В фильме “Смерти нет…” сплелись воспоминания актера и его друзей о встрече с Далай-Ламой XIV в 2016 году и том, какое влияние она оказала на дальнейшую жизнь и творческую деятельность народного артиста РСФСР.
The video is about a play called “For as long as space endures”
The play was inspired by the Dalai Lama’s favorite prayer, which has the same title.
The actor Valentin Gaft recorded the audiobook of the Dalai Lama’s autobiography “Freedom in Exile”. While reading the book, he felt a connection to the Dalai Lama and his message.
Later, Gaft had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama in person. They had a long and meaningful conversation, and the Dalai Lama even called Gaft his “twin”.
After meeting the Dalai Lama, Gaft felt inspired to write a play. He told the Dalai Lama about the play, and the Dalai Lama suggested the title “For as long as space endures”.
The play is about the meaning of life and how to find happiness. It is based on the teachings of Buddhism.
The video also includes some reflections on life and death by Valentin Gaft.
Расшифровка видео
0:04
Dalai Lama means different things to different people
0:08
To some it means that I am a living Buddha
0:12
the earthly manifestation of Avalokiteshvara
0:15
Bodhisattva of Compassion
0:17
To others it means that I am a ‘God-king’
0:20
But none of these are my ideas
0:23
To me ‘Dalai Lama’ is a title that signifies the office I hold
0:29
I myself am just a human being
0:32
and incidentally a Tibetan, who chooses to be a Buddhist monk
0:39
Anatoliy Dzudzhiev The author of the idea of recording the audiobook of His Holiness Dalai Lama
0:43
While pondering about this project
0:49
but many know Valentin Gaft
0:53
We could open for people this enormous world through Valentin Gaft’s personality
0:58
Valentin Gaft. Honoured Artist of Russia Dalai Lama’s autobiography audiobook recording
1:02
As a child
1:03
I was given the Great Fifth’s own bedroom
1:07
on the seventh (top) storey
1:09
It was pitifully cold and ill-lit
1:13
and I doubt whether it can have been touched since his time
1:18
Everything in it was ancient and decrepit and
1:21
behind the drapes lay deposits of centuries-old dust
1:28
Once he said, “Tolya, I have a hard time, something should be done.”
1:31
I had just returned from India
1:33
and had the portrait of His Holiness Dalai Lama
1:35
I said, “Valentin Iosiphovich, don’t you mind if I put this portrait in front of you?”
1:40
This precious portrait was in front of me
1:45
while I was reading “Freedom in Exile”
1:49
It helped me, gave me energy
1:57
and I could say prompted me
2:00
with its simplicity
2:03
its depth
2:06
how to read
2:08
how to pronounce the words which he says
2:12
It’s that unique case when simplicity and genius fused together
2:19
To listen to him is happiness
2:24
He is taking away the problems
2:26
which have been tormenting people for hundreds of thousands of years
2:30
nearly in one motion
2:33
He always speaks to the point
2:36
he feels a person
2:38
It is a unique God’s blessing
2:40
It is given to him
2:42
I have transformed into a different person
2:44
while reading this book – it’s the truth
2:48
It seemed to me that he was in person next to me
2:51
looked into my eyes, encouraged me
2:54
told me if I was doing it the right way or not, he talked to me
2:58
I am grateful to him
3:00
Many people approached me with the question
3:04
“Gaft is a Buddhist, isn’t he?”
3:08
I am deeply convinced now that
3:11
such people are beyond these notions, all those ‘IZMs’.
3:17
Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the representative of His Holiness Dalai Lama in Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States
3:21
sent him his greetings
3:23
When I handed it over, Valentin Iosiphovich asked me to read it aloud
3:27
Telo Tulku wrote that we, Buddhists, tend to think that
3:31
creative people are a manifestation of good energy of enlightened creatures
3:39
As a matter of fact, I think that Gaft has lived this book with Dalai Lama
3:45
He didn’t just read it, he lived it from the very beginning till the very end
3:51
He said, “What a wonderful word “Freedom” is
3:55
and what a frightening word “Exile” is
3:58
With these feelings he started reading it
4:04
His Holiness was supposed to come to Riga
4:07
to give his teaching a year later
4:11
Naturally, we wished Valentin Iosiphovich could meet him
4:15
It was his desire, he said
4:18
“Tolya, what if I meet His Holiness.”
4:20
But his entourage and doctors forbade him to do that
4:25
Besides, he was already weak
4:29
Nevertheless, I left for Moscow, and when I was approaching it
4:33
at about 5 in the morning, Valentin Iosiphovich called
4:37
I picked my phone, he said, “Tolay, we will go!”
4:46
When he met His Holineess
4:49
Dalai Lama clapped him on the shoulder and called him his twin
4:55
It is difficult to express, it was so touching
4:58
And their meeting lasted not 10, but 40 minutes
5:03
As I understand, it was indeed the communication of souls
5:10
When we were flying back, he was frustrated and said
5:14
“Tolya, why is it so late?”
5:15
I asked what happened
5:17
He replied, “Why did we meet so late?”
5:22
It was beyond my understanding
5:25
but it is easy to go this way when you hear
5:31
such a person
5:33
To understand
5:36
to take on you a lot of things
5:40
Don’t touch each other in an aggressive way for no reason
5:44
A man is an angry creature and dishonest, unfortunately
5:49
One should get rid of it
5:52
Thanks God, there are such people
5:55
Our country needs such a person, Russia needs him
5:59
He says that he loves Russia and would like to live here if he is invited
6:08
One evening, when we were coming back home …
6:12
He often kept silence, and then he uttered such a phrase
6:16
“You are so mysterious…”
6:19
I asked, “Valentin Iosiphovich, who do you mean?”
6:22
“You are so mysterious, Kalmyks!”
6:25
The thing is that thanks to him
6:29
I looked at myself in a different way
6:32
at our culture
6:34
the Buddhist philosophy, at the history of His Holiness’s life
6:38
It is because this deep insight let me do that in an absolutely different way
6:47
He always said, “Tolay, as soon as we get the opportunity, we should go to Kalmykia.”
6:56
He wanted to come very much
6:57
Of course, I dreamed how he would come to our theatre
7:03
I thought it would be very important
7:06
not just to present the book in our temple
7:10
but to meet and communicate with our actors
7:12
the artistic intelligentsia
7:16
He had this desire and I still regret that it didn’t happen
7:36
The title of the play “For as long as space endures”
7:39
originates from Dalai Lama’s favourite prayer
7:44
It was the title of the book “For as long as space endures”
7:48
When Gaft returned from Riga after his meeting with Dalai Lama
7:50
he said, “I had such a meeting! I told him about our play
7:56
I saw the book and said, “What a stunning title it is!”
7:59
And he said, “It is the title of our play now!”
8:01
This is how it happened.
8:03
Said Bagov Actor, director, playwright
8:05
For as long as space endures
8:06
And for as long as living beings remain
8:08
Until then may I, too, abide
8:10
To dispel the misery of the world
8:12
It means it is the goal to dispel the misery of the world
8:17
Valentin Iosiphovich called from Riga
8:20
He was very unpredictable
8:25
I felt a powerful energy which he radiated and a colossal joy
8:30
He said that he told His Holiness about our work
8:38
I was impressed
8:45
I got it as a blessing to our work
8:54
Fragments from the play “As long as space exists” Theater «Sovremennik»
8:56
It was a grand event for me personally and our history
9:02
I felt that Valentin Iosiphovich was impressed
9:08
He was impressed that
9:18
such a great soul accepted him
9:24
understood him
9:26
and hugged him
9:29
and helped
9:37
In 1991, when His Holiness Dalai Lama came
9:42
I called my mother and she said
9:46
“I don’t know how, but you all should be here.”
9:50
Now, I am shocked how in that Soviet period
9:54
she could know how important it was
9:58
I perceived it like mother said and that was it
10:02
We all were there at the meeting with Dalai Lama
10:05
Of course, I had read something about Buddhism before that
10:09
In many books it is written that the essence of the teaching
10:14
is to perceive the joy of life, to achieve it
10:18
When I first saw His Holiness, his smile
10:21
I thought, “Here it is! The essence of everything!
10:25
In his smile.”
10:27
I have understood that it is part of our life
10:30
How could our parents know after all the hardships
10:34
they had to survive in the Siberia
10:36
they who didn’t have temples
10:38
didn’t have any opportunity to read Buddhist books
10:43
But they had this inner faith which was preserved
10:47
and which they passed on to us
10:49
Where from? I don’t know
10:51
It exists, and that’s it
11:00
I saw the prophet’s face on the bark
11:02
(“Prophet” Poem by Valentin Gaft)
11:05
The lightening flashed, and the thunderstorm began
11:08
Though rain the eyes looked at me
11:12
A magpie chattered somewhere above
11:15
Suddenly, a curtain of branches closed his face
11:18
I touched the tree with my hot forehead
11:22
He whispered me
11:24
“Do you think you lived?
11:26
You just didn’t sleep well, and at last you woke up.”
11:30
It’s a wonderful poem
11:35
it is recorded
11:37
but it was impossible to break away from it
11:40
I had a desire to write and write without stopping
11:43
It was interesting for me
11:46
Riddle, mystery attracts a person
11:50
and gives him its best which was stored
11:54
it calms down and explains
11:58
It doesn’t cradle you
12:00
it helps to solve the mystery of people’s relationships
12:04
Oh, how complicated everything is
12:06
but how brilliantly it is explained by this person
12:09
What good and evil are – good and evil
12:12
What our world is
12:14
We need such people
12:16
Thanks God they exist
12:18
I want to say thank you to Dalai Lama
12:20
Live for people
12:23
Thank you! Millions of bows!
12:31
He was conscious when he passed away
12:35
He realized that he was departing for the afterworld
12:38
His eyes were open
12:40
He realized that the moment was approaching
12:42
He had time to say goodbye to his wife
12:45
who was leaving to see a doctor
12:47
She got up early, at about 6:30
12:52
They exchanged some words, and as soon as she left he passed away
12:59
Dear Tolya
13:02
Here I am and with me is this visible creation of life
13:07
Dalai Lama
13:09
Wondering in space
13:12
and invisible is his soul
13:15
They made this moment an eternity
13:21
It’s priceless
13:23
You just close your eyes
13:26
and a second becomes infinity
13:31
There is no death
13:34
«There is no death…»
13:38
Valentin Gaft
13:43
Directed by Mingiyan Mandzhiev
13:50
Camera Baatr Chingeev
13:52
Music by Arkady Mandzhiev