Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Mystic Fire Video
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302890381
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,478 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This biographical profile of the Dalai Lama captures him at a particularly interesting time in his life, during a visit to Los Angeles in 1989 to conduct a Buddhist initiation for thousands of Westerners. Later that year, the Dalai Lama, who as the exiled political leader of the Tibetan people steadfastly advocates a policy of nonviolence, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In interviews in Los Angeles, the Dalai Lama is his usual self, deeply serious while making a complicated point, and then gleefully erupting in giggles the next moment. A particularly interesting aspect of this documentary is that it focuses not only on the Dalai Lama, but on the effect he has on people who come into contact with him. A journalist for the Los Angeles Times speaks frankly about how it felt to meet him and be in his presence, and his American bodyguard, Paul "Tiny" Stacy, tells a moving story about how working for the Dalai Lama has lifted him from the depths of despair. Vintage film shot in Tibet bolsters a good biographical segment on the Dalai Lama, and the plight of Tibet under Chinese occupation is discussed and illustrated with footage smuggled out of Lhasa. This is an intelligently constructed look at one of the world's most remarkable citizens. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful portrait of His Holiness, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dalai Lama: Heart of Tibet [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Heart of Tibet" is a beautiful biography of the life of His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. We see the young Dalai Lama emerge from the secluded life as the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet to a world leader known for his compassion & non-violence (despite his having been exiled from his homeland). Through interviews with H.H. the Dalai Lama & others, we catch a glimpse of the remarkable person who inspires all those around him. Throughout the video we encounter the Dalai Lama as he arrives in the States to perform a Kalachakra ceremony & learn a few of the basic principles of Tibetan Buddhism along the way. Just try to watch him without breaking into a big grin... I dare you.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for teaching, February 7, 2007

By 

Kim Boykin (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dalai Lama: Heart of Tibet [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This 60-minute film is a good introduction to the life and teachings of the Dalai Lama and to the political situation of Tibet. It also covers a public ceremony of initiation into a Tibetan Buddhist practice called the Kalachakra, or "Wheel of Time." Frankly, I'm still a little fuzzy on what the Kalachakra is all about, but various aspects of the initiation, including the creation of a sand mandala, make for some good video. Much of the footage in the film comes from the Dalai Lama's visit to Los Angeles in 1989 to conduct a Kalachakra initiation.

I've used "Heart of Tibet" several times now in teaching religion courses to undergraduates, and the students really like it. (They find some documentaries terribly dull, and so do I.) To fully follow the video, it helps to know just a bit about Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and Tibet, but even if you know nothing at all about these subjects you'll still get a lot out of the film.

Naturally, the film sides with the Tibetans regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet. One of my students objected to the portrayal of the Chinese as invaders, given that one can argue that Tibet has long been part of China, but it's hard to object to the film's portrayal of the Chinese occupation as repressive and brutal.

This film is a great teaching aid, but I wish there were a DVD version, which would make it easier to skip to the sections I want to show.

Two other good videos on the Dalai Lama and Tibet are "Compassion in Exile" and "Dalai Lama: The Soul of Tibet."