When the Iron Bird Flies: Tibetan Buddhism Arrives in the West

This documentary explains Buddhism in very simplistic terms and follows the stories of a diverse group of practitioners. It would be great for beginners or experienced practitioners or anybody curious about Buddhism.

It really explains the four noble truths in an easy to understand manner.

I took away the acronym POSH from this documentary.

Perceptions are inaccurate. Ordinary thinking leads to suffering. Subtle discontentment is part of everyday life. Happiness is letting go of attachment to our ego.

When the Iron Bird flies is a masterful documentary that introduces us to authentic Buddhist teachers and takes us into the lives of younger seekers from Great Britain and the U.S., during their journey into Tibetan Buddhist study and practice. The interface where profound eastern wisdom and the vibrancy of the West meet is one that is rich, fraught with confusion, and saturated with great vitality and wisdom.

Victress Hitchcock, director extraordinaire, takes a multi-leveled, complex subject and makes it personal. We meet a number of sincere students, experienced or just beginning their quest, and encounter them again and again throughout the film, as their journey, in some ways, becomes ours as well. Thoughtful, touching, moving, and funny.

The production values are quite high, the filming and editing are excellent. I can't recommend more highly a film on the subject, for experienced students of all things eastern as well as those just beginning.