This week Darshana Photo Art moved to Samye Ling in Dumfriesshire to film preparatory interviews for Awareness Media's new movie. This is the first ever film about the inspirational life of Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche. Through his powerful message of loving-kindness and compassion and his humanitarian work around the world, Akong Rinpoche has benefitted the lives of countless people. This film aims to make his inspirational life story available to future generations.  

Akong Tulku Rinpoche, born in Kham in Eastern Tibet in 1941, was quickly recognized as a reincarnate lama and enthroned as the Abbot of Drolma Lhakhang Monastery at the age of only four years. In 1959, tensions between China and Tibet reached breaking point and Akong was forced to undertake a dangerous journey across the Himalayas on foot to India aged nineteen.

From the party of over two hundred Tibetans that set off, only fifteen survived the grueling ten-month ordeal. When they reached their destination, living conditions in Buxadaur refugee camp in Assam were extremely poor. The hot climate combined with the lack of food and medicine claimed the lives of many of the surviving refugees, including Akong's elder brother, Jamyang Chogyal.

In 1963, Akong arrived in the UK with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In order to support their studies in English at Oxford University, he worked as an orderly at the Radcliffe Infirmary. In 1967, Akong founded the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West - Kagyu Samye Ling in the borders of Scotland. Throughout its astonishing history, Samye Ling has attracted the world's most accomplished Buddhist teachers including HH the 14th Dalai Lama, HH the 16th Karmapa, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Today at 72 years of age, Akong Rinpoche continues to lead an active life supervising his countless projects that reach out to thousands of people in need. For example his charity ROKPA International invests 100% of donations directly into humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, India and Africa.

Researching and interviewing are already well under way on the film. Thus far the project has been self-funding. However, moving into the principle phase of production, a significant budget is required in order to gather crucial footage from around Europe, Asia and Africa. We the filmmakers will shortly be inviting you to become involved in the project by helping us to preserve this important story for generations to come.