Lion's Roar Presents
BuddhaFest 2025
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF BUDDHAFEST
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Your Online Pass Includes:
● Eight New Talks from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax, Thupten Jinpa, Sister True Dedication, Robert J. Waldinger, Jan Willis, and Gullu Singh
● Encore Talks from Previous BuddhaFests with Joanna Macy, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Matthieu Ricard and Sylvia Boorstein
● 12 Buddhist Films: An Extraordinary Collection of Films Across the Fifteen Years of Programming
● Tibetan Healing Mantras: A Musical Performance with Drukmo Gyal Dakini
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BuddhaFest Presented in Partnership with
THIS YEAR'S FILMS
THIS YEAR'S FILMS
Introduction
This year’s film program celebrates the 15th Anniversary
of BuddhaFest with a selection of memorable films from across
fifteen years of programming.
American Rimpoche
Directed by Nikki Appino
USA / 2014 / English / 60 min / Documentary
Gelek Rimpoche was born in Tibet, trained as a monk, and was forced into exile at an early age. He lived an extraordinary life — ultimately as an American citizen — no longer a monk, but a Buddhist teacher and scholar linking the traditional and contemporary for a new generation. His students included Allen Ginsberg, and Philip Glass who composed the music for this incisive portrait.
Buddha’s Lost Children
Directed by Mark Verkerk
The Netherlands, Thailand / 2006 / Thai with English subtitles / 97 min / Documentary
A rare look at life in the border regions of Burma and Thailand, the Golden Triangle infamous for its drug lords and violence. A nomadic horseback-riding Buddhist monk, Phra Kru Ba, devotes his life to helping the isolated communities and rescuing orphan children. Stunning cinematography, intimate filmmaking, and a compelling story make this film an extraordinary experience. Buddha’s Lost Children gives the term “grassroots Buddhism” new meaning, and in the end it’s the children’s journey we share.
Descending the Mountain
Directed by Maartje Nevejan
The Netherlands / 2021 / English, and German with English subtitles / 78 min / Documentary
An alternate title for this film could be Meditation and Mushrooms, which would perfectly suit this fascinating and delightful documentary. Zen teacher Vajna Palmers (a ten-year veteran of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California, and colleague of Brother David Steindl-rast) enlists a neuroscientist in Switzerland to introduce his Zen students to psilocybin mushrooms in (legal) research on the so-called “hard” question: What is consciousness? With science usually coming at mind (at least the brain) from the outside, and meditation coming at mind from the inside, a renewed interest in entheogens (psychedelics) and new legal paths for research make this a very timely and provocative film. Filmed on location at Sekimonji (Rock Gate Temple), Mt. Rigi, Switzerland.
Digital Dharma
Directed by Dafna Yachin
USA / 2012 / English / 60 min / Documentary
E. Gene Smith was amazing—a Mormon, a pacifist, and a Buddhist who, against all odds, managed to organize the successful mission to rescue the written legacy of the Tibetan culture from destruction and loss. He was a founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (now the Buddhist Digital Resource Center) and 84000, a massive translation project. The film documents his epic efforts toward an ongoing project to preserve, digitize, and translate 20,000 volumes of Tibetan literature—from medicine and history, to poetry and Buddhist texts.
Dreaming Lhasa
Directors: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
India, UK / 2005 / English, and Tibetan with English subtitles / 90 min / Drama
The film follows Karma, a young Tibetan filmmaker from New York who interviews recent Tibetan exiles in Dharamshala and encounters Dhondup, an ex-monk with an intriguing mystery. Their efforts to solve it together take them through the exile communities in India, and the journey forces each to examine their sense of identity and purpose. On the way, we meet monks, merchants, musicians, former guerrillas, and expats of all stripes, stripping away many of the cliches and stereotypes about contemporary Tibetans that have clung to them in the West. The film is a heartfelt tribute to the personal sacrifices for freedom made by many, in many ways, over the past fifty years. From the award-winning documentary filmmaker team of Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam based in Dharamshala, India.
My Son Tenzin
Directed by Tsultrim Dorjee and Tashi Wangchuk
USA / 2017 / English, and Tibetan with English subtitles / 70 min / Drama
This is a warm-hearted and clear-eyed look at life in exile for a new generation of Tibetans separated from their homeland by more than distance. Tsering Dorjee Bawa (Kundun, Himalaya) stars as a monk who arrives in the U.S. in search of his grown son Tenzin, sent away years earlier to get an education. Co-director Wangchuk is a veteran radio producer for Voice of America Tibetan, and he brings to his film an intimate knowledge of the dilemmas of the exiled confronting cultural, political, familial, and spiritual challenges. Filmed on location in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Painting Peace
Directed by Babeth Mondini VanLoo
The Netherlands / 2014 / English, and Japanese with English subtitles / 90 min / Documentary
Kazuaki Tanahashi, now 91, is a Japanese Zen teacher, translator, artist, and activist, known as much for his extraordinary calligraphy works as for his masterful translations of the 13th century Zen innovator Dogen, and the Chinese poet Han Shan. His activism for peace/demilitarization and a plutonium-free environment regularly takes him around the world. This film travels with him to Europe and Japan, and into his home and family with insight and understanding.
