Crazy Wisdom

Sunday October 2nd 2011 | 15.30
De Balie | Grote zaal 
English subtitles

USA - 60 min - 2011

Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, 'the bad boy of Buddhism,' shattered Westerners' notions about how an enlightened teacher should behave, yet he is recognized as being one of the pivotal persons to bring Buddhism to the west. Raised in the Tibetan monastic tradition, Trungpa fled during the Chinese Communist invasion of 1959. In Britain, seeing his monk's robes got in the way of students' understanding of Buddhism, he renounced his monastic vows, married a sixteen year-old and embraced western life. Was this crazy wisdom? Even his critics agree that Trungpa's unhidden, outrageous lifestyle never blocked his ability to transplant ancient teachings that would forever penetrate our modern western culture.



Poet Alan Ginsberg considered Trungpa his guru; Catholic priest Thomas Merton wanted to write a book with him; music icon Joni Mitchell wrote a song about him. Twenty-two years after his death, Trungpa's name still evokes admiration and outrage. With unprecedented access to Trungpa's inner circle, Director Johanna Demetrakas’ film invites viewers to go beyond fixed ideas about our teachers and leaders. 

Director/production: Johanna Demetrakas
Producer: Lisa Leeman
Co-producers: Louise Rosen, Babeth M. VanLoo
Editors: Johanna Demetrakas, Kate Amend, A.C.E.
Camera: Pablo Bryant
Music: Sean Callery
Sound design: Midge Costin
Produced in Association with Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation
Commissioning editor: Babeth M. VanLoo;
©2011 CRAZY WISDOM FILMS