No wonder you are always alone. No one can stand your miserable company. (Peter Aufschnaiter)
This comment is a fair summary of Heinrich Harrer’s life. Discuss.
The film “Seven Years in Tibet”, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, shows the life of Heinrich Harrer. We find that Heinrich is miserable company throughout his life, but after he had spent a few years in Tibet he changed to a much better person. We find that Heinrich is very self-centred throughout his experience, Heinrich soon discovers he needs help from others throughout his journey and meeting the Dalai Lama changes Heinrich and his view on life and other cultures.
At the start of Heinrich’s journey we find Heinrich is very self-centred. This is shown in various parts of Heinrich’s experience, some include; when Heinrich is explaining that “it’s the Himalayas” when his wife wants him to stay with her while she is having the baby. This shows how self-centred Heinrich really is and shows how Heinrich is such miserable company. Heinrich also shows his self-centredness when Heinrich kept trying to escape the Dehra Dun Prisoner of War Camp, which increased the guards and made escaping much harder for everyone else, then he is asked by fellow prisoners to join him in an escape and he replies “I prefer to travel on my own”. These two examples show how self-centred Heinrich
…show more content…
is around the start of his journey and how bad his company really is. Soon enough Heinrich finds he needs friends to help him on his journey.
Some examples of this are when; when Heinrich says “if only I could express what is in my heart”, this was Heinrich’s first time thinking deeply and caring about his wife and he spoke respectfully to Peter in order to get his letter posted, demonstrating that Heinrich can’t do everything by himself and needs help from others in order to do things and when Heinrich massages Peter’s frostbitten feet and gives him his shoes, this represents the fact that Heinrich finds he needs Peter. Both these points show how Heinrich is becoming a better person and better to be
around. After meeting the Dalai Lama Heinrich becomes a much nicer person and a good friend. This is demonstrated when Heinrich throws a Christmas party for all friends and he gives Peter his watch back and says “it has travelled a long way and finally came home”, while talking about the watch, this shows that Heinrich is grateful of his friends and he is trying to mend his friendship with Peter. Heinrich also helps the Dalai Lama when he is having nightmares, Heinrich calms him down and they talk for a while, this shows that Heinrich is trusted greatly by the Dalai Lama, the Heinrich tells the Dalai Lama that mountain climbing stories are boring. This is a big change in Heinrich’s attitude towards mountain climbing and attitude towards other people, Heinrich is no longer arrogant, self-centred and boasting about his mountain climbing. Heinrich feels extremely attached to Tibet after a few years living there and when he leaves he gets a gift from the Dalai Lama and gives it to his son. After meeting the Dalai Lama Heinrich’s social skills improve out of sight and he gains more friends to help him with his journey. Overall Heinrich started his journey as miserable company as he was very self-centred and throughout his experience he began to see that he needed friends and companions to help him out, out of sight Heinrich turns out as a much better company after meeting the Dalai Lama. When Heinrich gets back home he is a much better father and a better friend to others than he would have been if he didn’t go on his journey.
Xinran looked at Tibet through a lens of sanctity and love. Ma Jian took his experiences and his imagination to form five short stories dealing with different topics. Both authors use the title of their book to give readers a hint of what the book is about and see how the title intertwines with the text. Each book gives you a different perspective and helps you form your own lens on Tibetan culture.
In the beginning of the movie, Heinrich leaves his wife pregnant. He doesn't care that he put climbing before his responsibilities of having a family. This shows how cold and egocentric Heinrich was in the beginning of Seven Years in Tibet. Siddhartha also has a period in his life when he is egocentric. While Siddhartha was with the Samanas, all he cared about was his own well-being. The small portions of food he acquired from begging was only to feed himself. Siddhartha never offered anything to anyone else while he was traveling with the Samanas.
For example: Ellie viewed a fight over food on train where a son beats his father to death. These sons sacrifice their fathers; they only matter at that point was saving their own lives, people only cared for themselves. His father was getting old and weak, and Elie realizes his father does not have the strength to survive on his own, and it is too late to save him. "It 's too late to save your old father, I said to myself..."(105). Ellie would never seriously consider killing his father; he depends on his father for support and so many other things. Ellie said the presence of his father was one and only thing that stooped me from allowing myself to die. Ellie and his father 's relationship prove that Ellie doesn 't only care about himself but the people around him to. Ellie was brave by not leaving his father behind and listening to his conscience.
A good example is after the merchant makes the deal with the dwarf and comes home to do his deed. The reaction of his son “But as he drew near home, his little boy was so glad to see him that he crept behind him, and laid fast hold of his legs, and looked up in his face and laughed “(Grimm Brothers 1). This shows the love he has for his father at the beginning of the story. As Heinel grew older he still loved and cared for his father. Even after the Heinel found out that his father has sold him the dwarf; He remains positive and said 'Father, give yourself very little trouble about that; I shall be too much for the little man “(Grimm Brothers 2). Trying to give him farther hope even after finding the news. Although, Heinel shows bravery and understanding in this situation he also feels let down. This is the first impactful event in Heinel’s life that will eventually make him become the monster he
Jean-Jacques Annaud directed the film Seven Years in Tibet. Mandalay Entertainment was the studio that produced the film. The two main stars are Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufshnaiter. Brad Pitt plays Heinrich Harrer. Peter Aufshnaiter is played by David Thewis. The fourteenth Dalai Lama also stars in this true film. Harrer starts a five thousand mile journey by train to the Himalayas from Austria. He travels with several other men hoping to climb to the top of Nanga Parbat. They are put in prison because they land in a town that doesn’t welcome foreigners. Harrer’s pregnant wife sends him a letter about divorcing him. In September, the men successfully escape prison and head back home except for Harrer and Aufshnaiter. A kind homeowner in
Many Tibetans are arrested and put through such treatment with little to no evidence supporting them as criminals. In a sudden “clampdown” that started in February of 1992, groups of ten Chinese raided Tibetan homes in Lhasa arresting more than 200 people. Those arrested were said to be in possession of “subversive materials, such as photographs, and tapes or books containing speeches or teachings of the Dalai Lama” (Kumar, 77).
