Kundun Page #8

The broadcast reports news of the civil war in China.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Will we be in this war?

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

No. This war is almost over.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Will we ever be in war?

The Lord Chamberlain is silent. Norbu answers.

NORBU THUNDRUP:

We have enemies.

TENZIN GYATSO:

The Chinese.

NORBU THUNDRUP:

Yes.

TENZIN GYATSO:

But, surely, we are safe in Tibet.

We don't believe in killing.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

No, we don't.

Tenzin Gyatso gets to his feet and takes an atlas from his

table. He lays the book open on the floor.

TENZIN GYATSO:

This is Britain.

NORBU THUNDRUP:

Ahh.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Where is Poland?

The Lord chamberlain sits on the floor. He points to

Poland.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Where is Pearl Harbor?

The Master of the Kitchen comes to look at the atlas.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

In the Pacific Ocean. It is an

island. American territory.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Where is Alsace?

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

I do not know, Holiness.

Tenzin Gyatso turns to a well thumbed page: Tibet.

TENZIN GYATSO:

This is Tibet.

And this is China.

NORBU THUNDRUP:

Ahh.

They all look at huge China.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Certainly, we are safe in Tibet.

No one answers.

Finally, as Norbu Thundrup begins to gather up the tsampa-

dough:

NORBU THUNDRUP:

We hope, Kundun.

Tenzin Gyatso turns to the Lord Chamberlain.

TENZIN GYATSO:

What was the warning of the

Thirteenth Dalai Lama?

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

He warned about the future of

Tibet.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Tell me.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

When it is time.

INT. GARDENS, NORBULINKA DAY

His Holiness works on an old movie projector. A white-

haired, CHINESE MONK works with him. The old Monk has very

little patience. He bangs his hand on the table, and huffs

and puffs as the two try again to fiddle with this and that.

Tenzin Gyatso works diligently and calmly.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Patience is the first of the Six

Perfections.

The old Monk mutters something in Chinese. They thread a

roll of dusty film into the reel and spin the wheel. The

film breaks. The old monk bangs the table again. The work

continues.

TENZIN GYATSO:

One day, we will get that automobile

running.

The monks slaps his head in horrid anticipation.

INT. DARK ROOM, NORBULINKA NIGHT

A movie begins, shown on a piece of cloth tacked to a wall.

It is a newsreel - footage from World War One. The

trenches.

The boy goes up to the cloth screen and touches it gently,

playing with his own shadow as men dash from foxholes across

a muddy, body strewn field.

The boy steps back and stares at the horror of real war;

men sleeping in the muddy foxholes, make-shift hospitals

tend the dying. Youths - not much older than His Holiness -

weep into their filthy, bloody hands.

The Old Monk keeps his trembling hand on the noisy, hand-

operated, projector.

Tenzin Gyatso slowly sits, cross-legged, on the bare floor.

War does not look good on film.

INT. DALAI LAMA'S PRIVATE ROOMS, NORBULINKA NIGHT

The boy sits alone, in front of his altar, praying.

Meditating.

INT. ALTAR ROOM, THE NORBULINKA DAY

A black room, lit by butter lamps.

Taktra Rinpoche and Tenzin Gyatso sit opposite one another,

cross-legged on the floor. Taktra is the teacher, he sits a

bit higher.

The room is a shrine to Mahakala, the Dalai Lama's personal

deity. Mahakala is present, in the form of a huge, golden

statue.

The boy has his head bent low to catch the Rinpoche's words.

There is much gesturing, much murmuring. We might catch

only a word or two.

An oral teaching is being passed on, a lineage teaching. It

is sacred and secret.

EXT. UPPER COURTYARD, THE POTALA DAY

CLOSE on a thangka of Penden Lhamo.

We hear monks debating. It is Ling Rinpoche answering,

playing the student.

LING RINPOCHE:

"To be born in a time when the

Buddha has appeared.

To be born in a time when the

Buddha has taught.

To be born when the teaching of

Buddha is alive."

We find His Holiness, sitting, listening to the debate.

LING RINPOCHE:

"To be born where the dharma is

practiced.

To be born in a time when people have

compassion for other people."

The view widens now and we are under a softly billowing,

appliqued canopy. Maybe fifty monks and lamas are present.

This is an informal group.

QUESTIONER:

How is human life precious?

LING RINPOCHE:

As a result of previous karma,

you have obtained this human life.

By means of this rebirth, through

work and study, you can attain all

everlasting happiness.

In the words of Shantideva:

"With the boat of this precious life,

You can cross the waters of Samsara.

How rare to find this boat!"

"Oh, ignorant one, do not fall

asleep now!"

Shots ring out.

The men jump to their feet, and rush out from under the

canopy. The Dalai Lama is right in front.

More shots as the men stare out across the countryside.

We hear murmurs of:

VOICES:

Sera, Sera Monastery.

Reting. Under arrest. The

army is taking him right past Sera!

Monastery! Those crazy monks! Have

been threatening trouble.

Reting tried to assassinate

Taktra Rinpoche.

We hear these snippets as the Dalai Lama runs from the group.

INT. HALLWAYS, POTALA DAY

It is almost black inside this old building. The panting

boy runs up and up and up several staircases.

INT. HALLWAY DAY

Tenzin Gyatso runs down the hall and enters his red rooms.

INT. DALAI LAMA'S PRIVATE ROOMS DAY

Norbu Thundrup is in the room and he moves ahead of the boy

- out to the terrace.

EXT. DALAI LAMA'S TERRACE DAY

Tenzin Gyatso climbs up on a small, wooden platform, and

mans his telescope.

TENZIN GYATSO:

It's the army, firing on

Sera Monastery!

Oh, no! Oh, no!

The shooting continues.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Why is this? What is happening?

Tell me!

NORBU THUNDRUP:

Reting Rinpoche has been

arrested. He tried to

overthrow Regent Taktra.

Today, he is brought back

to Lhasa by government officials.

The monks at Sera Monastery

have been on his side. Now,

there is trouble between them

and the army.

The Lord Chamberlain arrives on the terrace.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

I am sorry for you to have to

witness this, Kundun.

TENZIN GYATSO:

Look here!

The Lord Chamberlain peers through the telescope as the

shooting continues.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

Tragic. Unnecessary.

The Lord Chamberlain steps away from the telescope and the

boy takes his place.

The shooting slowly stops.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

Holiness?

I have a letter.

The boy looks up.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN

The Thirteenth Dalai Lama's warning.

He wrote to you, the year before he

died. The year before you were born.

The Lord Chamberlain walks to a far, sheltered end of the

terrace.

Tenzin Gyatso slowly turns the telescope to see the prison

yard.

View through the telescope; the yard is full of prisoners,

listening to the shooting. One man sees the telescope aimed

at the prison and prostrates. Then another, and another.

Tenzin Gyatso steps away from the telescope and turns to

follow his Lord Chamberlain.

EXT. OTHER SIDE OF TERRACE DAY

The Lord Chamberlain opens a yellowing letter and begins to

read. Tenzin Gyatso sits down beside him.

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