Amnye Machen Mountain Circumambulation

Amnye Machen is a sacred mountain in the Amdo region of Tibet, and is one of the three especially sacred mountains recognised in Tibet. As with all things held sacred it is a highly meritorious thing to circumambulate the mountain, and especially in the Year of the Horse, which occurs every twelfth year, and was the year when this film was made.

We watch the pilgrims on their journey and see the incredible landscape which forms the backdrop to the story, and meanwhile hear from mainly local authorities on why the mountain is held sacred, what its role is in their culture, and how traditions are kept alive.

The film also explores the role that the mixture of animism and Tibetan Buddhism plays in the environmental movement, and how it sows seeds of respect for the earth, especially its prominent features like the mountains, rivers and forests. An important lesson in these days when pollution and global warming threaten the changing terrain and skies.