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The Dalai Lama's Gift (2025)
Directed by Ed Bastian
“The extraordinary time in 1981 when one determined monk brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Buddhism, to America”
Documentary · 1h 16m
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.
Cast
Tenzin Gyatso
Crew
- Director
- Ed Bastian
Details
- Release date
- 2025-02-22
- Runtime
- 1h 16m
- Genres
- Documentary
- Original language
- EN
- Spoken languages
- English, Tibetan
- Countries
- United States of America