The Dalai Lama's Gift
“The extraordinary time in 1981 when one determined monk brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Buddhism, to America”
2025•1h 16m•Released
Documentary
In 1981, a Buddhist monk teaching at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, made the bold request of the Dalai Lama to come and perform a rare ritual, never before done outside of India or Tibet: the Kalachakra, among the highest of the Buddhist tantric teachings. In just a few months, with a team of dedicated students, and cameras rolling, they constructed a temple and organized an event for over a thousand spiritual seekers, in a cornfield outside Madison. The incredible footage was tucked away in the Smithsonian vaults, until now. What unfolds is the story of a powerful ritual, its impact on the people that made it happen, and the meaning behind this ancient initiation.
Director
Ed Bastian
Languages
English, Tibetan
Cast
Tenzin Gyatso
Self
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