You can't ask a devout people to disregard a precious teaching.
Yes, but Your Holiness...
with true respect, we can't possibly--
I'm sorry, but we can't possibly rescue all the worms...
not if you want a theater finished in this lifetime.
You have a clever mind. Think of a solution.
And in the meantime, you can explain to me what is an elevator.
Antarctica. That's down below.
Here.
Fantastic.
England.
Don't look at me for help.
Here?
Shift.
Oh, I know him. Honk. Hello!
Turn !
Brake!
The robe of a minister is so much finer
than your old brown robe, isn't it?
Please.
Everyone, please.
You must be very clever to get such a good promotion.
I did not intend to be a secretary forever.
Apparently so.
Well , congratulations.
Evil omen !
From his headquarters in Peking...
the Chairman, Mao Tse-tung, was triumphantly proclaimed leader...
of the new People 's Republic of China.
Chairman Mao vowed that the first task of the Communist regime...
is to reunite the Chinese motherland.
He declared that the remote kingdom of Tibet...
Is an integral part of the Chinese territory...
and must join the great new republic.
"...and must join the great new republic."
People's Republic of China is advised...
the government of Tibet recognizes no foreign sovereign.
We are an independent nation.
All the Chinese officials will be expelled from the borders of Tibet.
We wish you a happy return to your homeland.
Have a safe and pleasant journey back to China.
May you have a safe and pleasant journey back to China.
We wish you a happy return to your homeland.
May you have happiness and prosperity.
Let me see.
You have a very long lifeline, unlike others here.
When we are facing the light, it's day, yes?
When we are in shadow, it's night.
So if the sun is just rising in Lhasa...
that means it is just setting...
in New York City, perhaps.
That's why it can't be the same time in every place.
- Does that answer your question? - Yes!
Tell me more.
What else do you want to know?
In a few moments, you will be entering the world of mass media.
I can hear news from all over the planet?
I don't know if they have live broadcasts from the Tonga islands...
but generally speaking, yeah.
Do you listen to news from your country?
From Austria? No, not really.
- Give me some light, Ku-Dun. - Why? It's your home.
Not anymore It isn't.
But don't you have friends and family there?
A few friends, no family.
Keep the light steady, Your Holiness.
Why? Is everyone dead?
Do you know there's another sentence construction aside from the question?
I was married, but I'm divorced.
What did you do?
I didn't want a child, so I ran away to climb a mountain.
You have a child?
Although I've never seen him.
All right. Let me show you how this thing works.
- Give it all you've got. - Yes, Mr. Harrer.
Happy Christmas.
Thank you.
- What is this special occasion? - This is Christmas.
And this is for you, my friend. Go on.
"I found it in a shop in the Barkhor.
It has traveled a long way and finally come back home.
Thank you for your friendship. Heinrich. "
It is incredible.
Thank you for saving my life.
...must be liberated from religious oppressors.
Tibetans must be reunited...
- with their brothers and sisters... - Turn that off.
- of the great family of new China. - I'm very sorry.
Foreigners control Tibet's corrupt government.
Our Tibetan comrades must be liberated from foreign imperialists.
Tibet's million serfs must be freed.
How many foreigners are there in Tibet?
You, Heinrich.
Tibet will be liberated.
He asked for you, Mr. Harrer.
They were destroying the village I was born in, Takster in Amdo.
It was terrible.
It was just a dream. You had a bad dream. That's all.
But it was so real. Where did it come from?
My mind could never imagine such terrible things.
I can't sleep. I'm afraid the dream will come back.
A couple of insomniacs.
Tell me a story.
Tell me a story about climbing mountains.
That's one way to fall asleep. Those stories bore even me.
Then tell me what you love about it. What--
The absolute simplicity. That's what I love.
When you're climbing, your mind is clear...
freed of all confusions.
You have focus.
And suddenly the light becomes sharper...
sounds are richer...
and you are filled with...
the deep, powerful presence of life.
I've only felt that way one other time.
