Looking for Ancient Tibet

This is a documentary tracing what looks like a pilgrimage through modern Tibet visiting some of the most holy places and holy people associated with the region.

The journey must have taken quite a while, as they visited many places, some of which were way out of the way, like a seven day trip to visit the Crystal Lotus Cave, where Padmasambhava did practice, and other sites associated with the great saints of the past.

They first visit the Derge monastery, where over 4,000 woodblock books somehow survived the ravages of the Cultural Revolution, and we also see how new woodblocks are being cut, corrected and printed.

They also go to Dzongsar monastery, which has over 500 students; the large Kargo retreat centre, which has both monks and nuns living in the area; Jeykundo, which is cremating the remains of Lama Norsang, whose died in meditation posture and whose body didn’t decay.

Other moansteries visited include Goche Gompa of the Karma Kagyu school; Kyodrak monastery of the Barom Kagyu school, which contains some really fine statues; Lachi hermitage, where the highly reputed Repa Tsultrim Tharchin is living; Karma Guen; Palpung, the HQ of the Sitapas; and the largest monastery in the world currently: Sera Monastery.

During their travels they also got to meet some of the great living masters like Sonan Wangpo Rinpoche, Khenpo Senge who explains we are now in the Dharma-ending period; Sangye Khandro, one of the great female lay teachers in Tibet; and the Barefoot Lama, Siddha Dorgyal.