FIRING LINE: THE DALAI LAMA LOOKS BACK (TV)
Summary
One in this talk/interview series hosted by William F. Buckley, Jr. This edition takes place at Middlebury College as part of a conference there titled "The Christ and the Bodhisattva," and it features His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the exiled supreme spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama is questioned first by Buckley and then by Middlebury College President Olin Robison. Buckley opens the program with some background regarding the Dalai Lama, the Chinese takeover of Tibet, the move of the Dalai Lama to India, and his possible return to Tibet. Buckley then begins questioning the Dalai Lama, who seems to have trouble understanding Buckley's wording and ends up generalizing many of his replies. He discusses many topics, including whether providence will bring him home to Tibet, the importance of the human will, Buddhism's role in the human will, and similarities between Marxism and Buddhism. Dr. Robison is then introduced, and the Dalai Lama responds to the president's questions. They touch on the place of religion in Marxist Leninism, the use of military strength, human love and kindness, religious persecution in Afghanistan, alternatives to violence, interpersonal understanding, the definition of a bodhisattva, and what the holy man thinks Christians can learn from Buddhism.
(Network affiliation varies; this series was also syndicated from 1966 to 1971 and from 1975 to 1977.)
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Theodore R. Stanley.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 2, 1984
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:61388
- GENRE: Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Buddhism; Christianity and other religions; Communism and religion; Dalai lamas; Tibet (China) - History
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1971-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Warren Steibel … Producer, Director
- Paul Sweeney … Associate Producer
- Benny L. Gandy … Director
- Dorothy McCartney … Researcher
- Henry Fasciani … Researcher, Research Assistant
- Susan Stark … Researcher, Research Assistant
- John Virtes … Researcher, Research Assistant
- William F. Buckley, Jr. … Host
- Dalai Lama, His Holiness the … Guest
- Olin Robison … Guest