Customer Reviews

The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas: A Pilgrimage to The Oracle Lake

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i was hoping for this film to be a bit more in depth about these sacred sites. the film is mostly a document of a trip some western buddhists took to Tibet lead by Tibetan scholar Glenn Mullin. like most touristic type journeys the time spent at each location seems rushed and some information lacking.
a good and sincere effort overall inhabited with likable characters Mullin, Bhutanese monk Khenpo Tashi, and the narrator/composer Steve Dancz. the photography is nice and the locations they visit amazing and profound it's just a bit thin on information.

If you are planning a pilgrimage to Tibet, or if you have a special interest in Tibet, this film is a "must see." It is the story of one thoughtful man's journey to central Tibet, the high point being Lhamo Lhasa, the Lake of Visions. Educational and touching, the film made me cry and smile, and kept me glued to the screen. I'm very glad I bought it!

This film is remarkable for two reasons. First, while I'm interested in Buddhism, I'm not a Buddhist, and have always found Tibetan Buddhism just too far out of my sphere of experience and knowledge to pursue in any depth. This film succeeded in making me want to learn more.

While the film chronicles a brief journey, it manages to evoke the long and fascinating history of Tibetan Buddhism, and becomes a very powerful testament to belief, dedication, and sacrifice.

This could also be said about the film itself. The journey to some of the highest places on earth is a saga in itself, yet the director and narrator seldom call attention to their own travails, except lightly and humorously.

As someone who's taught documentary and fiction film for four decades, I also have to comment on the remarkable achievement of the director in producing such a compelling and moving film on what appears to be a budget that most filmmakers -- documentary or fiction -- would consume in a single lunch. Using a single camera and onboard microphone that any layperson can probably buy here on Amazon, and working under what I assume was the ever-watchful censorship of government officials (several scenes were obviously shot surreptitiously), he managed to produce a thoroughly professional and fascinating film.

This film demonstrates what you can do with little money or resources if you have the passion and commitment, and if your movie is ABOUT something.

Howard Suber

as a practicing buddhist who has never been to tibet, i found this dvd to be a most compelling journey into the innermost sanctums of the tibetan buddhist tradition......michael wiese and crew have managed to capture the vast richness and sublime essence of these magical places........the film making is topnotch, with a narratve and pacing that pull you further and further into places that have seldom been heretofore documented, and cinematography that will leave some indelible images in your mind and heart.......

I loved this movie and have watched it now 4 times.

Although I have seen many docs on Tibet and the Dali Lama, what stands out to me is the positive focus of this piece. Although it's important to understand the history and politics of the struggle for a free Tibet, it was refreshing to see a doc that focuses on the beauty of the people, the music, the culture and the religion.

What a blessing to see these sacred sites that most people will never get to visit, let alone film! I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this film.

It's a must see for anyone with an interest in Tibetan culture, in the Dali Lama, or in visiting Tibet.

"The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas: A Pilgrimage to The Oracle Lake" is a 70 minute collection of home movies of a 2007 trip to Tibet dressed up as a feature documentary. There is some wonderful footage of the Tibetan countryside and numerous sacred sites, including temples, mountains, caves, and lakes. If you've never been to Tibet and know nothing about it, this film might serve as a good visual introduction to the culture and the landscape. Discerning viewers are left to wonder if the project was simply a clever means for recovering the expenses of what looks to be a rather financially substantial pilgrimage.

The film is narrated in flat, almost dispassionate tones by Steve Dancz, an American music professor, who along with a group of what appears to be around 15 other middle-aged Americans is led across Tibet by American Buddhist teacher Glenn Mullin and Bhutanese religious scholar Khenpo Tashi. Along the way Dancz relates the rather typical tourist reaction of wonder and surprise at being in Tibet, as well as reporting historical and contemporary spiritual claims of supernatural events. Most anyone who has traveled in the region has had similar reactions, and who when visiting a place for only a few hours, or even a few moments, is going to risk insulting the locals by asking if they really believe that walking around a pile of rock reciting a mantra has the power to affect meteorological conditions? Most of us just try to soak up the experience.

But if you are inclined to produce a commercial document of your visit, one that you want to share with the world, one that has the potential to inform and help people understand the relevance of your pilgrimage, it seems such a document is the appropriate occasion for questioning, for examining your experience, for evaluating the meaning of your journey. Perhaps for Dancz there was no need to question, in which case The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas is an example of what you see is what you get. I'd like to think there's more going on, that Dancz was on deadline to finish the film, that perhaps producer Michael Wiese forced him to excise the more interesting observations, and that a more introspective book or film may be forthcoming

For anyone who might be looking for a video document of Tibetan landscapes and scared sites, this is a film worth checking out. For anyone hoping to learn about the Dalai Lamas, about Buddhism, about the meaning of pilgrimage, about the experience of ambition fulfilled, you would do better to look elsewhere.

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As a teacher of Buddhist meditation, I read the reviews of this DVD with great interest. Watching it, I felt it had been made with a real sense of reverence and respect for things Buddhist. No one made fun of anything and the reactions were all sincere. This is a great film for teaching classes on Buddhist sites and Buddhist art. One gets a real feeling of what it's like to be in Tibet, which is a stretch today, with the Chinese domination. I would highly recommend this DVD to any serious teacher of World Religions or of Buddhist meditation.

The film "The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas" is the best film that I have ever seen on Tibet and their spiritual tradition. I recommend it to anyone who has any interest in Tibet, Buddhism, spirituality and the power of sacred places.

I have been very involved with Tibetan Buddhism for over twenty years and with the Tibetan community in the U.S. since 1,000 Tibetans were allowed to come to the U.S. in the early 1990's to settle here and become citizens, and the film shows the warmth, charm and religious passion of the Tibetan people.

I have visited Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia and other Buddhist countries, and know that the knowledge, experience and perspective of your tour/pilgrimage leader is extremely important to the value of the experience. Clearly Mr. Mullin is an exceptional leader and scholar.

The interviews with Mr. Mullin and the Buddhist monk from Bhutan who accompanied the group on the pilgrimage, were very informative - and I would recommend that viewers watch the interviews before seeing the film.

The film has inspired me to want to return to Tibet and see the sacred sites that I did not see on my first trip. It also has inspired me to purchase books on Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist art by Mr. Mullin.

Watching this film provided a real sense of the participant's journey. The breath taking landscapes and natural beauty, the ornate and decorative monasteries, and the sense of wonder expressed by the pilgrims all provide a personal insight into the spirit of Tibet.

Whatever your specific chosen path, anyone with spiritual outlook should relate to the thrill of the experience that this film illustrates. Further, anyone who desires to see the breadth and depth and beauty of the world and all G-d's creatures will surely enjoy traveling along on such an adventure.

The photography is beautiful, the music is lovely, and the narrator charming!