Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

AwokeEnrightened Documentary filmmaker Rick Ray was given forty-five minutes, and a limit of ten questions, with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.Instead of going the safe route of simply filming the interview, Ray does a brief recap of the tumultuous life of the religious leader, helpfully comparing his stature among his people as equal to Jesus Christ residing in the White House. The Dalai Lama is currently in exile in northern India, and to prepare for the interview, Ray immerses himself in the Buddhist experience, travelling across the country and encountering the poorest citizens along the way. China has been brutal to the country of Tibet in the past few decades after invading and conquering it with little resistance, eventually turning it into a cheesy tourist attraction for its people, and one question that is bothering Ray is "when is non-violence no longer an option?"By the time Ray sits down for the interview, he decides to cover many other wide-ranging topics: why do the poor seem happier than the rich, how important is the preservation of culture and religion, what can a Far East Buddhist leader do about the tumult in the Middle East, and the Dalai Lama's similarities to another pacifist- India's Gandhi.The Dalai Lama is a very soft-spoken and intelligent man, answering the questions without condescending to Ray. I like that in the face of the evils of the Khmer Rouge, or Hitler, you can practice non-violence but still protect oneself from immediate physical threat. You don't have to be a pushover. Likewise when dealing with China. The Dalai Lama says to engage the Chinese, not isolate them. He saw first-hand what the overpopulated country is capable of when dealing with his former country. As in politics, some religious people suffer from selfishness, which can taint one's outlook on the world. He also mentions overpopulation, preferring quality of life to quantity. He would know, dealing with two of the most populous nations on the planet.Technically, Ray gets great use out of archive footage, and sometimes shows the Dalai Lama in a less than favorable light. He doesn't trash the leader, but he does mention the initial capitulation to China, and even some trivial facts (like how the Dalai Lama doesn't like festivals that center around and praise him). Ray has made a few documentaries from different locales in the world, and this experience helps this film. It is more than a filmed audience, and thankfully more than a breathless sanitized travelogue. Not enumerating the questions and walking the viewer through them helps, letting the Dalai Lama get his points across uninterrupted. I also liked the honesty of the Lama's personal secretary."10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" is a fresh look at a subject who has been covered by too many basic cable television biography shows in the past. If it makes the viewer want to know more about the man and the religion, then I think it has done its job.

Roland E. Zwick In "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama," documentary filmmaker Rick Ray journeys to Dharamsala in northern India to speak with the man he describes as both a "humble Buddhist monk" and a "rock star of peace," and who is believed by many to be the reincarnation of Buddha here on earth (though the Dalai Lama himself denies this, insisting that he is a mere mortal like everyone else).You don't have to be a believer or even a particularly spiritual person to be moved and inspired by this film, which provides us with a rare up-close-and-personal look at one of the key religious figures in the world today. What comes out both in the interview and in the various glimpses we are given of him in his meetings with many of the world's movers and shakers in government and religion, is just what a fun-loving, down-to-earth, and self-effacing a man he truly is, even though he is never shy about confronting injustice whenever or wherever it rears its ugly head. Much of that feistiness derives, of course, from his own experience of having to flee his native Tibet in the early 1950's when the Communist Chinese invaded that country, and then being forced to live as an exile in a foreign land ever since.To a disinterested observer, the Dalai Lama may seem, in many ways, to be a walking contradiction; an advocate for the ancient art of transcendence through meditation, he is also a passionate devotee of science and a champion of modern technology (his monks are very "hep" to the internet, and he, himself, is well-versed in quantum physics and neuroscience). In fact, if there is disagreement between science and religion, he will generally come down on the side of science. Fiercely ecumenical and tolerant of the beliefs of others, he's quick to point out the flaws in his own traditional beliefs when they conflict with the more enlightened ways of the modern world (the elimination of the caste system, equality for women etc.). The Dalai Lama comes across as a man ruled as much by the practical concerns of having to exist in a highly diverse, multicultural world as by his obviously innate love for humanity itself.But it is when confronted with the question of how to respond to evil in the world that this man shows what he is truly made of. A passionate believer in civil disobedience (like Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King before him), the Dalai Lama stays true to his principles by not calling for violent action even against his own people's oppressors, the Chinese. He still believes, all these years later, that more can be gained by engaging on a personal level with one's enemy than by fighting them. That's a bit tough for us in the West to understand, especially when the film shows us the terrible suffering and injustice the Tibetan people have endured under Communist rule. Yet, when you hear him speak, it's impossible not to be convinced by the depth of his wisdom and the force of his moral character.Going beyond the conversation itself, Ray provides fascinating background information on the history of Buddhism, the invasion of Tibet, and the biographical details of the Dalai Lama himself, including how he was chosen for this exalted position, how he spent his childhood, how he fled the invaders when still a teen, and how he has dedicated his life since to fighting, through nonviolent means, for the restoration of Tibet to its rightful people.Filled with exquisite vistas and beautiful images of nature, Ray's film is a passionate cry for justice as well as a finely-wrought, contemplative vision of a leader who calls upon the better angels in all of us to help make this world a more peaceful place both for ourselves and those who will come after us.

joshua_041997 This documentary was excellent. I suggest this to all people regardless of religion because the Dalai Lama turns out to be quite a remarkable man. Also if you are a history buff then this one will be for you. If you do watch the history channel often this documentary plays out much like others of its kind, but it also keeps your attention. Hearing the Dalai Lama speak and the way he interacts with dignitaries (such as Bush, Army Generals etc.)is just awesome. I do love the fact that he reminds me of Yoda with his laugh. After you watch it you'll know what I mean! I have no downside to this documentary, a man who is granted a limited amount of time to speak with the Dalai Lama does just that, the questions are good and the answers are excellent.

gxp-1 This film gives much more than it's title implies. Rick Ray isn't just another seeker wanting answers from the Dalai Lama. He's so intent on not embarrassing himself at his audience with Tibet's spiritual leader that he goes to incredible lengths to prepare himself for this opportunity, such as traveling around India and Tibet to learn all he can about Buddhism and thoroughly researching the 14th Dalai Lama's life story. The result is the best-told (and illustrated) history of the Dalai Lama to date. Weaving in an amazing amount of rare archival footage, Ray gives us an intimate and detailed portrait of "simple monk" who has led anything but a simple life. The loss of his country to the communist Chinese and the struggle of Tibetans in exile are the burden he was born to carry. Turns out the filmmaker didn't need to worry that his meeting with the Dalai Lama would be a flop. His questions are all thoughtful, relevant and universal, just like his entire film.