Tibet, the path to Wisdom | SLICE | Full documentary

[Music] in tibet on the roof of the world a woman walks alone she walks at all times in all weather she's homeless by choice [Music] annie rigsung is a wandering nun searching for spiritual traditions in tibet that are today in danger of disappearing i've always been fascinated by tibet and its culture i met annie 15 years ago at the time she was living in a monastery near lhasa but she recently contacted me saying that she was going to leave for good [Music] she told me of her plan to reach a sacred place in the mountains of eastern tibet a hidden convent where they still practice an ancient teaching called the yoga of magic heat she invited me to come along and bear witness to her journey at the start of our expedition annie tells me about an ancient pilgrimage inspired by one of the founding legends of tibet the legend of the demon is sleeping over the roof of the world [Music] according to this tale a gigantic demonist covers the whole of tibet and is to blame for the suffering of mankind [Music] fifteen hundred years ago to suppress her energy the king sansengampu decided to build twelve temples over her body he ordered an army of warrior priests to walk and meditate over these vital points in order to contain her evil power [Music] annie wants to follow this ancient trail and find the secret teachings that were once taught at these temples we meet in the town of yarchen on the shoulder of the demonis more than one thousand kilometers from lhasa it's a gathering place for mystics and yogis where annie seeks an audience with the grand master atun to inquire into the mysterious teachings called the yoga of magic heat unfortunately the great number of worshipers gathered here today have come to commemorate the death of the grand master represented by his wax effigy we've arrived too late the master died several weeks ago [Music] annie seems discouraged i feel she's overcome by doubt about the outcome of our journey [Music] we're a bit disappointed as we leave yarchan but there's no turning back we set course for lhasa the sacred heart of tibet [Music] [Music] it's an ancient tibetan practice for prolonging life when i was younger i wanted to be a healer in the summer i lived in the mountains and gathered medicinal flowers in winter i went in search of roots [Music] a buddhist nun sees all living beings as her children [Music] [Music] as i travel with annie i remember just how much tibetan culture is still bound by a perception of a sacred geography tibetans believe that a web of energy passes under the earth these frequencies sometimes rise to the surface in places where the ancient king built temples to suppress the limbs of the legendary demonists at these vital points it is said that meditation becomes effortless and man can tame the earth to appease the demonists [Music] the capital of the ancient kingdom of tibet was built to round the patala palace of the dalai lama the spiritual leader of tibetan buddhism forced to flee by the chinese authorities he's been living in exile since 1959 and his palace converted into a museum of the people's republic of china lasa wasn't built just anywhere tibetans believe the earth's energies converge here at the spiritual heart of tibet on their way here some pilgrims prostrate themselves across the entire country while prostrating the pilgrim and the earth become one during the cultural revolution in the 1960s many temples in tibet were destroyed and spiritual traditions were lost many llamas nuns and monks became homeless but the temple of the joel the most sacred of them all was miraculously spared the temple of the joao is believed to be linked to all the sacred sites across the country through the earth's natural energy currents [Music] when i visit this temple to light the butter lamps i feel connected to everything it's as if i can hear the heart of the demon is still beating [Music] according to legend the temple of the joel was built on the heart of the demonis but lhasa no longer feels like the vibrant place it once was [Music] [Applause] [Music] the kingdom of the buddhas is more like a schoolyard than a place of meditation i don't dress up in religious robes anymore i've let my hair grow this way i become invisible people don't notice me as much [Music] in the past the convents around lhasa were known for their yoginis women who practiced the secret yogas but that's all changed new rules say that all nuns must obtain a diploma in chinese but i'm too old to learn a new language that's one of the reasons why i left anyway it didn't feel right here anymore i felt i was suffocating in a hen house [Music] [Music] these days it's hard to find your way in life but i'd rather be walking than sitting down in the old days during summer nuns used to leave lhasa on pilgrimage they swapped their cushions for boots and walked across the country to visit holy places like bees gathering nectar on a meadow of flowers we leave lhasa and head east towards the region of calm partly annexed by china in 1951 after the cultural revolution [Music] there's been a buddhist revival in this region but as we head east the legend of the