Kickstarter

     We've been in a desert environment since mid-February so it was strange to be in a rainforest with no transition or middle ground. The road from Eco Village to the Assam border progressively then suddenly gets worse and is more like a rocky path through treacherous mountains.

     We pass many memorials and basic headstones of those unfortunate to wander off path and careen over cliffs edge, hundreds and even thousand feet to crush below. Our driver is a masochist and beats us up through one curve after another. Gas, brake, shift, tug at the wheel as if he was a child pretend driving, or every drivers ed instructor's nightmare. Becky, one of our doctors, dozes off and like a doll is tossed from side to side in the back of the jeep. We arrive, alive but some sickened and all tired from the journey to the monastery in Bondilla.

     Bondilla quickly becomes everyone's favorite word. Said with an accent giving one the appearance of experience, of belonging somehow to a land, culture and time unfamiliar to us in the West - Michael, Sound Recorder/Mixer 

This is a diary excerpt from one of our documentary journeys to Manjushree, 13,000 feet in the Himalayan mountains. We are a group of filmmakers dedicated to telling, and drawn into, the story of a passionate group of doctors and humanitarians who travel to a remote impoverished region of India bringing health care where there is virtually none to the indigenous inhabitants, known as the Monpa.  After 5 trips and over 200 hours of footage, we have put our hearts and souls into the making of this film, and invite you to support our final trip. 

Although we often think well of ourselves for the efforts of our giving to others, we have discovered how much more we are receiving for the privilege of the journey to Manjushree (wisdom in Tibetan) and the enriching of our souls. Our film follows the humanitarian mission of these brave souls and the personal transformation that takes place as we leave behind all we know and journey to this remote Tibetan Buddhist region, home to the sixth Dalai Lama and the world 's 2nd largest Buddhist monastery. This is a journey where events become experiences and where we are put in touch with our deepest values, discovering a deeper sense of what our life could be, and what it means to be human. 

This documentary was inspired by a 2000 year old prophecy, The Eagle and the Condor, shared by indigenous peoples all over the world. The prophecy proclaims that the Eagle people - people of intellect, materialism and technology - would bring the Condor people - people close to nature, intuition, and spirituality - and themselves into extinction. The prophecy contended that an opportunity would arise in the 20th Century to avoid this crisis. The only way to avoid mutual extinction was to rejoin the two people in collaboration sharing their great gifts and great wisdoms; remembering that they are one people.Together, and only together flying wing to wing, could the crisis be resolved and a sustainable future emerge for all. Our documentary follows an example of that flight (our doctors and humanitarian team sharing our Western technology and the Mon people of Tawang sharing their Eastern Tibetan Buddhist deep wisdom of compassion) and how each are touched and able to thrive through relation with the other.

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." - Rabindranath Tagore 

Our team of filmmakers share a passion for making a difference and not being afraid to get dirty in the process. The trip itself is long and literally treacherous; flying 30+ hours across the planet, enduring a 2 day jeep ride up a rocky mountain pass, and running and gunning in the high altitudes of the Himalayas. Yet, crazy as it sounds, and exhausting as it is, we can't not do it. When we arrive at the Orphanage and are greeted by 250 smiling children, all angst melts away to reveal our purpose: bringing the story of these high mountain children and the monk who shelters them. Yes, we are having a great adventure filming a documentary in a rare and remote area of the world, but we are being transformed in the process. Something deep in our souls is calling us to share, in film, the transformative power of love, compassion and relationship through service to others. 

And for our final leg of the project, we need you on our team. Our dedicated crew has worked without pay, for the cause, and have paid their own expenses. This, however, isn't sustainable so we need a final push to get there and complete our journey.  Once home, we will get back into the editing room and finish our film.

So please, make a contribution, and help us bring our story to the public.