Tibet and Buddhism in Modern Society
Major Focus: Kundun Film Study & XIVth Dalai Lama
Setting the Scene:
Load a map of Tibet in relation to its neighbours and China.
1. Is Tibet a separate nation?
www.tibetjustice.org/materials
http://www.china-un.org/eng/c2975.html
http://www.tibet.com/WhitePaper/white1.html
2. What makes up Tibetan culture?
3. Compile a 1-page profile of Tibetan culture (comprising language, religion, art, music,
writing etc.) using the following websites:

www.tibet.com

www.tibetinfo.net

www.tibet.net

www.tibetlink.com

www.tibet.org
Kundun:
Kundun - the name of the fourteenth Dalai Lama, god-king of Tibet - generates many
comparisons to Seven Years since they both concern the early life of the Dalai Lama,
before his exile into India. However Kundun recounts much more of his life, from his
discovery at age two all the way to his flight into exile at age twenty-four (in 1959), to
escape the tyranny of Mao Tse-tung. In addition, there are no American stars, so the
focus is entirely on the Dalai Lama. For this reason, those movie goers who are primarily
interested in either the Dalai Lama's heroic struggle or in the intricacies of Tibetan
Buddhism will find Kundun the more richly rewarding experience.
Though it is beyond the scope of this review to get into Tibetan Buddhism, a few things
can be said. First, Kundun is an extremely beautifully filmed movie, especially some of
the scenes of the "magical" fortune-telling rituals, chanting and temple altars. Therefore,
even if you are not Buddhist, you will enjoy watching the movie. Second, it may not
really be all that important whether we Americans believe that the Dalai Lama is in fact
the "fourteenth reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion" or not. This is because
there are vast cultural/technological differences between Tibet and America. In Tibet,
the townspeople passively get on their hands and knees bowing to Kundun and wait for
him to "bless" them - he is like their hope, their savior; in America, and in most of the
west, this is not likely to happen - in our "information age," what we want from the Dalai
Lama is not so much his blessing, but his insight. In this sense, we can ask, "What insight
does Kundun offer?"
If you get beyond the Tibetan-specific magic and rituals, the Dalai Lama comes across as
really just a man, not a god. Of course, he is "special" in that he is believed to be an
actual reincarnation of the Buddha. This is actually one of the more interesting facets of
the movie to us in the west - what exactly is Kundun: god, man, or "spirit?" In any case,
one of the points the movie makes is that not even Kundun is beyond criticism; there are
some times when Kundun's teachers need to correct his thinking on key points.
Interestingly, a central point of Buddhism is that we all need to have a teacher; we can't
simply enlighten ourselves. In Kundun, these teachers are wonderfully played, and if we
listen carefully to what they say, and to what Kundun himself says, we can receive
insights into the truth of the Buddhist teachings. In contrast to Seven Years, Kundun
includes more mention of some of the basic teachings of Buddhism, such as the Four
Noble Truths, the Dharma of impermanence, and the awakening of compassion.
Certainly, the extremely troubling destruction of Tibet by the Chinese army powerfully
illustrates the truth of impermanence and compassion. In this way, even though the
Tibetan culture on one level seems very "foreign" to us, on a basic human level, their
story nonetheless is extremely moving.
Notes from Film:
14th Dalai Lama - Significance & Influence:
1. How has the Fourteenth Dalai Lama influenced Tibetan nationalism?
2. Using the web sites: www.dalailama.com and www.tibet.com/DL/index.html, create a
timeline or summary of the significant events of the 14th Dalai Lama’s life.
3. Accessing the movie Kundun, explain the need for the Dalai Lama to escape from
Lhasa.
4. Which of the mediums was the most beneficial in detailing the life of the Dalai Lama?
Are there any discrepancies between the film and the web sites? Why might this be so?
Which medium was the most accurate?
5. Using the web site: http://www.tibet.com/DL/leaders.html explain the importance of
the Dalai Lama as an ambassador for the Tibetan Nation. What is the purpose of the
Dalai Lama’s interaction with Government members?
6. How does the Dalai Lama respond to the receiving of the Nobel Peace Prize? How
does he view the Chinese? How would you describe the Dalai Lama’s methods of
protesting?
The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech: www.tibet.com/DL/nobelaccept.html
7. Outline the proposals made by the Dalai Lama in Strasbourg.
The Strasbourg Proposal, 1988: http://www.tibet.com/Proposal/strasbourg.html
8. Predicting: Will the 15th Dalai Lama call for Independence? Read Source 7C as
stimulus.
Dalai’s Reincarnation will not be found under Chinese Control: http://www.tibet.com/DL/nextreincarnation.html
9. The cultural identity of Tibet is characterised by the nations’ link to the Buddhist
religion. To what extent has Tibet been able to maintain its cultural identity?
Extension tasks:
1. How are Tibetans being denied human rights?
2. What conclusions can be drawn about the Chinese attitude towards Buddhism, Tibet
and the Tibetans?