CinemaOSMovie · 2025 · 1h 16m

The Dalai Lama's Gift

The extraordinary time in 1981 when one determined monk brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Buddhism, to America

Documentary

In 1981, a Buddhist monk teaching at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, made the bold request of the Dalai Lama to come and perform a rare ritual, never before done outside of India or Tibet: the Kalachakra, among the highest of the Buddhist tantric teachings. In just a few months, with a team of dedicated students, and cameras rolling, they constructed a temple and organized an event for over a thousand spiritual seekers, in a cornfield outside Madison. The incredible footage was tucked away in the Smithsonian vaults, until now. What unfolds is the story of a powerful ritual, its impact on the people that made it happen, and the meaning behind this ancient initiation.

Directed byEd Bastian

Play
Status
Released
Runtime
1h 16m
Language
EN
Released
February 22, 2025

Featuring

Cast & crew

1 credited
Starring
Tenzin Gyatso

Tenzin Gyatso

Self

Creative team
Directed by
Ed Bastian

Keep watching

More like this

The Venerable W.6.6

The Venerable W.

2017 · Film

The Last Lost Kingdom

The Last Lost Kingdom

2014 · Film

Vajra Sky Over Tibet7.0

Vajra Sky Over Tibet

2006 · Film

Crossing the Bardo7.5

Crossing the Bardo

2014 · Film

The Zen Mind8.0

The Zen Mind

2007 · Film

Journey Into Buddhism: Vajra Sky Over Tibet

Journey Into Buddhism: Vajra Sky Over Tibet

2006 · Film

My Year of Living Mindfully7.5

My Year of Living Mindfully

2020 · Film

The Shift6.7

The Shift

2009 · Film

Wheel of Time6.4

Wheel of Time

2003 · Film

The Buddha6.4

The Buddha

2010 · Film

The Art of Life7.0

The Art of Life

2019 · Film

14 Apples5.4

14 Apples

2018 · Film

Jesus & Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions

Jesus & Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions

2014 · Film

A Journey8.0

A Journey

2017 · Film

Bokar Rimpoche: Meditation Master

Bokar Rimpoche: Meditation Master

2007 · Film

The Life of Buddha5.9

The Life of Buddha

2007 · Film

Picked for you

Recommended movies

The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance7.5

The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

2019 · Film

The Class of ‘927.1

The Class of ‘92

2013 · Film

The Curse of the Dragon7.2

The Curse of the Dragon

1993 · Film

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library6.4

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017 · Film

Walk with Me5.8

Walk with Me

2017 · Film

Come See Me in the Good Light7.2

Come See Me in the Good Light

2025 · Film

Night Will Fall7.6

Night Will Fall

2014 · Film

No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad8.5

No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad

2013 · Film

Seduced and Abandoned6.2

Seduced and Abandoned

2013 · Film

To Kill a Tiger7.6

To Kill a Tiger

2023 · Film

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/207.2

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20

2022 · Film

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show6.4

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show

2014 · Film

I Am Heath Ledger7.4

I Am Heath Ledger

2017 · Film

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me6.1

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me

2023 · Film

For the Love of Spock7.4

For the Love of Spock

2016 · Film

Capital in the Twenty-First Century6.5

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

2019 · Film

Being James Bond7.8

Being James Bond

2021 · Film

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God7.3

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

2012 · Film

Marvel's Behind the Mask7.0

Marvel's Behind the Mask

2021 · Film

A Toxic Love Story6.4

A Toxic Love Story

2026 · Film