TIBETAN LAMA AND DIRECTOR
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TRANSCRIPT
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche:
It was quite tough making [this] film.
As I told you before, first of all, I am expected to be sitting on the throne, surrounded by at least fourteen serious looking, nonsmiling monks, OK? Of course, not smiling at girls, especially!
And I’m not doing that. I’m travelling alone, and all that. That’s already too much for Tibetans
Now, so, me making a film in a village that I actually live - a village where actually Tibetan people really do respect [me] a lot - and me sort of actually roaming around with the people is something that they cannot accept. You know? And, especially Tibetan woman. Still there is a tradition, you see….
I actually feel kind of sad about this sometimes. I like to approach young Tibetan boys and girls. I really like to. You understand? Talk about Buddhism. Talk about life. Talk about everything, Music, talk about film, talk about… what else? Night life, you know, or all that. All kinds of things.
So that not only I [could] understand their situation, but also maybe they could benefit… spiritually. See, younger Tibetan generations are spiritually thin, deprived now. Because, you know why? Because the lamas, or the Rinpoches are sitting on the throne. There is a tradition. ‘Oh, these lamas are so high, you cannot speak’. You understand? You westerners are in a way very lucky, you know. As a foreigner you can just walk in there and say ‘Hi’, you know, and then you do whatever you like. Ask questions and all that.
Tibetan young, younger generation… I don’t know, somehow the society expects them to bow down, and sit on the… somewhere… Not only that: between the Rinpoches, or the scholars or the saints of the Buddhist tradition, there is no dialogue in between them. Then [the] only dialogue is: Rinpoches sit on the high throne and give initiations. Or a blessing. Sees them for few seconds, and then go.
And these young Tibetans, they are not like before! They go to different schools, universities. Many of them even went to some of the foreign universities and they’ve been trained to think! And they want to know! Why [light the] butterlamp? Why drink holy water? I mean, or why drink all this? Why put this lama’s hand on the top of my head? For what? But they dare not to ask these questions, because there is a big gap [between them and the lamas].
So, with these kinds of similar reasons, I can’t go around directing a woman. There is no Tibetan woman who would feel free to… not only act! Of course not! But even to be near all these Rinpoches. I mean, you know, I have so many Rinpoches acting.
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The film "Phorpa, 'The Cup'" will be released in May, 1999.
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