From Chic Manhattanite To 'Monk With A Camera'
When we first see Nicky Vreeland in the new film Monk with a Camera, he's a middle-aged man in a burgundy robe and with a shaved head. In other words, he's a Buddhist monk — the abbot of Rato Dratsang, one of the Dalai Lama's monasteries, and director of The Tibetan Center in New York City.
But as Vreeland maneuvers through his present, we get glimpses of his past as the grandson of fashion icon Diana Vreeland. Once upon a time, he was a chic, young Manhattanite who hobnobbed in posh zip codes and apprenticed with the great photographers Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.
Vreeland gave that all up in the late 1970s for the life of a monk. But the film doesn't make you ask what he gave up; it makes you ask, "What did Nicky Vreeland find?" He tells NPR's Scott Simon that there was no single life-changing event that made him become a monk. "I think that one takes little steps along one's path, and if one takes them honestly and seriously, they lead to all sorts of funny places."
Interview Highlights
On deciding to become a monk and getting his head shaved
For me it was a desire to remove a part of my image. I think we all ... work at presenting ourselves the way we wish to be presented, to be seen. And I think that shaving my head the first time was really to be naked, to remove that, to just feel what it was like to be without.
On raising more than $400,000 with his photography to finish building a new monastery after the 2008 crash prevented other cash promises from being fulfilled
[The photographs] saved us — they became a show that went around the world and raised a lot of money. ... I have to admit that I must believe in magic — if my photographs could raise that, something was happening to make it happen.
On what it's like to sit on the throne of the Rato Dratsang, which has been occupied for centuries
That's very tough. In all seriousness, sitting on that throne is really humbling. To sit on top of everyone — people whom I know are more qualified, are brighter, are more advanced in their practice — and to preside over them on a throne is really an exercise in working on your mind and in remembering impermanence, remembering that all attainments are so easily lost and remembering the work that I still have to do.
On what happens to us after this life
The Dalai Lama's attendant once took me by the arm and said to me, "You know, when our robes get worn out we get rid of them and we have new ones made. It's the same with the body. When we die, the body has ceased to exist and we reincarnate and continue our lives."
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.
When we first see Nicky Vreeland in a new film, he's a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a burgundy robe who has a famous-sounding name. He's a monk, the Abbot of Rato Dratsang, one of the Dalai Lama's monasteries, and director of the Tibetan Buddhist Center. But as Nicky Vreeland maneuvers through his present, we get glimpses of his past. He's the grandson of a fashion icon, Diana Vreeland. He was a chic young Manhattanite-about-town who hobnobbed in posh ZIP codes and apprenticed with the great photographers Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, and developed his own sharp eye. He gave that all up in the late 1970s for the life of a monk. But the film makes you ask not what he gave up, but what did Nicky Vreeland find?
"Monk With A Camera" is a new film by Guido Santi, Tina Mascara, and Vishwanath Alluri. Nicholas Vreeland joins us from New York.
Thanks so much for being with us.
ABBOT NICKY VREELAND: Thank you.
SIMON: So there was no single life-changing event that made you look for a change, was there?
VREELAND: No. I think that one takes little steps along one's path and if one takes them honestly and seriously, they lead to all sorts of funny places.
SIMON: Take us back to that moment which you share in the film about when you determined to become a monk and your head was shaved, way before we ever saw it on Michael Jordan.
VREELAND: (Laughter) Yes.
SIMON: What was that like? What did it mean?
VREELAND: Well, for me it was a desire to remove a part of my image. I think we all have - work at presenting ourselves the way we wish to be presented, to be seen. And I think that shaving my head the first time was really to be naked, to remove that, to just feel what it was like to be without.
SIMON: Financial crisis of 2008 struck and you were in the process there in Tibet of trying to build a new monastery. And a lot of the cash promises that were made couldn't be fulfilled. That's when someone suggested to you that maybe your photos could help make up the difference.
VREELAND: Yes, and they saved us. They became a show that went around the world and raised a lot of money.
SIMON: Yeah, $400,000 right?
VREELAND: Yes.
SIMON: And you were able to finish the monastery. It made me (laughter) I'm not going to put you in this position - it made me see some kind of divine hand at work.
VREELAND: Oh yes, absolutely. I have to admit that I must believe in magic. If my photographs could raise that, something was happening to make it happen.
SIMON: Nicky Vreeland, is there some conflict between who you are as a monk and who you must be as a photographer?
VREELAND: Well, I think that part of our spiritual responsibility is to manage the conflict. There are always conflicts in life, and dealing with them and skillfully navigating them is our work.
SIMON: I wonder this - as the Abbot of Rato Dratsang now, you sit on a small throne of a kind that one way or another has been occupied for centuries. How does that affect your view of life?
VREELAND: That's very tough. In all seriousness, sitting on that throne is really humbling. To sit on top of everyone, people whom I know are more qualified, are brighter, are more advanced in their practice - and to preside over them on a throne, is really an exercise in working on your mind and in remembering impermanence, remembering that all attainments are so easily lost and remembering the work that I still have to do.
SIMON: I'm moved to ask this question and I want to underscore for you, I mean it in the most practical way possible. What happens to us after this?
VREELAND: The Dalai Lama's attendant once took me by the arm and said to me, you know, when our robes get worn-out, we get rid of them and we have new ones made. It's the same with the body. When we die, the body has ceased to exist and we reincarnate and continue our lives.
SIMON: So you and I are just meeting here?
VREELAND: And we've met before and we shall meet again.
SIMON: (Laughter) Well, I hope so. But I'd like that to be in this life first. (Laughter).
VREELAND: With pleasure, with pleasure.
SIMON: Nicky Vreeland, Abbot of Rato Dratsang, one of the Dalai Lama's monasteries in India and director of the Tibetan Buddhist Center. A new film about Nicky Vreeland, "Monk With A Camera," has played in New York. It will open in Los Angeles on December 12, followed by theaters across the country.
Abbot, thank you very much for being with us.
VREELAND: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad