1
00:00:03,737 --> 00:00:05,873
[bright string music]

2
00:00:12,579 --> 00:00:14,014
[gentle music]
[birds chirping]

3
00:00:14,081 --> 00:00:16,683
- Narrator: Ah,
rural Wisconsin.

4
00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:22,155
Rolling farmlands, grazing cows,
beautiful lakes and trees,

5
00:00:22,222 --> 00:00:25,125
and a Tibetan Buddhist temple.

6
00:00:25,726 --> 00:00:28,695
[record scratch]
Wait, what?

7
00:00:28,762 --> 00:00:29,863
Yes!

8
00:00:29,930 --> 00:00:31,565
Right here in Oregon, Wisconsin:

9
00:00:31,632 --> 00:00:34,501
a Tibetan Buddhist temple
and monastery.

10
00:00:34,568 --> 00:00:36,837
A place for students
of the Buddhist religion

11
00:00:36,904 --> 00:00:39,907
to live, study, and meditate,

12
00:00:39,973 --> 00:00:42,109
and for people of all ages
to come and learn

13
00:00:42,176 --> 00:00:45,746
about Tibetan Buddhism
and culture.

14
00:00:45,812 --> 00:00:48,182
But how did a temple like this
end up here?

15
00:00:48,248 --> 00:00:54,188
Its story starts long ago, high
up in the mountains of Tibet...

16
00:00:54,254 --> 00:00:56,390
[gentle dramyin music]

17
00:00:59,359 --> 00:01:01,895
Being a monk was what
Lhundub Sopa had wanted

18
00:01:01,962 --> 00:01:04,031
ever since he was a boy.

19
00:01:04,097 --> 00:01:07,267
Monks devoted their lives
to studying, helping others,

20
00:01:07,334 --> 00:01:10,537
and pursuing the path
to Enlightenment.

21
00:01:10,604 --> 00:01:13,040
But now that Lhundub
was at the monastery,

22
00:01:13,106 --> 00:01:16,109
there was so much to memorize
and learn.

23
00:01:16,176 --> 00:01:19,146
He was worried he'd never be
able to accomplish it all--

24
00:01:19,213 --> 00:01:21,882
and then, he'd be in trouble.

25
00:01:22,382 --> 00:01:26,053
In fact, he was so worried
about doing a bad job

26
00:01:26,119 --> 00:01:29,423
that one day, he decided
to run away from school.

27
00:01:29,489 --> 00:01:30,724
He spent a whole night

28
00:01:30,791 --> 00:01:33,460
hiding by the gate
of the school's monastery,

29
00:01:33,527 --> 00:01:36,096
and when morning came,
he ran down the mountain

30
00:01:36,163 --> 00:01:38,232
and then hid in a barn!

31
00:01:38,298 --> 00:01:40,534
He was never going back!

32
00:01:40,868 --> 00:01:42,369
When he finally arrived home,

33
00:01:42,436 --> 00:01:46,173
his parents were surprised,
and even a little angry.

34
00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,675
What he did was dangerous!

35
00:01:48,742 --> 00:01:51,044
His parents let him stay
for a few days,

36
00:01:51,111 --> 00:01:53,080
and when he returned to school,

37
00:01:53,146 --> 00:01:55,849
things weren't as bad
as he had feared.

38
00:01:55,916 --> 00:01:59,186
His uncle at the monastery
talked to his teacher.

39
00:01:59,253 --> 00:02:03,290
He could have more time
for learning and memorizing.

40
00:02:03,357 --> 00:02:06,793
Without having to rush or worry
about getting in trouble,

41
00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:09,429
things got much better
for Lhundub Sopa.

42
00:02:09,496 --> 00:02:14,001
Soon, he was one of the
best students in his school.

43
00:02:14,067 --> 00:02:16,737
Over time, Lhundub became
highly respected

44
00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:19,473
for his understanding
of Buddhist ideas.

45
00:02:19,540 --> 00:02:21,642
In fact, he was so knowledgeable

46
00:02:21,708 --> 00:02:24,945
that he became a teacher
for other monks.

47
00:02:25,012 --> 00:02:26,113
When the Dalai Lama--

48
00:02:26,180 --> 00:02:28,482
the spiritual and political
leader of Tibet--

49
00:02:28,549 --> 00:02:32,286
took his Buddhist degree exam,
Lhundub Sopa was even chosen

50
00:02:32,352 --> 00:02:34,121
as one of the examiners.

51
00:02:34,188 --> 00:02:36,757
It was an incredible honor.

52
00:02:37,491 --> 00:02:41,562
But things were happening that
would change his life forever,

53
00:02:41,628 --> 00:02:46,200
as well as the lives of tens
of thousands of Tibetans.

54
00:02:46,266 --> 00:02:49,803
The Chinese government believed
that Tibet was a part of China,

55
00:02:49,870 --> 00:02:53,974
and in 1950, sent in its army
to take it over.

56
00:02:54,041 --> 00:02:56,443
When the Tibetans rose up
for independence,

57
00:02:56,510 --> 00:02:59,012
the Chinese Army responded
with violence.

58
00:02:59,079 --> 00:03:01,215
[gunshots]
In the midst of this chaos,

59
00:03:01,281 --> 00:03:05,619
the Dalai Lama decided to leave
his homeland in 1959.

