Into the Land of Kalachakra
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HHDL_youtube.mov
Images
Tibetan monks chant for a gathering in Ithaca, NY.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama blesses his new Monastery, which he has named the Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice..
The Kalachakra Sand Mandala in progress.
Website
http://www.photosynthesisproductions.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogc...
Topics
Human Development: International Cooperation, Refugees
Human Rights: Religion
Information & Media: Culture
Peace and Conflict: Conflict, Peace
Politics: Activism, Ethics & Value Systems, Geopolitics, Globalization
Project Geography
US: National, New York
International: Asia
Identity Niches
Asian, Asian American, Religious
Budget
Raised to date: $50,000.00
Estimate to complete: $100,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $150,000.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 07/15/2009
Status
Post Production
Media Type
Video
Project End Use
TV
Key Personnel
Deborah C. Hoard
Producer, Director, Writer
Deborah has been producing, writing, editing and directing film and video for PhotoSynthesis Productions in Ithaca, New York, for the last 25 years, and has been President of PhotoSynthesis since 2003. Her work is far ranging, but has a special focus on education and social justice, and is widely recognized for its honesty, accuracy and technical excellence. She has won more than 100 film and video awards, including a Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival, seven CINE Golden Eagles, eight Telly Awards and numerous other plaques, citations and screenings worldwide. Under her leadership, PhotoSynthesis has produced a series of training and recruitment DVDs for social workers and the families they serve -- STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY, FOSTER PARENTS SPEAK, and WORKING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE.
Peter L. Carroll
Cinematographer
Peter is a graduate of the University of Southern California film production program. After working at Cornell University in the Psychology Department film production unit, Peter participated in the founding of PhotoSynthesis Productions in 1981. For twenty years he worked as camera operator, audio technician, and film and video editor on projects for The Ford Foundation, National Geographic Society, The National Science Foundation, National PBS Television, Discovery Channel, Cornell University and many others. In July 2001 Peter founded Peter Carroll Productions, dedicated to producing high quality, affordable videos specializing in the areas of education, training, and promotion.
Venerable Tenzin Thutop
Official Representative of Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies
Venerable Tenzin Thutop arrived at the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies in Ithaca, NY in May of 1999, where he currently resides and teaches classes in Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan language. He is a wonderful teacher, and during his time in Ithaca, NY, he has given many presentations about Buddhism at churches, synagogues, schools, and universities, and has taught a month-long course on mandala studies at Cornell University. Ven. Thutop has many highly specialized skills in the traditional tantric monastic practices, such as Mandala construction, butter sculpture, and ritual performances. He continues to travel throughout the world creating sand Mandalas and sharing his knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism with its rich history of traditional ritual arts and practices.
Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)
People all over the world are fascinated and inspired by the Dalai Lama, and the broadcast film version of INTO THE LAND OF KALACHAKRA will have wide national and international appeal. The national broadcast of the film will be accompanied by talkbacks, blogs, panel discussions, and other events.
We are currently seeking funds of $125,000 outside of the film budget to author and promote the educational DVD component of the project. This DVD will have the documentary film as its centerpiece, but will also include bonus scenes, additional interviews, historic images, maps, printable materials and internet links. Each content area or module on the DVD can contain text, graphics, still images and printable documents as well as video footage. The DVD will be carefully designed to be effective and flexible for use in theaters, workshops, classrooms and discussion groups as well as for individual self-directed learning. Potential module content includes such topics as the history of Buddhism, the history of Namgyal, excerpts from the Dalai Lama’s speeches in Ithaca, Tibetan cultural resources, and an interactive film script with annotations by the filmmakers and Namgyal monks. The DVD will include subtitles in up to ten languages, in recognition of the deep interest and respect that people all over the world have for the Dalai Lama. This subtitling will makethe film accessible to millions more people worldwide. The DVD will contain lesson plans and resources for a variety of age levels and cultures.
We have an enthusiastic letter of support from our local PBS station WSKG in Binghamton, New York, regarding their interest in sponsoring the national broadcast of the film. To date, no commitments for distribution have been made by PSP or Namgyal. We plan to enter the film in festivals of all kinds. Cornell Cinema is a nationally known college cinema, a participant in national and international festival circuits, and their advice will be helpful in placing our film in that network.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly we have connections to a far-reaching and effective commercial distribution system already in place for the Dalai Lama’s writings, books and other related media about him. INTO THE LAND OF KALACHAKRA will be available via all of these avenues – the Namgyal website, Amazon.com, Ithaca-based distributor Snow Lion, and others. Snow Lion in particular will be an important outlet, as the premiere English-language publisher of scholarly and trade books about Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.
