Words of My Perfect Teacher follows three students on a quest they hope will lead to wisdom, if only they can abide by their teacher. Soccer”“obsessed, charismatic filmmaker, and citizen of the world, Khyentse Norbu may be one of the world’s most eminent Buddhist teachers, but it’s a job description he slyly rejects at every turn.

The film’s point of view is inspired by Buddhist philosophy –which says that we can’t really change human behaviour until we learn to deal with our mind — and was made during the course of a year that included attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, months of tension as India and Pakistan went to the brink of nuclear war, multiple suicide bombings in Israel, a stock market drop that plunged the world to new depths of economic uncertainty, and the U.S. war on Iraq. If ever there was a time to inspire students to “wake up” and learn the wisdom necessary to engage in compassionate activity, this was that year. Featuring appearances by Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Seagal, and set to a world beat with music by Sting, Tara Slone & Joy Drop, Steve Tibbets, U.Man.Tek, and Kunga 19, the film serves as a welcome reminder that change begins with the self.