demonist lying over the country begins to resurface in my imagination [Music] [Music] while the communist authorities keep a tight grip on talasa the ancient tibetan-speaking regions of kham and amdo to the east enjoy a greater freedom ani and i can move around more easily [Music] the nuns we travel with in the truck lead the way together we enter the new promised land of the east [Music] these nuns all hope to study at the red city of serta the biggest buddhist academy in tibet when the dalai lama left tibet 50 years ago the panchayat lama remained to sow the seeds of the tibetan revival he convinced the chinese authorities to build a buddhist academy here to preserve tibetan culture [Music] over the last decade this poor remote hermitage has become the biggest buddhist university in the world numbering almost 50 000 students [Music] okay [Music] there are so many things i would have liked to learn how to heal the sick understand the formation of the planets calculate the distance to the stars [Music] the treasury of knowledge is vast but life is so short and i'm too old now to go back to school [Music] here in serta chinese and tibetans study together [Music] it's more like a university here than a traditional monastery we can study poetry science astrology we don't waste time blowing horns and performing rituals we can choose what we want to study and go meditate in the mountains during the summer [Music] in the province of khan i realized just how much the chinese and the tibetans have come to depend on one another surprising as it may seem today the chinese are the greatest financial benefactors of the buddhist academy they help the university continue to expand and develop for a tibetan buddhist when the body dies the spirit reincarnates into another body in this temple near serta people are celebrating the reincarnation of the grand master represented by his wack statue a child has been chosen as the reincarnation of the master and so despite his youth he's considered a sage from now on he must guide men and women on the path to enlightenment we were told that religion was poisoned but when something is forbidden to people they naturally become curious about it with the new freedoms in the province of chennai the tibetans have spread their beliefs into china their wisdom has filled a spiritual void how can i explain it better the happiness of one person depends on the happiness of all this is how an awakened being sees the world [Music] hmm [Music] what fascinates me in the tibetan tradition is that men and women die and reincarnate indefinitely and each life must pursue the same goal to ease the suffering of all living beings [Music] annie and i resume our journey over the body of the demonis hoping to find someone who can direct us to the secret convent buddhism teaches that man is the reflection of nature and like nature we're subject to moots that are sometimes benevolent and at other times frightening and murders to live with our dark side and transform it we occasionally meditate in places that inspire fascination but also terror in equal measure [Music] the charnel ground of trolling lies directly on our path here the bodies of the dead are offered to the vultures [Music] annie explains that the sky burial opens a gateway to the kingdom of the dead a terrifying passage that determines our future reincarnation when the birds don't show too much appetite it's a bad omen for the deceased person [Music] the monks pray for the spirit of the dead sometimes the spirit is too frightened to leave this world so the prayers of the monks guide the dead through the bardo the interval between death and the next life [Music] [Music] [Applause] uh foreign [Music] um foreign foreign [Music] breath to the air and bones to the earth the spirit follows endless reincarnations unless a person can master the secret yogas and obtain the immortal body of light [Music] for me this transformation into a body of light remains the greatest of tibetan mysteries according to testimonies the bodies of some hermits actually dissolve into a halo of rainbow light at the moment of their death and their spirits become immortal beaming through all things beyond the limitations of time and space to achieve the body of light is said to be the ultimate way to ease the suffering of other living beings according to this tibetan belief only the complete mastery of the secret yogas can lead to this transformation to the immortality of the spirit the tiger's nest hermitage is the next stop on our path according to annie it's one of the most famous places where the earth's boundless energies rise to the surface a place where meditation becomes effortless [Music] um [Music] at the tiger's nest the grand master paima dre rinpoche has just finished giving teachings we're granted a private audience annie wants to know whether her new life choice as a wandering hermit has as much merit as a sedentary monastic life i left my convent to visit holy places and search for special teachings where have you come from stop running after fairy tales and special teachings go back home shave your head and put on your nun's robes you're not ready for the secret yogas a