1000 Hands of the Guru
VIEW EVENT DETAILSDocumentary Screening
Registration 2:15pm;
Screening 2:30 – 3:35pm
1000 Hands of the Guru, 2015, Dir: Tobias Reeuwijk, 65 min, English and Dzongkha with English subtitles
The Kingdom of Bhutan is the only remaining Vajrayana Buddhist country in the world today. The major difference between Vajrayana Buddhism and all other Buddhist sects across Asia is that the Vajrayana Buddhism incorporates the Thangka during meditation. Thangkas are intricately painted scrolls that act as a form of spiritual and historical storytelling, passing on blessings of past spiritual gurus. The more a practitioner meditates using these sacred scrolls, the more a thangka comes to live through visualization.
Thousands of ancient Thangka masterpieces, and the rich cultural heritage embedded in every scroll, are on the brink of being lost forever because of improper care and storage, and as a result, a damaged thangka can no longer be used for visualization or rituals. By a twist of fate, an American art conservation master crossed paths with four monks and a royal scholar, thus embarking on a lifelong journey to restore these holy relics to their former glory. This documentary follows the Conservation Workshop team over the course of three years as they race against a mass extinction of their living culture, and learn the art of letting go along the way.
Event Details
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty