The Robert A.F. Thurman Collection (On Tibet and On Buddhism) (1999)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Robert A.F. Thurman
Produced by Sheldon Rochlin
Co-sponsored by New York Open Center and Tibet House New York

Features:

• Web links
  
• Thurman bibliography
  
• Thurman biography
  

Rating: NR, suitable for most audiences

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Rent it. But be sure to do so.

On Tibet and On Buddhism together collect lectures delivered by world-renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism and friend of the Dalai Lama, Robert A.F. Thurman. On Tibet, broken into three parts, discusses the history and culture of Tibet, beginning with the ancient kingship system and the arrival of the Dharma. Then, we travel with Thurman as the Dharma spreads throughout Tibet; he discusses the major players of this religious revelation and the subsequent social changes. Lastly, Thurman tells us about the situation as it is now, modernism and monasticism.

The second disc in the set, On Buddhism, discusses the basic underpinnings of Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism. A religion that at times seems inexplicable to Westerners is made, in Thurman's hands, to be beautiful, simple, and honest. Even the most complex of ideas is revealed by Thurman in a coherent and blessedly simple way.

Thurman's instruction is lively and enjoyable, not dry or dull in the least. The only real issue is that the camera stays on his profile the entire time with only a few brief cuts now and then to an audience member/student. 460 minutes of staring at this man does wear on the viewers a bit; his students in the room have the advantage of seeing all of his body language and feeding off each other's energy. We DVD viewers, however, have only the film for variety. This is part of why teachers in person use visual aides; it's good to break up the monotony of delivery a bit. The information is fascinating, and you don't realize that you've been staring at this man's face for a hour solid; however, it wouldn't hurt to splice in some images of the places, artwork, and even people of Tibet and Buddhist temples as he goes on or something--give viewers a visual catalog along with Thurman's instruction.

The sound and color quality are quite as good as they need to be. The scene changes, such as they are, are smooth and don't jar you out of Thurman's spell. His voice comes across clearly and richly, leaving you only to absorb the concepts he's delivering, not to fight fuzzy speech, as well.

The features are nice enough, especially the web links, which are quite useful. The bibliography is also good; Thurman is correct in his assumption that his work will fascinate the audience and stir us to study more. I still say that a photo catalog would have been helpful, allowing us to see images of the monks, the country, the monasteries, etc. and truly absorb the character of the place.

It's a must-see, but a weekend power-viewing session should take you through it. On the other hand, the monotonous view of the disc might serve you better when viewed in discrete chunks--say watch each part on a different night. If you have any curiosity at all about Tibet or Buddhism, this set will answer your questions and stir a desire within you to learn more. I felt calmer after just watching these discs. This set contains a wealth of information that would do Western audiences a lot of good to view, so if you choose to rent instead of buy, just make it a priority to do so.