60
00:03:05,686 --> 00:03:08,188
Many other Tibetans decided
to go as well,

61
00:03:08,255 --> 00:03:10,591
including Lhundub Sopa.

62
00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:13,227
This was a very difficult
decision

63
00:03:13,293 --> 00:03:15,662
and a difficult journey.

64
00:03:15,729 --> 00:03:19,399
They walked and rode horses
through mountain passes;

65
00:03:19,466 --> 00:03:23,604
they crossed rivers and plains
and valleys.

66
00:03:24,204 --> 00:03:26,540
The journey was treacherous.

67
00:03:26,607 --> 00:03:29,343
There were Chinese airplanes
flying overhead,

68
00:03:29,409 --> 00:03:31,612
dangerously narrow
mountain paths,

69
00:03:31,678 --> 00:03:33,680
and some of their animals
became sick.

70
00:03:33,747 --> 00:03:34,915
[horse snorting]

71
00:03:34,982 --> 00:03:38,185
After many days, Lhundub Sopa
and the other monks

72
00:03:38,252 --> 00:03:40,787
finally arrived in India.

73
00:03:40,854 --> 00:03:43,090
But that wasn't the end
of Lhundub's journey.

74
00:03:43,156 --> 00:03:45,926
The Dalai Lama had
a special request for him:

75
00:03:45,993 --> 00:03:49,897
to go to America with three
other monks and learn English.

76
00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:53,600
This way, the Dalai Lama's
message of peace and compassion

77
00:03:53,667 --> 00:03:56,570
could spread around the world.

78
00:03:57,171 --> 00:03:59,439
Lhundub Sopa realized
this was a chance for him

79
00:03:59,506 --> 00:04:02,242
to help preserve the traditions
of Tibetan Buddhism

80
00:04:02,309 --> 00:04:03,677
in another part of the world,

81
00:04:03,744 --> 00:04:05,312
now that their home country
of Tibet

82
00:04:05,379 --> 00:04:08,248
was not a safe place for monks.

83
00:04:08,315 --> 00:04:11,818
He and the three young monks
flew to the U.S.,

84
00:04:11,885 --> 00:04:13,253
and within a few short years,

85
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:14,988
he began teaching
Tibetan language

86
00:04:15,055 --> 00:04:18,759
at the University of Wisconsin,
in Madison.

87
00:04:18,825 --> 00:04:20,827
Just as the Dalai Lama
envisioned,

88
00:04:20,894 --> 00:04:22,729
many of his students
were interested in more

89
00:04:22,796 --> 00:04:25,232
than just language learning.

90
00:04:25,299 --> 00:04:28,402
Soon, Lhundub Sopa's house was
overflowing with students

91
00:04:28,468 --> 00:04:31,205
who wanted to learn
about Buddhism!

92
00:04:31,271 --> 00:04:33,540
He started to think about
how to share the teachings

93
00:04:33,607 --> 00:04:35,943
with even more people:

94
00:04:36,009 --> 00:04:41,481
a Buddhist temple and monastery,
right here in Wisconsin.

95
00:04:42,115 --> 00:04:44,651
There was another reason
for a bigger space:

96
00:04:44,718 --> 00:04:47,454
he had requested that
the Dalai Lama perform

97
00:04:47,521 --> 00:04:50,591
a particular Buddhist ceremony
in Wisconsin:

98
00:04:50,657 --> 00:04:53,393
the Kalachakra
empowerment ceremony.

99
00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:57,097
Lhundub Sopa hoped it would
bring peace and blessings

100
00:04:57,164 --> 00:04:58,832
to the area.

101
00:04:59,333 --> 00:05:01,835
After much searching,
and with help from friends,

102
00:05:01,902 --> 00:05:04,905
Lhundub Sopa and his students
finally found a house

103
00:05:04,972 --> 00:05:08,242
in the town of Oregon,
Wisconsin, with enough space

104
00:05:08,308 --> 00:05:11,745
and a community that would
accept them.

105
00:05:11,812 --> 00:05:14,548
On the day of the ceremony
in 1981,

106
00:05:14,615 --> 00:05:17,150
people came from all
over the world

107
00:05:17,217 --> 00:05:20,020
to receive this
special blessing.

108
00:05:20,087 --> 00:05:21,755
It was the first time
this had happened

109
00:05:21,822 --> 00:05:26,527
in the Western Hemisphere,
but it wouldn't be the last.

110
00:05:26,593 --> 00:05:28,495
The Dalai Lama made more visits,

111
00:05:28,562 --> 00:05:31,198
and the Deer Park
Buddhist Center kept growing,

112
00:05:31,265 --> 00:05:34,635
opening a brand new temple
in 2007.

113
00:05:34,701 --> 00:05:38,238
Today, the Center continues to
share the teachings of Buddhism,

114
00:05:38,305 --> 00:05:42,276
the way prayer flags share
their blessings on the wind.

115
00:05:42,342 --> 00:05:44,978
All because a monk
from a small Tibetan village

116
00:05:45,045 --> 00:05:48,782
had a lifelong commitment
to his people and their culture,

117
00:05:48,849 --> 00:05:53,987
and the generosity to teach
anyone who wanted to learn.

118
00:05:56,557 --> 00:05:58,559
[gentle flute music]