Compassion Rising:  celebrating the 14^th  Dalai Lama and the culture of Tibet

by David Evans Shaw

I had the good fortune recently to attend a Tribeca Film Festival screening of the epic 1997 biographical film Kundun produced by Martin Scorsese. The film tells the incredible true story of one of the world’s most fascinating leaders, Tibet’s Dalai Lama.  

Scorsese and Tribeca festival cofounder Jane Rosenthal introduced the film with emotional commentary about the importance of the film and a recently launched  “compassion rising” world tour on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s 90^th birthday on July 6 this year.   The tour aims to harness the positive energy around His Holiness’s birthday to benefit the world and the future of Tibet.  

As described in my recent book, Wave Making, I seized an opportunity years ago to trek across remote mountainous landscapes in the Kahm Region of the Tibetan plateau to  better understand, with expert guides,  the distinctive spiritual culture of the Dalai Lama’s homeland.   I’m happy to share video from that trek along with some  observations intended as a tribute to the Compassion Rising tour and the 90^th birthday celebration for such a remarkable leader.

It’s important to state that China views Tibet as an autonomous region within the People’s Republic of China, that has been an integral part of China for centuries. The Chinese  government acknowledges the autonomy granted to the region, but firmly opposes any separatist movements.

I’m also happy to share this link to another blog post about my exploration of Bhutan and it’s concept of gross national happiness.