Refuge
Directed by John DiLeva Halpern
USA / 2006 / English / 60 min / Documentary
Through the voices of a remarkable collection of internationally recognized personalities, this film spans three decades of Buddhism’s contribution to the West, the evolution of a spiritual intelligence and motivation beyond self, toward an altruistic engagement with others, the world, and our environment. Featuring rare, in-depth interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Dzongzar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Bernardo Bertolucci, Philip Glass, Melissa Mathison, Martin Scorsese, Matthieu Ricard, Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Oliver Stone, and others, revealing the spiritual and cultural roots of this emerging, social paradigm. Beautifully filmed in India, Nepal, Tibet, Switzerland, France, Canada, and the USA.
The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard
Directed by George Schouten and Babeth Mondini VanLoo
The Netherlands / 2009 / English, and French with English subtitles / 67 min / Documentary
Matthieu Ricard left his native France and a promising career in cellular genetics to become a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in Nepal. He is now a translator, photographer, and bestselling author (The Monk and the Philosopher, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill), and an active participant in scientific research on the effects of meditation on the brain. He is involved in a number of humanitarian projects in Tibet and Nepal, where he resides.
This intimate portrait journeys with Matthieu in the Himalayas, as he continues the work of his late teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and as he serves as translator for the Dalai Lama in Europe, and participates in scientific research there. His vivid photography and accessible stories of a monk’s life in the Himalayas feature throughout.
With Kangyur Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Yahne le Toumelin, Eve Reneleau, Gerard Godet, Madelèine Trehin, Dr. Tania Singer, and Uttam Sanjei.
Wandering…But Not Lost
Directed by Paul McGowan
USA / 2020 / English / 89 min / Documentary
Celebrated Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher Mingyur Rinpoche walks away from his life of comfort to live that of a wandering yogi, spending four and a half years incognito on the streets of India, Nepal, and in Himalayan caves. He returns to share insights gained into the true nature of mind. Layered over this story is exceptional footage of ancient holy places, such as Langtang, Nubri, Dolpo, and Lapchi, where Tibet’s most famous yogi and poet Jetsun Milarepa lived in solitary meditation in the 12th century. Kushinagar, where the Buddha passed away, Varanasi, Rishikesh, Ladakh, and Amritsar are also featured, along with one of the holiest Hindu shrines on the subcontinent, Vaishno Devi, reached by an arduous 14-kilometer hike up a mountain path full of joyous Hindu pilgrims.
Words of My Perfect Teacher
Directed by Lesley Ann Patten
Canada / 2003 / English / 103 min / Documentary
From the World Cup in Germany, to the remote Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, three students are on a quest they hope will lead to wisdom. The catch is…their teacher. Soccer obsessed, charismatic filmmaker, and citizen of the world, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche may be one of the most eminent Tibetan Buddhist teachers, but it’s a job description he slyly seems to reject at every turn. Featuring appearances by Bernardo Bertolucci, Gesar Mukpo, and Steven Seagal. Filmed on location in the UK, Bhutan, Canada, the U.S., and Germany. Music by Sting, Tara Slone and Joydrop, Steve Tibbetts, u:man:tek, Kunga 19, and others.
Zen and the West
Directed by Luke Fitch
Produced by Chris Hebard
USA / 2019 / English / 84 min / Documentary
Follow along as we travel to Canada, Japan, The Philippines, Europe, and the USA, visiting Zen teachers, scientists, politicians, Christians, atheists, and celebrities exploring the questions: What is Zen? What is awakening/enlightenment? Is Zen a religion? How does science view Zen? What does awakening look like in everyday life? Features Kaz Tanahashi, Joan Halifax, Bernie Glassman (in his last interview before his death), Henry Shukman, and others. This is a survey film that goes deep in the Sanbo Zen lineage (Yamada, Yasutani, Kapleau) and focuses on Ryoun Roshi, a wealthy manufacturer in Japan, who teaches in that lineage. Narrated and with an appearance by Jeremy Irons.
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Eight New Wisdom Talks
Eight New Wisdom Talks
Sharon Salzberg
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD
Robert Waldinger, MD
Jan Willis
Gullu Singh, JD
Thupten Jinpa, PhD
Sister True Dedication
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Musical Performances
Musical Performance
Tibetan Healing Mantras: A Musical Performance with Drukmo Gyal Dakini
Tibetan Healing Mantras: A Musical Performance with Drukmo Gyal Dakini
Drukmo Gyal Dakini brings to you a selection of mantras from the Buddhist and medical traditions of her homeland Tibet, combined with her pure voice and soaring melodies that guide the listener into a state of deep awareness and connection. Mantra healing is the practice of using sound and vibration as a healing medium. It is a powerful method for opening the heart, energy channels, and mind.
Favorite Talks From Previous Years
Favorite Talks From Previous Years
A Conversation Between Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass and Trudy Goodman
Meditation as Medicine: How Tibetan Doctors Use Holistic Practices to Heal
Featuring Dr. Nida Chenangtsang
Everything Hangs on Intention: How to Align Your Intentions with Your Values
Featuring Sylvia Boorstein
Renunciation, Compassion, and Pure Courage
Featuring Matthieu Ricard
Feeding Your Demons
Featuring Lama Tsultrim Allione
Direct Awakening: An Experiential Journey into the Immediacy of Our True Nature
Featuring Craig Hamilton
Love on Every Breath: Tonglen Meditation to Open the Heart
Featuring Lama Palden Drolma
Cultivating Joy: A Conversation on Buddhism and Resilience
Featuring Pamela Ayo Yetunde in Conversation
with Ruth King
Understanding Despair: The Fabric that Connects Us
Featuring Joanna Macy
Buddha: Great Physician & Mind Scientist for Trying Times
Featuring Robert A.F. Thurman
Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming
Featuring Andrew Holecek
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