nun must stay in a convent it is not good for you to wander around alone like this before my convent was famous for the transmission of the secret yogas but not anymore and i like the freedoms you have here in the east [Music] nuns are now compelled to first learn chinese otherwise it's difficult for them to stay in the convent if you like our province here well stay there but you must stop wandering around you talk to me of freedom what freedom if you're looking for freedom in this world you'd better learn to speak chinese if you want freedom from this world then better go sit in a cave [Music] back home we have about 30 meditation caves but the local authorities won't allow us to live there if you're serious there's a cave down below here you can start straight away it's big and comfortable [Music] but if you're really determined about learning the secret yogas go to gabe check it's the only convent in tibet that still upholds these teachings it's built on a special spot where the earth's energies rise to the surface legends say it corresponds to the head of the demoness lying on top of the world the place is especially suited for practicing the yoga of magic heat but there's a price to be paid those of pure heart can achieve supreme awakening in this very life but the non-virtuous fall easily into madness [Music] uh [Music] um [Music] may i purify the mind by walking may i tame my body's energies and at the same time bring peace to the earth ah [Music] the appearances of the demon is so numerous [Music] it's now nearly four weeks since we left lhasa and we've covered nearly 2 000 kilometers by truck and on foot annie wants at all costs to reach the hidden convent of gepchak where master pema directed her to go [Music] it's still a long way ahead and the end of summer is approaching my dream is to find this legendary place the hidden convent where ordinary women become immortal beings [Music] that dissolves the body into light um [Music] for annie i feel this journey is not just a spiritual pilgrimage but also an unconscious rebellion i feel that by walking on the legendary demonis she's redrawing an ancient map of forgotten tibet it's a way for her to assert her freedom and her identity in a rapidly changing world [Music] oh [Music] is [Applause] i don't know if it's a sign but the wind is pushing us it's pushing us towards a sacred lake that lies in the hollow of the demoniser's shoulder this imaginary demon demonis is a symbol of the untamed energies responsible for the suffering of mankind we're walking on her body following her veins and arteries from crest to valley from temple to monastery we come closer to our final destination the hidden convent of gebchak where a handful of nuns preserve the secret yogas of tibet on the way annie suggests we make a detour to visit an extraordinary place to meet a special person [Music] during a dark period in our history when our temples and monasteries were destroyed we followed the ancient prophecies that told us to flee into the mountains in search of hidden valleys [Music] is one of these legendary hidden valleys a natural fortress an earthly paradise for the end of time [Music] and my mind becomes more spacious people call him the mad saint the heart of the path is to see all beings as one's own children apart from that there's not much to say but i'm sure you already know this annie can you say a bit more okay [Music] come on annie first let's make an offering to the lake when you own nothing of value you offer stones imagining them as diamonds [Music] [Music] little by little i will cover the shores of the lake with a wall of precious stones [Music] yes whether you understand or not it makes no difference the nature of the mind remains unchanged empty yet cognizant unfathomable yet always present you can recognize it only by its scent of compassion [Music] the key for understanding the essential point is found inside your own body and you'll understand everything [Music] powerful places where it's possible to meditate almost effortlessly that's it you see practice without effort [Music] so [Music] you have to combine strength with gentleness like anyone can master the techniques of secret yoga but few manage to see the interdependence of all things [Music] pilgrimage is a way of connecting my inner nature to the outer world the outer world is a mere reflection of your inner nature not the other way around you can walk all you want and not connect to a single thing tibetan buddhism is linked to this sacred landscape walking through it preserves its memory i'm not so sure who's got the time to walk these days in my youth i was violent i even committed crimes it's easy to enter but difficult to leave but even a murderer can become enlightened in just this life by practicing the secret yogurts master your inner energies and you can heal the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] the land of tibet is sacred and one can feel it but it's also a country with its share of demons [Music] the mad saint seems to have known a few in his time at 70 years of age he's sitting off on foot for lhasa the heart of the demonists [Music] for over 2 000 kilometers all the