Film

The Dalai Lama's Gift

Name: The Dalai Lama's Gift
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2025-02-22

2025 · 1h 16m · Documentary

The extraordinary time in 1981 when one determined monk brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Buddhism, to America

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Overview

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.