And finally, the Namgyal monks travel frequently to create sand mandalas all over the world, and at all of these events there is a great demand for literature and media about the mandalas and the Dalai Lama. Our DVD will be a valuable addition to the materials available to the public at these events.
Funders
| Name | Amount | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoSynthesis Productions | $26,000.00 | 01/01/2008 | |
| Park Foundation | $10,000.00 | 10/10/2007 | |
| Namgyal Monastery | $9,000.00 | 10/01/2007 | |
| Tauck Family | $5,000.00 | 09/10/2007 |
Location
415 N. Tioga Street
Ithaca, 14850
Short Synopsis
INTO THE LAND OF KALACHAKRA tells the story of the founding of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery in Ithaca, New York -- the only such monastery in the world outside of India -- and of the community of Tibetan refugees resettled nearby. The one-hour documentary film weaves together the stories of the Dalai Lama, the people of Ithaca, the monks of Namgyal Monastery, and the Tibetans who are building their lives in exile.
Description/Treatment
Our one-hour documentary film INTO THE LAND OF KALACHAKRA begins with the story of 29-year-old Ithacan Sidney Piburn trekking in India and noticing the images of the Dalai Lama in the homes of so many Tibetans living there in exile. Sidney is intrigued by the reverence that is shown this man about whom so little was then known. He seeks an audience with the Dalai Lama, and after many requests, the persistent Sidney is finally allowed to meet him.
Sidney Piburn: First of all I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know if the Dalai Lama was a figurehead, I didn't know if he would be pompous. Instead, immediately His Holiness in that booming voice said “Hi” and strode over and shook hands and we sat down. . . . I don't know if I’d ever met a person who was so present and so warm and so articulate. . . And I said, "Would you like to come to Ithaca? I have friends who you know, belong to this religious group, you could go there. You could just rest, you could do whatever you want to do, you know, ah I have a friend whose house you could stay at.” Really naïve, you know. And . . . he said,"Yes!"
Sidney’s timing could not have been better. He did not know that just days before, the State Department had agreed to allow the Dalai Lama to travel to the United States for the first time. This naïve invitation changed both of their lives. It was the beginning of a transforming relationship for Sidney, and set in motion some of the Dalai Lama’s first steps into the West. From an isolated life in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Dalai Lama emerged into a world that found itself fascinated and inspired by his personal magnetism, his message of peace and kindness, and steadfast defense of his homeland, culture and religion.
On September 10, 2007, four Buddhist monks in deeply colored robes lean together over a platform at the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. The soft scraping sound of their specialized tools echoes through the Museum as they meticulously position tiny amounts of brightly colored sand in intricate patterns. Children, professors, students, and museum guards watch nearby with wonder, intrigued by the beauty and detail o fthe design, and the patience and skill of the monks. Gradually the camera reveals more of the Kalachakra Mandala.
The Dalai Lama has embraced the Kalachakra Mandala as a way of bringing his culture and message of peace in an engaging, non-sectarian way. And it is what he has chosen as the name for the new Namgyal Monastery under construction in Ithaca -- Dü Khor ChoeLing, The Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice. Dü Khor Choe Ling will provide new facilities for study, housing and retreats, as well as the Dalai Lama's only private residence outside of India. Moreover, it will be a vibrant center of learning and intellectual exchange, and provide a sanctuary for the future of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
The Dalai Lama: If the present situation remains another ten, fifteen, twenty years, then there is really doubt as to whether Tibetan Buddhist culture can survive. So under those circumstances, establishment of some institution for preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture in free country is now very, very important. I very much appreciate all of your help. Thank you, thank you much.
After the Dalai Lama has blessed the completed Kalachakra Sand Mandala, the crowd at the Johnson Museum gasps as the monks begin to sweep away the patterns of the mandala. This moment is one that may seem quite shocking to westerners – the purposeful dismantling of something so beautifully and carefully crafted – but is also a moment that may teach most clearly the Buddhist belief in the fleeting nature of our lives.
The film ends as the Dalai Lama says farewell to his hosts and colleagues and boards a donated private jet, heading for more speeches and meetings, spreading his “religion of kindness and compassion” to a world that badly needs it.
Palden Oshoe: Tibetan culture is one thing in Tibet; another thing in India. It will be another thing in America as well. So as it goes from one place to another, it will be reshaped in different forms whatever is most suitable and congruent with the particular culture that you are exposed to. But to be genuinely open and kind I think is ultimately the Tibetan culture, you know, from my point of view. So therefore I think it will survive forever -- as long as there are Tibetans on this planet.
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