FILM OVERVIEW

Gifts for the Gods: The Ancient Art of Tibetan Butter Sculpture is a feature-length documentary about the unique Tibetan art of sculpture using butter to create rich and radiant forms called tormas, beautiful in themselves and spiritually significant. It will take a close look at this artistic tradition by focusing on the story of the head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who is establishing a new aesthetic movement within his lineage. Starting with his childhood in the wild mountains of Eastern Tibet, through his daring winter escape over the Himalayas, to his stay in India where he is reviving the Kagyu torma tradition, the narrative line of his life will structure the film. “Gifts for the Gods” will begin with the young Ogyen Trinley in Tibet and his overcoming of tremendous difficulties in order to fulfill his destiny as a spiritual leader.

In a recent interview with the Karmapa in India, he said, “As a child in Tibet, I was aware that the torma tradition in the Karma Kagyu monasteries in India needed to flourish. I had a vision of new and beautiful tormas [with elaborate scenes] of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This experience has inspired me to revive the older traditions and create a new one.” The innovative and exquisite butter sculptures that he has since created demonstrate that he has indeed accomplished his wish; it took, however, great effort and hardship.

In 1985, the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa, was born into a poor nomad family of Lhatok, located in the northern region of Eastern Tibet. From the age of four, he studied at nearby Karlek monastery, which had set up a small throne to honor the special child, who had not yet been identified or enthroned. When he was not at the monastery, Ogyen Trinley enjoyed a rather idyllic childhood, playing with his siblings and riding his pet goat up into the mountains near his home.(1)

All of that abruptly changed in 1992, when he was officially recognized and enthroned as the Karmapa. He left his home and journeyed to Tsurphu monastery in central Tibet, near Lhasa, where he lived for several years and carried on the work of his predecessors. Over time, however, it became increasingly clear to him that by staying in Tibet he could not fulfill his destiny. To carry out his role as head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, the Karmapa still needed to receive transmissions and instruction from his teachers, most of who were living in exile in India. The Karmapa petitioned the Chinese government many times in order to invite his teachers to Tsurphu or to travel to India to meet with them, but his requests were repeatedly denied. Finally, sometime before New Year’s Day in 2000, the Karmapa and his attendants executed a daring and dangerous escape through the rigorous winter terrain of the Himalayan Mountains. In a much celebrated and publicized event, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in Dharmasala, India, warmly greeted the young Karmapa into exile. However, the successful journey to freedom in India was not without great personal cost.

We will recount the story of his heartbreaking departure from his beloved family and monastery in Tibet, in order to fulfill his religious duties to the lineage and to the world at large. In particular, we will look at how he has sought to revive and enhance traditions such as butter sculpture and how they are important to Tibetan art and culture.

Since 2005, the Karmapa’s sculptures have been showcased at the Kagyu International Prayer Festival held annually in Bodhgaya, India. A subplot of our film will tell the story of several monks and nuns chosen by the Karmapa to be specially instructed in the art of butter sculpture. They train for months in advance before they are prepared to carry out the artistic visions of the Karmapa. Finally, they arrive in Bodhgaya about a month before the prayer festival begins and start to create the sculptures under the Karmapa’s direct supervision.

We plan to document this process by observing the torma makers at work. We will show how the artists prepare the tools and materials needed to make their masterpieces and how they sculpt the butter.

The meanings of the stunning and intricate symbols, motifs and myths will be discussed. Interwoven throughout these explanations will be feature stories of the hopes and struggles of some of the key torma artists plus interviews with the Karmapa and other lineage masters.

The film will document this artistic process in its culturally specific context: the purpose of these sculptures is to enhance an aesthetic and religious experience shared by thousands of people. In essence, they are an elaborate art installation to be savored by all of the monastic and lay participants at the Kagyu International Prayer Festival for World Peace.

In addition, we will explore butter sculpture in its ethnographic aspect, examining the roots of this tradition and its relevance to modern Tibetans. Our film will answer the simple question: what is a torma? This will include showing how tormas are used in the daily life of Tibetans. We will emphasize the importance of tormas in Tibetan culture: before anything of significance is begun, a torma is offered. This is true not only in Tibet, but also Ladakh and Sikkim. For instance, when building a house, the first thing Tibetans do is offer a torma, in order to insure cooperation from local spirits and deities.


(1) Music in the Sky, The Life, Art & Teachings of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, by Michele Martin, Snow Lion Publications 2003