When?
In your presence, Ku-Dun.
The Chinese have already secured much of the northern border regions.
They have ransacked a village, destroyed the monasteries...
burnt scriptures and defaced holy relics.
We've been told they've even killed some monks--
- Which village? - Takster in Amdo.
It's where His Holiness was born.
Go ahead.
When you were defense minister to the previous Dalai Lama...
then you wanted to reorganize the army. Can you do it now?
The People's Liberation Army is one million troops strong.
We have 8,000 men with 50 pieces of artillery...
and a few hundred mortars and machine guns.
The task is hopeless.
Then you refuse the appointment, do you?
No. I accept it with honor.
You two gentlemen know about wars.
What type of weapon do you recommend?
It seems the Chinese troops are advancing toward our northern borders.
Where's His Holiness?
The glory of a British coronation.
Nowhere in the world is there anything half so wonderful.
Only once or twice in the life
of each one of us comes such a day as this...
when we know that we are watching history in the making...
when we know that generations to come will look back on this day...
for May 12, 1937, will be one of the dates in history...
that school children will learn about maybe a thousand years from now.
Every moment the thrill of excitement--
Do you think someday people will look at Tibet on the movie screen...
and wonder what happened to us?
The coronation coach moves forward.
I don't know.
Don't you have all the answers?
I don't.
On the same field where Tibetans traditionally gathered for picnics...
ground was cleared to build an airstrip...
so that the plane carrying three Chinese generals could land.
Nearby, the Tibetan army practiced its maneuvers.
Some of the soldiers wear ancient mesh armor.
They bring old muskets and spears as artillery.
The spectacle of a peace-loving nation, vainly attempting to create a military.
The fears of war on my friends ' faces...
strike a deeply burled personal chord.
Echoes of the aggressions of my own country...
the will to overpower weaker peoples...
bring shame to me.
I shudder to recall how once long ago I embraced the same beliefs...
how at one time I was, in fact...
no different from these intolerant Chinese.
The Tibetans say an enemy is the greatest teacher...
because only an enemy can help
develop patience and compassion.
They believe with rock-like faith that the power of their religion...
will protect them against these Chinese.
In preparation for the generals ' visit...
sacred ceremonies are performed throughout Lhasa.
Sculptures of deities have been carved with great care in butter.
As the sun melts them, they become a reminder that nothing lasts.
The rising star of the cabinet, Minister Ngawang Jigme...
made an offering of his own to greet the Chinese generals...
and lead them through Lhasa.
Raising their flag is an honor the Chinese don't deserve.
When you are not strong enough to fight, you should embrace your enemy.
With both arms around you, he cannot point a gun at you.
Nothing in politics is a matter of honor, my friend.
History repeats itself, even in paradise.
General, we shall have our audience with His--
General, the monks have been making this mandala of sand for many days.
It is a symbol of enlightenment and peace. General !
We do not sit lower than he does.
But, General, It is our custom.
I can sit down there.
Your Holiness, this is General Chang Jing Wu...
General Than Gua, General Than Gua San.
They wish to have an audience with you.
May you have happiness and prosperity.
They are promising regional autonomy and religious freedom...
if Tibet accepts that China be its political master.
Until I attain my majority, the regent is the political leader of Tibet.
You should have requested an audience with him...
to discuss these important matters of the world.
My experience of such things is limited.
I am a simple Buddhist monk.
All I know is the scripture and the words of Lord Buddha.
He said, "All beings tremble before danger and death.
Life is dear to all.
When a man considers this, he does not kill or cause to kill."
You must understand.
These words are ingrained in the heart of every Tibetan.
It is why we are a peaceful people who reject violence on principle.
I pray you will see this is our greatest strength...
not our weakness.
I thank you for your visit.
An offering to the Enlightened Ones.
Religion is poison.
The Chinese have attacked the Tibetan frontier near Den-Go.
"Today at the dawn, 84,000 troops of the 1st and 2nd Field Armies...
under the overall command of General Chang Jing Wu...
attacked the Tibetan frontier near Den-Go.
