Product Description

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. If you had only one hour, what would you ask?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19139 in DVD
• Brand: MONTEREY HOME VIDEO
• Published on: 2007-01-01
• Released on: 2007-10-23
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 85 minutes

Review
Everyone should watch this movie. A perfect blend of history, drama, artful presentation, and profound inspiration. --New Age Retailer

Review
4 Stars. Editor's Choice. Highly Recommended. A tender, moving commentary on compassion, tolerance, and finding the middleway through moral dialogue within the global community, 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama is a surprisingly humorous, thought-provoking, and uplifting film. --Video Librarian

Review
Spectacular presentation of lands few of us will ever visit and it was thoroughly intellectually stimulating. Certainly I was greatly impressed by 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama . I sincerely hope that many others will share this rewarding experience. --Maine Coast Now

Customer Reviews

A TEN for this 10!
I was lucky enough to get to see '10 Questions' at a movie screening earlier this year. In hindsight, I had wondered if it might be a bit boring, but was I wrong! It was absolutely fascinating from beginning until end. Tha Dalai Lama is one incredible man and Rick Ray did an really nice job of capturing some beautiful images and putting together this film. I highly recommend '10 Questions' for anyone from age 5 on up. I hope that the DVD will have some good bonus features, too.

Sitting on Top of the World
This is a very gentle documentary film of the most famous monk in the world, his humble origins and his joint role as spiritual and political leader of Tibetans.

It's combination of background and insertion of clips to illustrate points during the actual interview with his holiness enhances what would be to most people a relatively staid movie. What results is an interesting story of a man who insists that he is but a man despite everything which his many follwers wish upon him. He is his own person, someone who wishes his own privacy despite the pressure upon him to be a purely public figure.

The documentary also deals with real political difficulties, addressing the issue of China and accusing the Chinese government in all but name of the kidnap of the Panchen Lama, yet managing to maintain some degree of impartiality so that it avoids the charge of being mere propaganda.

We learn much too, of the filmmaker and his observations, especially where he notes that it is those with least who display outward signs of happiness while those who have the most are the least happy.

Overall this is well worth watching especially to gain some insight into the mind of one of the most influential men of the 20th Century. After having watched this film today, I was reminded of the famous remark of Stalin who is reported to have asked: "How many legions has the Pope?".
Perhaps China's current rulers would be advised to ask the same question about the Dalai Lama.

Answers and More
I do not as a rule buy DVD's. I rent them. I was shattering my behavior pattern when I bought 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama. Perhaps I might want to view this one more than once or share it.

It is not the answers to the 10 questions that makes this DVD a "keeper". Rather, it is Rick Ray's lively, sometimes colorful, sometimes starkly black-and-white, introduction to the history of the Dalai Lamas, the culture of Tibetan Buddhism and the politics and geography of Tibet, that holds the viewer's attention long before we are introduced to the current Dalai Lama.

The questions that remain for the viewer at the end of the film are as intriguing as the answers we hear. How does one balance nationalism and belief in one's wisdom tradition against love of all humanity and openness to new knowledge? The Dalai Lama provides his view but tempers that with his offering of himself as a limited human, rather than an all-knowing deity.

This viewer found the current Dalai Lama to be a quite lovable human. Others are invited to meet with him for a while in Rick Ray's film.