A Tibetan nun, Ani Rigsang, leaves her monastery in Lhasa and travels thousands of kilometres across Tibet in search of the secret teachings which will enable her to develop the rainbow body and immortality.
This wonderful film by the great photographer and filmmaker Hamid Sardar shares her journey as she travels from landmark to landmark across the vast expanses of Tibet, coming ever closer to her destination, which will eventually be the remote nunnery of Gebchak Gonpa.
Along the way she meets with many masters and listens to their advice, including famous lamas and mad yogis; and visits many famous monasteries and temples such as the Jokhang in Lhasa, the Serta monastery in Eastern Tibet and the end of her quest in Gebchak.
The film is set against the sacred geography of Tibet and its legends, and includes trips to the vultures’ graveyards and vast open snowfields which she must cross in order to attain her goal.
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Hi, did Ani learn the practice of inner heat at Gebchak Gonpa? I presume that it’s the practice of tumo.
Why didn’t she stay in Gebchak Gonpa and practice instead of wandering.
Thank you for a wonderful inspirational movie.
Great question!
As far as I can tell, Ani left Gebchak for reasons that I can only imagine had to do with her not really “resonating” with the teachings or teachers she found there. And so she continued her classic yogic wandering and aspirations.
I first met Ani in the pages of Ian Bakers extraordinary book “The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise” (Penguin, 2004) where she accompanies Ian on (as I recall several of) his expeditions into the Pemako Gorge of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Also a main player in this story is our filmaker here, Hamid Sardar.
But to answer (at least in part) the question: Ani has appeared again in Ian’s beautiful and remakable book “Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices” (Inner Traditions, 2019), now, having completed a nine year solidary retreat, has emerged as a recognized Naljorma at “her hermitage in Terdom… a thriving center for the transmission of esoteric yogic practices such as the “Heart Essence of the Dakinis (Khandro Nyingthik).”
(Meanwhile, I’ve not found Terdom on the map… any ideas?)
Found it!
On https://treasuryoflives.org/institution/Terdrom with an exact map location:
https://treasuryoflives.org/map/community/822#18.5/30.1536146/92.1665408
This map shows the location of Terdrom (an alternative transliteration to Terdom) in the domain of Drigung Til.
Hello,
What is the name of the Grand Master at Tigers Nest please?
Thank you for this beautiful documentary.
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