AKONG  A Remarkable Life 

This is the first ever documentary film about the inspirational life of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche. Through his powerful message of loving-kindness and compassion and his humanitarian work around the world, Akong Rinpoche has benefitted the lives of countless people. This film aims to make his inspirational life story available to future generations.  

                                                            Akong Rinpoche

Born in Kham, eastern Tibet in 1940,  Akong Tulku Rinpoche was quickly recognized as a reincarnate Tulku and enthroned as the Abbot of Drolma Lhakhang Monastery at the age of four. 

However his life  would change dramatically when in 1959, tensions between China and Tibet reached breaking point.  Forced to undertake a dangerous journey on foot across the Himalayas to reach India, at the age of only nineteen, Akong Rinpoche and other fourteen people were the only survivors out of a party of over two hundred Tibetans. This episode marked his life profoundly.

After reaching their destination, living conditions in Buxadaur refugee camp in Assam were extremely poor. The hot climate combined with the lack of food and medicine claimed the lives of many of the surviving refugees, including Akong's elder brother, Jamyang Chogyal.

When in 1963, Akong Rinpoche arrived in the UK with Trungpa Rinpoche, life wasn't easy either. In order to support themselves Akong worked as an orderly at a hospital in Oxford. His life started to change a few years later though, and in 1967 Akong founded the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the west - Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland.

                                                            Samye Ling Temple

Samye Ling has become an international centre for authentic Tibetan Buddhist teachings, renowned for bringing great contemporary Buddhist masters such as HH the 16th Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Tai Situ, Ringu Tulku amongst others.

Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche continued to lead an active life supervising his countless projects, until his life was cut short by three men who murdered him at the age of 73.

His dedication to reach out thousands of people in need, be it through his teachings or through his charity work will be hard to equal. For example his charity ROKPA International invests nearly 100% of donations directly into humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, India and Africa.

                                                            Our Message

We invite you to become involved in this important project by helping us to preserve this amazing and inspirational story for generations to come. Our objective is to make the first film about the life and work of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche. 

Researching and interviewing are already well under way on the film. Thus far the project has been self-funding and during the past two years we have already achieved the following:

• Researched relevant aspects of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche

• Developed the film’s storyline

• Arranged and conducted interviews in several locations such as London, Manchester, Scotland and Zurich

• Collected archive material at ROKPA International in Zurich and Samye Ling Monastery

• Filmed interviews and the construction progress of Samye Ling

• Produced and edited our film trailer

• Built the project’s website

However, moving into the principle phase of production, a significant budget is required in order to gather crucial footage from around Europe, Asia and Africa.

What do we need the money for?

We really need your help with the following:

• Travel expenses to Tibet, India, Nepal in order to conduct further interviews and produce film reconstructions

• Equipment rental

• Equipment insurance

• Image licensing

• Editing, colour grading & special effects 

• Music production

• Crew expenses

• Actors

• DVD production & distribution

• Graphic design

• Subtitling in foreign language