The Tibetan army believes an attack on Chamdo is imminent.
Ngawang Jigme, our newly appointed governor...
is preparing to send troops toward the Chinese column...
In order to stop their progression. "
As you know, Chamdo is the gateway to Tibet.
If Chamdo falls.
If I did not know that, I would not have been appointed governor.
You do realize our troops are committed to fighting the Chinese to the last man.
They would rather die than surrender.
Rest assured. there will be no surrender
Radio Lhasa.
Now.
We request permission to surrender.
But there will be no surrender--
I said, "Radio Lhasa." Permission to surrender now.
We lost the war in 11 days, Heinrich.
This surrender is our death sentence.
And I'm afraid our friend Ngawang Jigme has issued it.
He abandoned Chamdo and then destroyed the ammunition dumps.
Without weapons and ammunition...
there was no hope for the troops who wanted to fight.
Our guerrillas could have held the mountain passes for months...
even years.
It would have bought us time to make appeals for help to other nations.
Now it's lost.
They broke down the gates.
Hello, my friend.
We did what was the best for our country...
for Tibet.
On the way to Lhasa, I would see Tibetans wearing these jackets.
"Chinese soldiers. Very nice.
Give food, clothes, money. Very nice."
It's strange to me that something so harmless as a jacket...
could symbolize such a great lie.
After all these years, you still do not understand Tibetan ways.
To return a gift is unforgivable.
A man who betrays his culture should not preach about its customs.
There was a time I would have wished you dead...
but your shame will be your torture.
And your torture will be your life.
I wish it to be long.
We pray that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama...
will be granted the power to unify his people.
We humbly ask the Tibetan government to honor our request...
and let the Dalai Lama attain his political majority.
You have the entire palace in a panic.
I'm hiding from the world for a day.
Kind of difficult in a glasshouse, no?
It's The Moonlight...
by Debussy.
What else do you know about this song?
Him, him and him.
I hope you've received your invitation to the enthronement ceremony.
Yes. Thank you.
- It's next week. - Thank you.
Do I look like an egghead?
No, they suit you.
We have a saying in Tibet...
"If the problem can be solved, there is no use worrying about it.
If it can't be solved.
So stop worrying.
You have to leave Tibet. Your life's at great risk.
Forgive my presumption, but I made arrangements to get you out safely.
We should leave after the enthronement. The Chinese would never expect it--
How can I help people if I run away from them?
What kind of leader would I be?
I have to stay here.
Serving others is my path to liberation .
- Then I don't go either. - Why not?
Because you are my path to liberation.
The Buddha said. "Salvation
It demands strenuous effort and practice.
So work hard and seek your own salvation diligently."
I am not your son...
and I never thought of you as my father.
You were much too informal with me for that.
Do you ever think about him?
And what do you think about?
It's not the conscious thought really.
It's just always there.
When I crossed Tibet, he was with me.
When I came to Lhasa.
When I sit beside you, he's...
there with me.
I can't even imagine how I pictured the world without him in it.
Then you should go home and be his father.
I know.
You have finished your job with me.
But you have to stay for my enthronement.
I want you to see me in all my pomp and glory.
It'd be a pleasure, my friend.
From the government of Tibet...
to Your Holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama...
we ask you to rule your people...
as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet.
By your prayers and wishes, I humbly accept.
Butter tea. It was never my cup of tea.
- One was enough. - Yes, we must follow the custom.
A fresh cup of tea is poured for the loved one departing.
It sits untouched, waiting for his return.
May all travelers find happiness wherever they go.
Without any effort may they accomplish
whatever they set out to do.
And having safely returned to the shore...
may they be joyfully reunited with their relatives.
Mr. Harrer...
from His Holiness.
- Hello, Horst. - Hello, Heinrich.
Rolf, come out to meet him.
No, I don't want to.
May I?
Rolf, take your time.
Well done, son.
Well done.