â€Å"10 Questions for the Dalai Lama”

The Chosen One shows up at the Grand

By Jessica Corey-Butler on June 21, 2007

He breakfasts while listening to BBC Radio, is hooked up to the Internet, thinks festivals are the answer to world peace, and pokes fun at his peers’ facial hair.

Of course, he’s also considered to be the reincarnation of his predecessor, and thus, an incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He was the Chosen One discovered at a tender age of 3 and exiled out of his country in early adulthood, and he continues to be the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.

And, if China has its way, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet may be the last true Dalai Lama.

Opening in Tacoma on Friday, June 22 for a week’s run at the Grand Cinema, the film “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” answers questions about the Dalai Lama, even as its director, writer and producer, Rick Ray, poses questions for the humble holy man who has been known to say, “I am just a simple Buddhist monk — no more, nor less.”

The humble man is also filled with gentle wisdom and an infectious laugh, which are captured effectively on this film (along with some absolutely stunning cinematography.)

See it at the Grand while you can, because the director wants you to. Says Ray, “There’s a feeling of community when we sit in a theater together … It’s a public meditation."

Om to that!



[The Grand Cinema, Friday, June 22-Thursday, June 28, 4:45 p.m., 606 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.593.4474, go to www.grandcinema.com]