“I am a realist,” said the Dalai Lama.

Those four words are reason enough to go wherever one goes to stream this extraordinary film, which was shown here at the San Juan Island Community Theatre on June 1st. At a time in history when the lines between truth and lies are becoming twisted and blurred, reality becoming almost unrecognizable, those four words hold a promise that all is not lost, that clarity is a distinct possibility as we tread the unfolding path of human existence.

Becoming a realist takes courage, especially when faced with those in power who are focused only on what will benefit themselves. The Dalai Lama, now 87 years old, is a student of the Buddhist philosophy, which focuses on what will most benefit the world. He got to know that world in 1959 as an exile after China took over Tibet, his homeland, and in 1989 that world thanked him for his friendship, courage, and teachings by awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize.

Producer-Director Rosemary Rawcliffe has created a quietly beautiful film that uncovers a quietly beautiful man of peace. With congratulations and gratitude to her, to the San Juan Island Art Museum and to their exhibition “Shades of Compassion,” for their part in bringing the film to this island,

Wendy E Shepard

San Juan Island