''10 Questions For The Dalai Lama'' is a 2006 documentary film in which filmmaker

Rick Ray Rick Ray is an American filmmaker best known for his 2006 documentary film 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama which he wrote, filmed and directed. In 2022, Ray headed to war torn Ukraine for a 5-week exploration of the traumatic effects of war on Ukr ...

meets with

Tenzin Gyatso The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

, the 14th

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

at his monastery in

Dharamsala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. Th ...

, India. The film maker asks him ten questions during the course of the interview which is inter-cut with a biography of Tenzin Gyatso, a history of modern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and a chronicle of Ray's journey securing the interview.

Synopsis

The film begins as a chronicle of Rick Ray's journey through India to interview

. The film switches between present and recent past, with stages of the trip introducing sections on the personal history of Tenzin Gyatso, the process used to select a Dalai Lama and Gyatso's journey into exile. The interview with Tenzin Gyatso begins midway through the film. This section is inter-cut between sections addressing philosophical questions and current affairs. Ray asks a range of questions, touching on philosophical, social and political issues. Some of the questions asked: *"Why do the poor seem happier than the rich?" *"How can one reconcile an attitude of

non-violence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

when faced with a direct threat to one's safety and security?" *"Should countries be dedicated to preserving their traditions or embrace modern culture?" *"Will there be another Dalai Lama?" The questions are not numbered in the film and Ray admits to asking more than ten questions during the interview. The film also features the daily life of Tenzin Gyatso, his international peace efforts and his work with Tibetan refugees. The film features interviews with a Buddhist monk who fled violence in Tibet and Tenzin Tethong, who has served in the

Tibetan Government in Exile The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ), often referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is a non-profit political organization based in Dharamshala, India. Its organization is modeled after an elective parliamentary government, compo ...

for 20 years. Towards the end, the film touches on the issues of internet censorship in China, changes in Tibetan culture, and the 11th Panchen Lama controversy.

Production

Three years were spent tracking down rare, archival footage of the young

, early interactions between the People's Republic of China and his government, and his eventual exile. In the end, the licensing of some of the footage for the film cost more than all the other expenses combined.

References

External links

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''10 Questions for the Dalai Lama''
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''San Francisco Chronicle'' reviewThe ''Washington Post'' review''Toronto Globe and Mail'' review''The Boston Globe'' review
2006 films 2006 documentary films Biographical documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about Buddhism Documentary films about Tibet Films about the 14th Dalai Lama 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{reli-documentary-film-stub