Since the invasion of Tibet over 50 years ago, China has systematically destroyed the Tibetan culture. One of the most profound losses is the tradition of the great master yogis. The entire system which supported these fascinating mind masters has been inexorably eliminated. In order to record these mystical practitioners for posterity, the filmmakers were given permission to film heretofore secret demonstrations and to conduct interviews on subject matter rarely discussed. This profound historical, spiritual and educational film will someday be the last remnant of these amazing practitioners.
View the Yogis of Tibet. Video hosted on Google. The early history of Tibet was marked by fierce wars among tribes and outsiders. The king who had finally united them as a people wished to unite them in faith as well. He invited a charismatic leader from India, Padmasambhava, to bring Buddhism to his land.Tibetans had believed in a host of deities, both benevolent and wrathful. Padmasambhava succeeded by blending these beliefs with the teachings of the Dharma, or Buddhist Scriptures. Over the course of centuries, spiritual and state leadership converged. Tibetans began a tradition of identifying those among them believed to be reincarnations of the Buddha of Compassion. Eventually, the one identified as the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama would take his place as temporal leader of Tibet.
In 1949, Chinese leader Mao Zedong, announced that Tibet would be "returned to the motherland" and the army of the People's Republic began invading villages and monasteries. As the invasion swept across their country, Tibetans who proclaimed allegiance to the Dalai Lama were imprisoned, tortured or killed. Over a million Tibetans lost their lives. All but a few of the 6000 monasteries were destroyed. Eventually, the Dalai Lama was taken out of Tibet under disguise across the mountains to India, where he was given refuge, and established a government in exile in Dharamsala. Chinese cruelty escalated following the escape of the Dalai Lama and over the years a flood of Tibetans have followed his holiness to india for refuge.
Yogis of Tibet is as much a film about the past as it is about the future. The Yogis in this movie are more like Buddhist monks who are highly trained in the mind/body connection. They can do stunning physical feats that apparently are supposed to only be passed on from master to student. I seriously will not be trying what I observed on this DVD. This goes way beyond Yoga as we know it and enters a territory of extreme physical endurance and control.
Not only do Yogis learn to heat their bodies so they can endure freezing temperatures, they also learn to master their inner world. What is most beautiful on this film is not just the rugged scenery, but the idea of love and compassion being the ultimate goal in life.From a historical perspective, this DVD contains footage from the past and new coverage of Buddhist teachers around the world. Now that Yogis are no longer so isolated in Tibet, they don't have to deal with the harsh contrasts in the climate and the high altitudes. However, perhaps what they have to deal with now is even more challenging as they try to retain their teachings and create new training retreats to preserve their culture.
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