Daughters of Wisdom - film

I wish everyone interested in Tibet and the Himalaya region had access to the Rubin Museum here in NYC. It is a wonderful venue, and so calm and relaxing too. I went last night to see aa new documentary movie called DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM, by a young woman film maker, Bari Pearlman, which has won prizes in three film festivals already. She ad a cinematographer quietly slipped into remote part of of Kham, an eastern Tibet region where a lama, based here in NY state, but originally from there, has started a nunnery which has about 300 students/nuns now. The film is about the nun's daily life and about some of the reasons they chose a religious life instead of a traditional [very hard] life. They are young women, they actually DO work very hard building and keeping up their residence but they do it with great joy. Their elan is wonderful to see; even when they speak of three-year meditation retreats with the traditional boxes in which they spend their time. The translation, in captions, was fluent and seemed more natural than often in such documentaries. The film will be available in DVD at their website, www.Dauhtersofwisdom.com in a couple of weeks.

Bari was at the screening and answered many questions very articulately. The film was lovely, well put together but, of course shot with small handheld cameras and subject to the limitations thereof. Interestingly, she said that young men of Tibet seem more interested in the social and commercial life and that it may be women who prolong the monastic traditions.

I was also very impressed in 15 minutes before the screening by a docent who was talking about the Tara figures, some in the collection but also giving broad background of the concepts. Very fluent, very articulate, this woman spoke so easily and amiably it was a joy to listen to her. It became a very interesting evening.