FPMT News & Media

Mystic Tibet

movie posterThe 2007 full-length documentary film Mystic Tibet tells the story of a 2002 pilgrimage to Tibet undertaken by a group of fifty Western students guided by FPMT co-founder and spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Rinpoche views pilgrimage as something much more profound than a normal trek or excursion:

Normally when people go on pilgrimage, they are just like tourists; maybe they take some pictures, and that’s it. They don’t use the places to collect merit or to meditate or to get some benefit for their minds. If it’s just like sightseeing, then it won’t be of that much benefit.

With a profound well of knowledge and direct understanding of the qualities of the holy Buddhist objects and their sacred locations, Rinpoche transformed the trip into a spiritual journey of merit and benefit for the pilgrims involved, as well as for the viewers of the documentary.

Rinpoche expertly supported the conditions for transformative personal experience by leading the pilgrims to many locations precious to the spiritual heritage of Tibet. These sights included the meditation caves of great masters such as Pabongka Rinpoche, Lama Tsongkhapa, and Milarepa. Other sacred sites included Ganden Monastery and the famous sacred residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

Mandala Magazine described the impact of this documentary on the viewer in the following statement:

Mystic Tibet vividly captures the grandeur and mystery of this life-changing journey. One feels intimately a part of the experience, seeing these holy objects that seem to live and breathe, enduring the hardships and receiving the blessings right along with the pilgrims.

A pilgrimage such as this is extremely rare, as it is very difficult to gain access to Tibet and its holy sights under the current political regime. The knowledge and wisdom of a spiritual master such as Lama Zopa Rinpoche only magnifies the rarity and power of such a precious experience.

As one pilgrim stated,

A pilgrimage with Rinpoche is not sightseeing. It’s like heart-seeing.

Watch the Full Mystic Tibet Film

Enjoy the full-length movie below, or preview the movie trailer here.

Credits & Sponsors

Filmmaker

Directed, produced, filmed, written, and edited by Christina Lundberg.

Christina Lundberg is an award-winning filmmaker who brings her extensive experience making documentary films to Mystic Tibet. Her previous work includes Discovering Buddhism, a 13-part series on Tibetan Buddhism hosted by Richard Gere and Keanu Reaves, and featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other great lamas. She created a 26-part television series on Buddhism for Mongolia National Television which has run for three consecutive years to over 1.5 million viewers. Other projects include a video about The Maitreya Project which is currently translated into 9 languages and the documentary, On the Road Home, about a woman’s spiritual journey and the holy female teachers who teach her along the way.

Soundtrack

Music by Nawang Khechog and Mercedes Bahleda.

Grammy-nominee Nawang Khechog is an internationally-renowned flutist, and a former Tibetan Buddhist monk. Khechog has performed over a dozen times at Carnegie Hall. His unique background of religious training and musical experience produces a haunting and evocative soundtrack for a spiritually-transformative experience.

Tibetan religious music is an integral component of the Buddhist culture so precious to this devout land. Mystic Tibet contains sections of traditional ceremonial music performed by the monks and nuns participating in the sacred rituals led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and recorded directly in real time. This combination of authentic ritual music along with Nawang Khechog’s unique style deepens and expands the spiritual quality of the viewers’ experience.

Production

Executive Producer: FPMT, Inc. © 2007

Movie Sponsors

Jin Ling Kwang, Alfred Leyens, Gintaras Ziaunys, Pimporn Chavasant, Venerable Pemba, Kerry Wells, Ciaran Flanagan, Chiumin Lai, Rosella DePass, Lois Smith, Chan Yew Mun, Barbara Oquest, Eva Rolf, Doris Lim, Margot Willing, Robert Cayton, Adrian Dec, Patricia Lamb, Rafael Estrems, Anne McGrath, Kimberley Hollender, Doss McDavid, Carol Dawson, Carlo Carranza, Annelieis Van De Heijden, Yasmin Rieger, Jan Von Kriegenberg, Katarina Hallonblad, Clarence Khoo, Joe Lee, Bridget Harris, Dianne Cadwallader, Maitri Lau, Jules Helsen, Sharon Harzenski, Wee Meng Tan, Roy Sutherwood, Alan Wells, Eivind Skjellum, Edward Falenski, Teresa Froncek, Amy Miller, Mark Ruggieri, Sherlynn Leom, Tara Melwani, Alice Leung, O. L. Lee, Peter Voegele Shakya, Hospice of Mother Tara, Beverly Vo, Kim Looi, Maria Mimosa, Dean Saalisi, Gerogelin Patrick, Yeoh Seng Hock, Yeoh Li Ean, Cecilia Tsong, Christina Whiteside, Rafael Estrems, Susan Ostertag, Carlo Carranza, Jane Sellers, Decouze Laurent, Chandrakirti Center