Movie Review: Little Buddha

I watched the movie Little Buddha (1994) twice, the first time at home and the second time during a retreat. And the second time got me really, really moved (tears in eyes). Maybe I just love this movie growingly. Or maybe I was awakened to a certain message or detail in the movie that was overlooked or just passed by the first time I watched it.

If you want to see the story of the Buddha portrayed visually, this movie is a nice pick. Its portrait of the life of the Buddha is truthful, at least coincides with what you might read about it elsewhere. The story entails how Buddha was born and raised in a palace; how he was kept away from all unpleasant scenes (including withered flowers) so that his father's worries about his leaving the palace can be dispelled. And how eventually the Buddha still left the palace after unexpectedly encountering scenes of sick, old and dead people which awakened him to start his spiritual journey. And how Buddha, after twelve years of diligent endeavors in searching for a way to end all human being's suffering, eventually attained enlightenment in deep meditation.

The movie, however, is not just about the life of Buddha. In fact, the story of Buddha is interlaced with another story and is told through the character in another story. This makes the movie more interesting. Particularly, this another story is centered around an American boy called Jesse, who lived in Seattle with his parents. One day some Tibetan monk called Lama Norbu came up to his parents to explain why Jesse may be the reincarnation of his passed teacher, Lama Dorje, and wanted Jesse to come to Bhutan with him for a formal certification. Not believing in reincarnation, Jesse's parents thought this is crazy, and were unwilling to let their son go. But Jesse seemed very fond of this idea, alluding to the fact that he might actually be the reincarnation. Throughout the movie, Jesse constantly asked his Mom to read "the story of Buddha" for him, a gift book from Lama Norbu, and this is how the life of Buddha was told. Eventually, as Jesse's father faced a dramatic change and crossroad in life himself, he agreed to go to Bhutan with his son and the other monks.

In Bhutan, there were two other candidates of the reincarnation about the age of Jesse. The movie culminates at the scene of recognition ceremony, where the official reincarnation is supposed to be recognized. Lama Norbu bowed to each of these three candidates, expressing his joy in finding and meeting his potential reincarnated teacher. Are three of them all legitimate reincarnations, or the movie is implying something else?

No matter how you interpret it, a journey to Bhutan was destined to be a journey that will forever change Jesse's life as well as his father's.