Loving Karma Film Screening

What happens when suffering meets compassion? 

As a struggling young boy, Lobsang Phuntsok was sent to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery—a life-changing process that helped him heal and find his purpose. 

After years as a spiritual teacher in the United States, he felt called to return to his birthplace in the remote Indian Himalayas to create Jhamtse Gatsal (Tibetan for “The Garden of Love and Compassion”), a home for wounded children like himself. 

This community is inspired by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s lifelong commitment to compassion and today has become a living example of how pain can be transformed into love. 

Loving Karma expands the Emmy-winning short film Tashi and the Monk into a feature-length documentary by returning to Jhamtse Gatsal twelve years later and picking up the stories of Lobsang, Tashi, and the new arrivals she is learning to care for. 

Can community and compassion really heal even the deepest wounds? 

Johnny Burke is an award-winning director and editor. Beneath their surface drama, his films often include an exploration of the human psyche, delving into complex issues involving trauma and interpersonal relationships with humour and an empathetic touch. 

His work has won various awards, including the Outstanding Short Documentary Emmy, Banff Best Film Adventure and Exploration, and Amnesty International Best Documentary. 

Andrew Hinton is an Emmy-winning independent documentary filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from the UK, he produces evocative, self-shot documentaries rooted in human resilience, hope, and social change. 

His acclaimed work includes Tashi and the Monk, Amar, and This Is Where I Find Myself. He is father to two young children whose existence inspires daily humility and an occasional state of wonder.