Gyuto Monastery, Sidbhari, Himachal Pradesh, India 1. Karmapa coming into prayer hall for prayer and blessing session 2. Audience bending in reverence 3. Tibetan man standing, woman bending in reverence 4. Karmapa blessing people including westerners, giving them scarves 5. Tilt up from scarves in Karmapa's hands to his face 6. Various of Karmapa blessing people 7. SOUNDBITE: (Tibetan) Ugyen Thinley Dorje, 17th Karmapa "It takes a lot of conditions coming together for someone's mind to relax. But nevertheless, in comparison to when I first arrived here from Tibet, I would say it is less restrictive. With my being awarded the refugee status in India, I was able to go on a pilgrimage....I have a feeling as though the sun of my freedom is starting to rise." 8. Tilt down from traditional Tibetan paintings called Tankhas to Karmapa working on laptop computer 9. Hand on keyboard 10. Karmapa working on computer 11. Karmapa 12. Computer 13. SOUNDBITE: (Tibetan) Ugyen Thinley Dorje, 17th Karmapa "I think nowadays in this world, the study of languages is very important. Also the study of technologies that we employ in our daily lives. So these are two interests of mine." 14. Tilt down from Buddha painting to Karmapa sitting 15. Karmapa 16. Karmapa's hands 17. SOUNDBITE: (Tibetan) Ugyen Thinley Dorje, 17th Karmapa "I don't feel that my poetic skill is as yet at its full maturity.....but it is true that I do enjoy writing it (poetry)." 18. Prayer session being conducted by Karmapa 19. Karmapa praying with folded hands 20. Devotee praying with closed eyes 21. Prayer hall 22. Karmapa seen from between two monks standing in prayer hall 23. Karmapa giving religious discourse STORYLINE : In an exclusive interview with APTN, the Karmapa Lama has spoken about life after his daring escape from Chinese-controlled Tibet last year. The fifteen-year-old Karmapa Lama is the only senior monk to be recognized by both Beijing and the exiled Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama. And his life so far has given him a maturity far beyond his years. Ugyen Thinley Dorje is the 17th Karmapa, the third most senior Lama in Tibetan Buddhism. The Karmapa has been living at the Gyuto Monastery in Dharmsala, the northern-Indian home of the Tibetan government-in-exile, since his arrival in January 2000 after a 1,400-kilometer journey over the Himalayas. Until recently, the Monastery was almost a prison for its high profile occupant. Since his escape from Tibet, he was forced to keep a low profile, and was hardly allowed to leave the monastery's grounds - a hard call for a strapping 15 year-old boy. All that changed in February this year, when he was granted refugee status by the Indian government. And last weekend, the teenage Lama was allowed to hold his first interviews with the foreign media. He is pleased with his new found freedom. Recently he took advantage of it by going on a pilgrimage to some of Buddhism's holy sites in India. The Karmapa spends his time studying Buddhism, computers and English. He says he knows a little bit about how to use a computer, although not that much, and is yet to have Internet access. He also hopes to travel overseas, both for his own education and to impart the teachings of the Buddha. Behind the calm and composed exterior there also lurks a poet. The Karmapa has been writing poetry and an English translation of his poems may soon be published. He is quick to dampen any speculation that he may be being groomed as heir apparent to the leadership of the Tibetan people once the Dalai Lama, who is now 66, is gone. The Karmapa said that his greatest desire was to take his traditional seat at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/08c640cdf7ef0ce97ae4ba293be68d50 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
• views: 0