Angry Monk

An overlooked corner of modern Tibetan history is revealed in Luc Schaedler's Angry Monk, the fascinating story of Gendun Choephel, regarded now as one of Tibet's leading intellectuals of the 20th century but once reviled and imprisoned for daring to dream of a society open to democratic development.

Disillusioned with a culture that worshiped tradition and feared innovation, Choephel left the stifling regimen of monastic life in 1934 in the company of Rahul Sankrityayan, an Indian scholar of Buddhism and communist activist for Indian independence. Traveling to India, Choephel stepped into a world of wonders, a land criss-crossed by trains, peopled with merchants and businessmen engaged in trade with the outside world, and united in throwing off British imperialism. Enraptured and eager to experience it all, Choephel shrugged off his monastic habits and began an inner exploration of sensual pleasure through tobacco, alcohol and women. All the while he was writing in his diary, painting, sketching, completing the first ever Tibetan translation of the Kama Sutra, publishing a pilgrim's guide to the sacred Buddhist sites of India, contributing reports on the outside world to an emigre newspaper, and beginning work on a non-religious history of Tibet.

Arriving back in Lhasa, Choephel found his reputation had preceded him and was promptly thrown into jail, tortured, and left to rot until being released only months before the Chinese invasion of 1950. With any hope for reform crushed by the arrival of Mao's army, Choephel entered an intense period of inebriation from which he never recovered, passing away in 1951 at the age of 48.

Swiss director Schaedler works matter-of-factly, tracing the travels of his subject from his birthplace in eastern Tibet through to India and back to Lhasa, weaving together interviews with Choephel's surviving contemporaries with voice-overs describing his own journey. Anyone interested in modern Tibetan history should not miss this film, especially as it is the only document about Choephel's life currently available in English.

The film is also available on DVD direct from the director's website.

Press Quotes

--"A gritty, insightful film about the tragic life of a radical Tibetan artist and intellectual... A compelling story, beautifully told."
Jamyang Norbu (December 11, 2005), Author of the award winning novel, The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes

--"Luc Schaedler's absorbing film is a valuable introduction to an intriguing scholar and offers a very useful perspective on recent Tibetan history. Who knew that Tibetans keep pictures of Chairman Mao on their walls to ward off
demons?"
The Vancouver Sun (October 12, 2005)

--"ANGRY MONK works as a historical travelogue of Tibet and India, covering the years leading up to Tibet's occupation, and challenging stereotypical notions about Tibet (...) writer-director Luc Schaedler offers the encouraging observation that Tibetans are both experiencing a renaissance, and a newfound confidence in their culture, in spite of the Chinese occupation."javascript:reviewTagSuggestions('gendun%20choephel')
CommonGround.ca (October 2005)

--"Schaedler throws the myths away, producing an alternative assessment of Tibet's past and present that is eye-opening indeed."
Terminal City, Vancouver (September 2005)

--"ANGRY MONK is an eye-opener for romantic Western visions. Largely ignored or reviled in his lifetime, the 'angry monk' Choephel has become an important figure in a rapidly changeing Tibet". 24hours.ca (October 5, 2005)

What appealed to me about the CD's topic was that it wasn't just the Buddhist philosophy but insight into disenchantment with the thinking and lifestyle in general. I felt it was helpful to see what could make someone become disenchanted with such a wonderful way of living life. After watching this CD I feel that I am right on tract in pursing a Buddhist way of life. Good for the opposite point of view.