What if instead of teaching about the universalization of love, we tell the story in reverse? What if the Dalai Lama got married? The Story of the Dalai Lama’s Marriage It is too scary to imagine not having this exclusive, intense love for my family that gives my life shape and meaning and a feeling of importance. Universal love is okay for the Dalai Lama, but I don’t want that for myself, they think. These same people may enjoy it when they see universal love being expressed by someone such as the Dalai Lama. If a person is attached to the concept of romantic love or to a belief that the nuclear family is the pinnacle of the expression of human love, they can feel threatened by the very idea of universal love. Sometimes people are disturbed by the idea that they might eventually love everyone equally. Instead of our love and concern being focused on just a few people, we discover we have the innate capacity to express a deep, abiding, and active desire for the well-being of all.
I can't even imagine how to picture the world without him in it.Spiritual awakening is about the universalization of love and compassion. When I sit beside you he is there with me. It's not a conscious thought really, Kundun. You've been much too informal to me for that. And I've never thought of you as my father. So work hard and seek your own salvation constantly.' I am not your son. It demands strenuous effort and practise. The Buddha said 'Salvation doesn't come from the sight of me. Serving others is my path to deliberation. How can I help people if I run away from them? What kind of leader would I be? I have to stay here, Heinrich.
We should leave directly after the enthronement, the Chinese won't expect it. Forgive my presumption but I have made arrangements to get you out safely. But Harrer's memoir is moving and heartfelt, and director Jean-Jacques Annaud has effectively captured both sincerity and splendor in this flawed but worthwhile film. The result is the feeling that only part of the story's been told here-or maybe just the wrong story. Whereas Kundun tells its story purely from the Dalai Lama's point of view, Seven Years in Tibet is essentially an outsider's tale. What's missing here is a greater understanding of the young Dalai Lama and the culture of Tibet. The film is filled with stunning images and delightful moments of discovery and soothing, lighthearted spirituality, and although he is somewhat miscast, Pitt brings the requisite integrity to his central role. China looms over the land as a constant invasive threat, but Seven Years in Tibet is more concerned with viewing Tibetan history through the eyes of a visitor.
Their stay is longer than either could have expected (the "seven years" of the title), and their lives are forever transformed by their proximity to the Tibetan leader and the peaceful ways of the Buddhist people.
Having survived a treacherous climb on the challenging peak of Nanga Parbat and a stint in a British POW camp, Harrer and climbing guide Peter Aufschnaiter (nicely played by David Thewlis) arrive at the Tibetan city of Lhasa, where the 14-year-old Dalai Lama lives as ruler of Tibet. But with Pitt onboard, this adaptation of Harrer's acclaimed book focuses more on Harrer, a Nazi party member whose life was changed by his experiences in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. It was one of two films from 1997 (the other being Martin Scorsese's exquisite Kundun) to view the turmoil between China and Tibet through the eyes of the young Dalai Lama. If it hadn't been for Brad Pitt signing on to play the lead role of obsessive Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, there's a good chance this lavish $70 million film would not have been made.