Save the date! Blue Mountain Dharma continues its educational film series with a screening of Words of My Perfect Teacher on the evening of Thursday, October 7. The evening will begin with a potluck at 6:00, followed by the screening and discussion at 7:00. Participants are welcome to bring a dish for potluck, but this is by no means necessary as there will be plenty of food and beverages available for all. The event is outside with plenty of room for social distancing as well as fire rings and blankies to keep you warm. Still, you will want to dress for the weather.
There is street parking. You will see Will’s house at the top of the driveway up the hill on your right with all the string lights. Rain Date is Oct 14 if necessary.
Confirmed. Looks like no rain!
We are also celebrating 5 years of Blue Mountain Dharma! This means there will be cake.
The event is open to all on a donation basis, and will be held at 1620 E Market Street, pictured below. Those with an interest in Tibetan culture and Buddhism are welcome to attend. The film will be followed by a lively seminar-style discussion.
About Words of My Perfect Teacher
Words of My Perfect Teacher (2003) is a documentary about Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche and three of his Western students, who follow him from the World Cup in Germany to the remote kingdom of Bhutan in a quest to study with their very eminent, but elusive, teacher. According to Rinpoche, a teacher “has to be the mirror to see yourself. But he is also the assassin—he is the man or the woman whom you have hired to completely dismantle you.”
Directed by Lesley Ann Patten, Words of My Perfect Teacher illustrates the complex and unsettling dynamics that ensue between Rinpoche and his students. Described as “Thoughtful, surprisingly fast-moving . . . a memorably quirky look” in Variety, the film also features cameos of Bernardo Bertolucci, Gesar Mukpo, and Steven Seagal, providing a sense of various paths not taken—and offering, in the end, a clearer sense of the value underlying Rinpoche’s own approach. Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Will’s House 1620 E Market Street (street parking)