Digital Dharma: One Man’s Mission to Save a Culture

Overview

Digital Dharma is the chronicle of a cultural rescue. This feature-length HD documentary brings to light the magnitude of one man's 50-year inspirational journey to save the literary history of a disappearing culture and to preserve early lessons of mankind's consciousness.

The life of E. Gene Smith is an epic story of destiny and compassion that leads a pacifist on a mission of survival. During an era of espionage and mistrust, Gene's mission becomes the catalyst for an international movement to save ancient writing and art from crumbling, literally, to dust... and then deliver them to the entire world.

This powerfully moving account crosses multiple borders... geographically, politically and philosophically... Because the humanitarian and academic efforts to protect the Tibetan culture by finding and preserving thousand-year-old documents, is not only a contribution to the Tibetan people... it is a contribution to all of humanity, saving 1500 years of invaluable teachings: from the medical to the mystical, a chronicle of the advancements of mankind. These documents include the Tibetans' original contributions as well as the traditional works of the great Indian scholars and masters, which were systematically documented and preserved in Tibet. As our world's political and cultural borders shift, protecting all knowledge and its far-reaching contributions becomes critical.

Highlights

1959, Tibet: Red Army invasion threatens to extinguish an ancient culture
A Mormon from Utah, Gene Smith meets exiled Tibetan Lama, Deshung Rinpoche, who charges him to go to India and seek out rare texts.
In an era of espionage, paranoia and intrigue – Gene Smith gains access to two mistrusting cultures – Indians and Tibetan refugees.
Setting political precedent by manipulating a new American public law (PL480), Gene finds funds to draw out Tibetans wary of exposing their smuggled texts, offering to help copy and restore their hidden treasures
New technology fuels Gene's mission. The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) is founded: texts are preserved digitally and select canons (10,000 volumes) are stored on a palm-sized hard drive

2008, travel with Gene and his multigenerational team across Asia to uncover missing texts and return the canons in digital form to their Tibetan origins
Trek the Himalayas where Gene will meet the 14-year old incarnation of the Lama Deshung, who inspired this 50-year mission to save a people, a culture and a tradition

Geshe Shenphen Samdup

Menri Monastery, Dolanji
Dramatic debate sharpens monks' minds at Bon Monastery
H. H. Menri Trizan

Abbott, Menri Monastery
How Gene Smith helped the Bon identify and preserve their text
Matthieu Ricard

Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery
Art is based on precise textual description
Samdhong Rinpoche

Tibetan Prime Minister-In Exile
Harsh challenges that Tibetans faced in India
Situ Rinpoche

Palpung Sherab Ling Monastery
Oral transmissions deeply rooted in text and lineage
Janet Gyatso, PhD.

Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies at Harvard Divinity School
Tibetan Literature related to the preservation of Sanskrit
Leonard van der Kuijp, PhD.

Chair, Dept. of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Professor Tibetan Studies, Harvard
The effect of technology on study and research
Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

TBRC Board Member
The heart of culture and civilization

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Featured cast

Interviews with E. Gene Smith and his colleagues along with various academics, political and religious leaders, dignitaries and students are being filmed to give the documentary a first hand witness perspective to this incredible historic journey.

Nepal

Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk, philosopher and author. Ricard spent much time at Gene Smith's house in New Delhi, India when he was becoming first interested in Buddhism.

H.H. Sakya Trizin, the 41st supreme head of the Sakya School.

H.E. Dagmo Kusho, Buddhist teacher and the niece of Deshung Rinpoche. Gene Smith became acquainted with Dagmola while living and working closely with the family during their assimilation to American life.

H.H. Jigdal Sakya Dagchen Rinpoche (Sakya Phuntsho), Head of the Phuntsho Palace of the Sakya School of Buddhism. Gene Smith stayed with the Sakya family in Seattle the early 1960s.

Deshung Yangsi Rinpoche, 12-year old Tibetan boy identified as the incarnation of Deshung Rinpoche who was Gene Smith's first teacher.

Christoph Cueppers, PhD., Director of Lumbini International Research Institute, which holds more than 30,000 volumes of publications on Buddhist and religious studies. He has been a friend of Gene’s for decades.

Tsering Gyurmey, noted traditional and contemporary singer from Nepal. He has played an instrumental role is bringing Tibetan music to the younger generation and performs worldwide.

India

Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

Thupten Jinba, former Chief Translator for the Dalai Lama.

Doboom Rinpoche, a former secretary to the Dalai Lama, he is Director of Tibet House in New Delhi. Doboom Rinpoche has known Gene since the 1960s.

Situ Rinpoche, currently employing many of Gene Smith's scans at his Monastery in Bir, (Himal Pradesh) India.

H.H. 33^rd Menri Trizen (Sangye Tenzin Jongdong), Abbott of Menri Bon Monastery in Dolanji, India. As a young man, he trekked thousands of miles to collect sacred texts, and has been a friend of Gene’s since the 1960s.

Geshe Shenphen Samdup, Monk who oversees many of the operations at Menri Bon Monastery and has begun a film program to preserve the history of the Bonpo.

H.E. Kochen Rinpoche, head lama of Mindrolling Monastery, he escaped Tibet after the 1959 reoccupation and helped H.H. Mindrolling Trichen establish the Nyingma monastery in Dehra Dun.

Khandro Rinpoche, daughter of H.H. Mindrolling Trichen, she is one of the few female lamas.

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, the incarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Gene’s principal teachers, who passed away.

Dr. Tashi Yangphel Tashigang, an Ayurvedist medical doctor who worked parallel with Gene at the Library of Congress, collecting many texts during the 1960s and 70s.

Dr. Tsering Phynstog Tashigang, Dr. Tashi’s son, as an Alopath, he integrates the traditional ayurvedic approach of his father with Western medicine.

Mangaram Kashyap, Gene's former assistant. Mangaram has been a lifelong friend to Gene Smith and currently does work for the TBRC from his location in NOIDA, India.

H.H. Drikung Chetsang, head lama of the Kagyu tradition who built Songtsen Library and the Kagyu College in Dehra Dun, India

United States

Khyentse Norbu, Bhutanese lama and Film Director – The Cup and Travellers & Musicians. Khyentse is a lifelong friend and supporter of Gene Smith.

Rosalind Solomon, lifelong friend, artist and Magnum Photographer. Solomon spent time at Gene Smith's home in Delhi, India.

Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia.

Tendzin Parsons, lifelong friend, associate in India and current TBRC Office Manager. Parsons was in Delhi, India during the time Smith began his mission.

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, TBRC board member. Rinpoche fled Tibet to India following the 1959 Red Army invasion.

Cangioli Che, TBRC board member, Tibetan refugee, Executive Director Khyentse Foundation.

David Lunsford, TBRC board member and Founder/Executive Director of the Bodhi Foundation.

Jeffrey Wallman, Director of Technology, TBRC, directly involved with returning Tibetan texts to remote areas of Southeast Asia.

Leonard van der Kuijp, PhD., TBRC board member and Chair of Dept. of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Professor Tibetan Studies, Harvard. Van der Kujip spent time at Gene Smith's home in Delhi, India.

Janet Gyatso, TBRC board member and Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies at Harvard Divinity School.

Lisa Schubert, fund raising consultant for TBRC and former director of the Rubin Museum of Art.

Patricia Gruber, TBRC board member. Gruber's husband has been a lifelong friend and supporter of Gene Smith.

Shelley Rubin, co-founder of the Rubin Museum of Art, TBRC board member.

Rosanne Smith, Gene's sister.

Ramon Prats, Senior Curator, Rubin Museum of Art