In Tibet, the indigenous religion of Bon was practiced at the time when Buddhism arrived. Bon, which means truth or reality, appears to have certain elements of it carried out even today, after interrelating and coalescing with Buddhism. The many practices and sacred beliefs of the Tibetan Buddhists are depicted in the movie Seven Years in Tibet. A central concept of Buddhist tradition is that of ahmisa, or non-violence. In following this, not only is the sacrificial killing of animals completely denounced, but even killing insects while plowing and tilling soil is frowned upon. Although many modern Buddhists do eat meat or kill insects at times, the monks in the movie, residing in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and place where the Dalai Lama once reigned from, certainly refrained from participating in any form of ‘violence’ or killing.
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He is considered to be an incarnation of a bodhisattva, in the case of the movie and our historical time period, the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. A bodhisattva is one on his way to buddhahood. In the movie, the Dalai Lama becomes interested in speaking with, and hopefully learning from, an Austrian climber named Heinrich Harrer. Heinrich is an Austrian man, who is also a Nazi sympathizer, climbing mountains in the Himalayas when the Second World War officially begins. He is taken as a prisoner of war by the British forces, eventually escapes using the clever trickery of his guides, and eventually winds up in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, where he becomes a close confidant to the Dalai Lama.
When Heinrich and his traveling companion Peter first attempt to enter Tibet, we see how foreign presence is not very welcome at all. Two guards peacefully, yet firmly, attempt to explain to the men that the border is closed off to foreigners. This is due to a prophecy which entailed the city being captured and conquered and all the traditions and culture of Tibet affected and hurt as a result. The egotistical Heinrich uses his cleverness and cunningness to lose the guards which are to escort him and Peter out of Tibet and shoot them should they try to escape. The two men wind up traveling with a group of followers of the Dalai Lama on their pilgrimage to the holy city, Lhasa. As we have seen in lecture as well as found in the readings, many practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism would take these long journeys in order to visit the holy city, be graced with the presence of the holy leader, the Dalai Lama, and offer him gifts, as well as seek his insight. In 7 Years in Tibet, we see these people dropping to the ground and even kissing it, out of praise and respect for their spiritual leader, and also clapping their hands together, a means of driving away evil spirits. In the movie, the Tibetans believe the foreigners are evil spirits which have come to try to destroy everything they hold sacred. The Dalai Lama, a young boy at the time, seeks out Heinrich in order to learn more about other cultures and civilizations. The Dalai Lama is fascinated with learning and absorbing all he can.
The two men become unlikely friends who begin to spend more and more time conversing, with the Dalai Lama trying to take every last thing in. As we have learned in class, the Dalai Lama is completely emerged in Buddhist doctrine and practice, as well as in learning the duties of a ruler, from a very young age. However, with the limitation of foreigners in Tibet, he is not directly exposed to alternate civilizations. He is interested in a movie house and requests that Heinrich build it for him. Heinrich agrees, however, when he and his team of monks are breaking ground, a strong aspect of Tibetan Buddhism emerges. The monks quickly notice that there is a plethora of earthworms in the ground which would be killed and mauled by their construction. They are opposed to the harm of these creatures, as they practice ahmisa, or non-violence within their culture. The most serious, strict of followers do not eat was has once lived, nor do they believe in even accidentally ending the life of a living thing. Heinrich explains to the Dalai Lama that avoiding the death of all the worms would take a lifetime, however the Dalai Lama responds by telling him he must find away around harming the worms, for it is their strong belief not to hurt the living. The team does manage to work around it, and slowly but surely we see the Dalai Lama’s peaceful, enlightened existence impacting the self-centered Heinrich.
When Heinrich originally left Austria, he left behind a wife and unborn child. His wife divorces him while he is in the POW camp, not all very sad or surprising to him as he comments on how being in prison camp for four years is equivalent to two years of marriage. His son however, is constantly on his mind. He later confides in the Dalai Lama, telling him how all the while, he has felt as though his son has been there with him throughout his travels. The peacefulness and enlightenment of the Dalai Lama are impacting Heinrich more and more throughout the movie. Their many talks inspire Heinrich to cherish his son and be there for him. Heinrich writes many letters to his son over the next few years, hopeful to one day meet and form an impenetrable bond. He receives a letter of rejection, eventually, much to his dismay, but the kind and astute words of his friend, the Dalai Lama prove comforting.
Around the time one great war is ending, another one is seemingly brewing. China begins to make demands for the surrender of Tibetan sovereignty. Equipped with extremely antiquated weapons, and few mortars, the Tibetan freedom fighters are simply no match for the Chinese army. The Chinese continue their march for Tibet's capital persistently. It seems that Tibetan guerillas can hold the mountain passes near Tibet’s capital for many months. However, a heavily relied upon leader destroys all of the country's gunpowder stores in the interests of a "peaceful resolve" with the Chinese. Tibet is promptly occupied and the joyful cities of Tibet are ringing with joy no longer. Although the surrender appears shocking and cowardly, the death of innocent Tibetans in a ‘war they could not win’, as well as a strong belief in non-violence, brings the leader to surrender, in hopes to avoid more bloodshed.
In the movie, we constantly see people chanting mantras, or magical hymns which aim to change reality. During this crisis with the Chinese, we see people partaking in these chants even more frequently; even the Dalai Lama is seen chanting on the rooftop of his palace the Potala as he puts all of his trust into his religion to keep his people safe. By this time, Heinrich and the Dalai Lama have established a close friendship and Heinrich is very much concerned about the safety of the Dalai Lama. He tells him he has arranged a means of escape for him and he must flee in order to protect himself. In staying with the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama rejects the offer to flee, as he feels he simply must remain with his people, as their spiritual guide. His complete trust and faith is in his religion and he believes it alone will carry them through unscathed.
Although the movie did depict many traditional aspects of Tibetan Buddhism as we have learned in lectures and readings, I feel as though a further endeavor into the Buddhist religion would have made the movie more impacting. The use of mantras, or magical chants, the practice of non-violence, or ahmisa, and a strong devotion to the enlightened Dalai Lama are among three of relatively few in depth references to Buddhist practices. Through his relationship with the Dalai Lama, Heinrich grows less and less egotistical and is certainly affected, even enlightened. He sees the practice of ahmisa demonstrated when the Buddhist monks decide all of the worms unearthed in the building of a movie house must be given a new home, and definitely not harmed. As far as the problem with the Chinese, Heinrich cannot understand quite how the people could surrender and hope and seek for a “peaceful resolution” of the the situation. Heinrich admires the Dalai Lama for his decision to stay, rather than flee for his own safety, to guide his people as the spiritual leader of Tibet. Although Heinrich does not at first admire, respect, or even grasp the depth of the Buddhist religion, after befriending the free-thinking, holy one, he values and even appreciates the deep-seated underlying peacefulness of the Tibetan Buddhists and their practices.