While their the Dalai Lama quickly accepted them under his wing and graciously took Heinrich as his tutor. Though it has later been found that Heinrich alone was not his only tutor, and was not his only playmate, Heinrich in his time of residing in Lhasa was the primary. The two were noted as being fantastic friends and getting along very well. Heinrich would teach the Dalai Lama about the world outside of what he knew, from the technology, to the ways of life. The Dalai Lama in return did the same for Harrer with his own
An example of this would be when Abe Black, one of the first Blacks Oskar meets, rides a taxi with him to Manhattan: “I told him, ‘I don’t get in cars with strangers.’… While we were in the car I told him all about how I was going to meet everyone in New York with the last name Black,” (Foer, 149). Oskar’s determination to find an answer regarding the key allows him to establish relationships with people he did not know the existence of before. Despite the fact that Oskar had just met Abe Black, he was still open to him about his mission and the story regarding his father. This act shows a youth’s itch to tell stories to other people that will then blossom into a connection between the youth and the other person he or she is interacting with. The anecdotes also provide as a proof that every relationship has a lesson: “We sat around for a while and he told me more about his amazing life… It was getting hard to keep all the things I didn’t know inside me” (Foer, 154). As intellectual as Oskar may seem, it is important to remember that he is still a nine-year-old child with many more things to learn in life. The relationships he was able to create and develop allow him to gain further knowledge about life in general. Oskar learns and realizes that the world is much bigger than he thought, thus, showing his innocence as a
Tibetan Buddhism is very distinct, both culturally and ideologically, from other forms of Buddhism and has adapted many of the pre-Buddhist Tibetan beliefs, such as, local deities and rituals into its religious, spiritual and cultural identity. The 13th century biography of Korepa (also known as Lorepa) and the 19/20th century biography of Shungseb Jetsun are both written by yogins (people who practice tantric yoga) . Despite the large chronological gap, both have lived very similar ascetic lives and have both used their lives and teaching to influence the understanding of Tibetan Buddhism to the general lay community but also the ideology and theology of Tibetan Buddhism. In this essay, I am going to evaluate what we can learn about the nature and beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism from the biographical accounts of the lives of yogins such as Korepa and Shungsep Jetsun and how this has influenced the knowledge of Tibetan Buddhists about the understanding of their religion.
One example of my many displays of character occurred during wrestling season. Wrestling is a sport, where it’s just you and the other man, no one to blame for your failures and no one but yourself to congratulate once you have won. After weeks of grueling practices, juggling classes and sports I came to a wrestling match against Quince Orchard. I was wrestling one of their junior varsity wrestlers, who didn’t make weight for his weight class and was bumped into mine for his very first match, we shook hands and the timer started to tick. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and that was it. The fastest pin in my career and instead of gloating and demonstrating my hubris I helped my opponent up then shook his hand and told him he had done well. Another example would come, in terms of respect from the day I was born. My mother slowly etching into,” Do to others, what you wish to be done to you”. In my culture respect is highly praised and the elders even more.
It seemed as if Schopenhauer were addressing me personally. I felt his enthusiasm, and seemed to see him before me. Every line cried aloud for renunciation, denial, and resignation.
My Journey to Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel is a travel narrative that revolves around David-Neel’s treacherous journey to the city of Lhasa, Tibet at a time when it was closed off to all foreigners. David-Neel herself was a Frenchwoman by birth, however throughout the narrative it becomes apparent that her French identity isn’t the most accurate representation of David-Neel as a person. At the age of six, David-Neel began her fascination with comparative religions, an effect of her parents being of different religions. As she grew up, that fascination concentrated itself to Buddhism. As her knowledge about Buddhism grew, her desire to “go beyond the garden gate, to follow the road that passed it by, and set out for the Unknown” grew as well
The adventure begins on an airbus, overflying the clouds and the Himalayas. As the passengers admire the view, Eric is thinking about somewhere else. His thought, navigating in 1933 and about a beautiful, hopeful paradise, refer to a book by James Hilton called Shangri-La, an utopian world separate from the normal one and where only lucky soul can go. As a paradise, it contains abundance and comfort, plus it is governed by an High Lama. Some fortunate people want to quit this world, but so doesn’t Conway, a British character to which Erik relate and envy. Eric Weiner lived in India in the 1990s as he was working as a National Public Radio reporter and covering many countries, such as Bhutan, which he calls the closest place to Shangri-La paradise.
Tibet, with its isolated, harsh geographical location and history of political and social remoteness would seem an unlikely place to provide a “cradle for creative art” (Bailey 22). Yet it is in this desolate section of the world that one of the most intriguing artistic cultures has been cultivating over hundreds of centuries. One facet of what makes Tibetan art so unique and interesting is its interdependency on its religious beliefs.
“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society…But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The