way to lhasa let's pray so we may reach the end of our journey may this pilgrimage purify our sins oh [Music] he'll prostrate himself over the land passing over the sites where the tibetan king built temples to tame the energies of the demonists [Music] beginning on her left hand then walking over her elbow to her shoulder and then her breast until finally reaching her heart in lhasa the temple of the joel [Music] the mad saint heads west for lhasa we head east climbing towards the head of the demonists hoping to reach the convent of gepchak before winter overtakes us anyone there there's going to be a big snowstorm tonight it'll be difficult to cross the mountain pass it's going to be cold on the glacier tomorrow [Music] [Music] tibet is also called the land of the white clouds the roof of the world many of the world's great rivers originate here their waters flow for thousands of kilometers imbued with the blessings of tibetan buddhism whatever the ups and downs of history these waters will continue to flow and fill all forms of life [Music] a miracle recently took place at the hidden convent of gabchek a nun dissolved into a halo of light at the end of her life annie and i want to find out how this happened the convent is also a vital point on the body of the legendary demonists [Music] as we climb over the final pass we're right between her eyes [Music] as we reach the ridge above the monastery i'm in awe of what appears before us in this harsh and inhospitable environment dozens of women peacefully meditating in caves dug into the frozen mountain [Music] annie and i climbed down to the convent to meet with the abbess who was present when the dying nun dissolved into light she was my older sister she died sitting in meditation posture i asked her if she was in pain but she started laughing lights appeared all around her as her body began to dissolve at the end i was able to lift her shrunken body with just one hand like a dog hope to achieve the body of light for it signifies the end to the cycle of reincarnation this miracle gives hope to those like annie who are pursuing the same destiny in this secluded environment the nuns must assure their own spiritual education they also manage all the daily tasks on their own the nuns are self-sufficient thanks to a herd of yaks which provides them with milk butter and also fuel made from their dried dung at this altitude there's no wood to burn [Music] but unlike worldly suffering these hardships bring us closer to wisdom to recognizing our true nature [Music] [Music] [Music] i haven't studied much buddhist philosophy too much learning sometimes becomes an obstacle to spiritual [Music] [Music] most of us are related to one another by blood [Music] fuel for heating and cooking [Music] most of the great llamas in this region have gone abroad the reincarnate llama of this place also left for china it doesn't matter we can survive without llamas [Music] [Music] is the most gifted one here she's the disciple of sheriff the one who obtained the body of light [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] we must master the yoga of magic heat then prove it by walking around the convent in freezing temperatures wearing only a simple cotton sheet um to make it more challenging we soak the sheets in cold water four times and then dry them with the heat from our own bodies i'm now by practicing the yoga of magic heat you will live long and never suffer illness [Music] [Music] living far away from the distractions of big monasteries and the commotion of cities the nuns of gabchak remain in constant meditation even during the night they don't sleep in beds they rest sitting upright in their cubicles to practice the yoga of dreams [Music] by controlling their breath and holding special postures these women learn to master their energies they can regulate their body temperature and penetrate the clear light of their dreams becoming as light as air until the moment of final transformation when they dissolve into rainbow light when you reach the place by transforming ourselves into bodies of light we become immortals to better watch over humankind abandon all effort find the silence beyond thought the rest happens naturally and the body will dissolve into light [Music] that's the way it is gabe check is the last tibetan convent dedicated to the secret yogas for me it's the journey's end i've walked across the legendary demon as lying over the kingdom of tibet a place where my wildest dreams have touched reality as for annie she's still walking on the road of wisdom i've crossed sacred mountains and hidden valleys [Music] i've chased dreams and fled from demons [Music] i became a nun at the age of 23 [Music] the sun is set in tibet and the demoness has not yet been conquered so i'll continue to walk for the sake of all sentient beings my name is rigsang the wandering nun [Music] you

Channel: SLICE

Views: 2,133,887

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs, tibet, lhassa, ani rigsang, pemako, quest, monastery, wisdom, buddhism, religion, beliefs, believe, woman, independant woman, nun

Id: CV4DmbagWHQ

Length: 51min 47sec (3107 seconds)

Published: Sun May 29 2022