sink sink into our minds. mind s. We will alway alwayss be carried away, away, seduced by the glory glory and beauty of this world, world, by all the apparent success success and failure. failure. However, However, once we see, see, even even just for a second, second, that t hese appearances appearances are are not real, we will will gain gain a certain certain con fidence dence.. This This doesn’t mean that we have have to rush off to Nepal or India and become a monk mon k or nun . We can still still keep keep our jobs, wear wear a suit and tie and go with with ou r briefcase to the of fice every day. day. We can still st ill fall in love, offer our loved one flowers owers,, excha exchange nge rings. rings. But somewhere inside there is somethin g telling telling us that all this is essenceless.
Now suppose that there is someone in the seat next to us who says: “Look, this is just just a film.It ’s not real. real. This is not really really happening. It ’s really just a projection.” There’s a chance we too might understand th at what we are seeing seeing is in fact a movie, that it is unreal and essenceless. This doesn’t automatically mean we get up and leave leave the cinem cinema. a. We don’t have have to do that. We can just relax and simply watch watch the th e love love affair, affair, the crime crim e thr iller iller or whatever. whatever. We can experience its intensity. intensity. And if we have a certain con fidence that this is just a projection, projection, then we can rewind, rewind, fast fast forward or play play the film again as we like. like. And we have have the choice to leave leave whenever whenever we like, like, and to t o come back at anoth er time to watch again. Once we are certain that th at we can leave leave any time we like, like, we may not feel comp compelle elled d to do so. We can choose to sit sit comfortably comfor tably and watch. Sometimes a sequence in the movie can overwhelm whelm our emotions. A tragic moment m ight ight hit our soft spot and we are carr carried ied away away.. But n ow, ow, something somethin g in our h eart is telling us that we know it ’s not real, real, that it’s not a big deal.
It is very very important to have have such such a glimpse. glimpse. If we have have even even one glimpse glimpse in the whole of our life, life, we can be happy for the rest rest of the time with just just the memor y of that glimps glimpse. e. Now, Now, it could happen th at when someone whiswhispers to us, “Hey! This is just a film,” we don’t hear them because we we are distracted. Perhaps just at at that moment there is a big car crash crash in the m ovie, ovie, or loud music, music, so we we just just don ’t hear the messag message. e. Or else else maybe we do hear th e message, message, but ou r ego misinterprets this information, so we we remain confused and believe that there is something true and real in the movie after after all. Why does that happen? hap pen? It happens because because we lack lack merit. Merit Merit is incredibly incredibly importa mportant nt.. Of cours oursee, inte ntelligence nce, or prajna, is important. Compassi Compassion, on, or karuna, is important. But merit is paramount. Without Without merit, we are lik likee an ignoran ignorant, t, illiterate illiterate begga beggarr who wins a m ulti-millionulti-milliondollar lottery but does not know what to do with the m oney and loses loses it str aightaway aightaway.. But suppose su ppose we do have a little little merit m erit an d we actually get the message from the person whispering to
BY DZONGSAR KHYENTSE RINPOCHE JUST SUPPOSE
PHOTOS BY DIANA CHURCH
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us. Then, as Buddhists, uddhists, we have have diff differe erent nt options. From the point of view view of Therava Theravada da Buddhism, Buddhism, we get up and leave leave the movie mo vie hall, or we close our eyes, eyes, so we are not carr ied away away by the m ovie. ovie. We put an end to suffering suffering in t hat way way. On the Mahayana level, level, we reduce reduce our suffering suffering through throu gh understanding understan ding that the movie is is unreal, that it is all a projection and empty.We don’t stop watching the movie, movie, but we see that it has no inherent inherent existence. existence. Moreover, Moreover, we are concerned concerned about the others in the cinema. Finally Finally,, in the Vajray Vajrayana, ana, we know that it is just a m ovie, ovie, we are not fooled, fooled, and we just just enjoy enjoy the show show.. The more emotion t he movie evokes evokes in us, the more mor e we appreciate the brilliance brilliance of the production. We share share our insights insights with with our fell fellow ow vie viewe wers, rs, who, who, we tru st, are also able to appreciate what we see. But to implement imp lement this th is in real life life,, we need merit. In Theravada Buddhism one accumulates merit through renunciation. We see see that the movie movie is making us suffer and we have the sense to stop watching it. In the Mahayana Mahayana we accumulate merit with compassion. We have have a big and open mind min d that is more concerned with others ’ suffering. On the other hand, this transformation transformation —from being caught up in t he movie, to seeing seeing the emptiness ness of the events events in in the film, to caring solely solely for the welf welfare are of others—might take t ake a very, very, very very long time. This is why why in the Vajrayana Vajrayana we move into t he fast lane and accumulate merit through devotion. We trust th e person who is whispering whispering to us, and who has an understanding that has set him free. Not only do we assimilate the information he is giving giving us, us, but we also also appreciate his freedom freedom of mind an d the depth of his being. being. We know we we have have the potential potential for for such such liberati liberation on too, and this makes us appreciate appreciate him even even more. A single single moment of such such devotion, devotion, just just a split split second, second, just just a little little bit bit of such such devotion, devotion, has immense immense merit. If we are in in tune with the person person whispering whispering to us, us, he might help us d iscov iscover er the tru e, inner movie-lov movie-lover. er. He might make us see see how the rest rest of the audience is caught caught up, and how un necessary necessary it all all is. So without ou r having to rely on ou r own confused struggle gle to understand t he path, this person brings us to an understanding of what it it is we are seei seeing. ng. We then become someone who can sit back and enjoy the show. show. And m aybe aybe we might whisper whisper to some other s as well. well. o SHAMB HAMBHA HAL LA SUN
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