Little Buddha

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Little Buddha

Directed by	Bernardo Bertolucci
Produced by	Jeremy Thomas
Written by	Bernardo Bertolucci (story) Rudy Wurlitzer Mark Peploe
Starring	Keanu Reeves Bridget Fonda Chris Isaak Ruocheng Ying
Music by	Ryuichi Sakamoto
Cinematography	Vittorio Storaro
Editing by	Pietro Scalia
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date(s)	1993
Running time	140 min.
IMDb profile

Little Buddha is a 1993 American movie by director Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves.

[edit] Plot

Little Buddha is a story about the quest of a group of monks, led by Lama Norbu (Ruocheng Ying), to seek out the reincarnation of his great Buddhist teacher, Lama Dorje (Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen). Lama Norbu and his fellow monks believe they have found a candidate of Dorje's reincarnation within a boy named Jesse Conrad (Alex Wiesendanger) in Seattle. While Jesse is fascinated with the monks and their way of life, his parents, Dean (Chris Isaak) and Lisa (Bridget Fonda), are wary, and that wariness turns into near-hostility when Norbu announces that he would like to take Jesse back with him to Bhutan to be tested. His father changes his mind however, after the death of one of his close friends, seeming to realize that there could be more to life than work and money. Dean, the father, decides to go to Bhutan with Jesse. In Nepal, two children who are also candidates are encountered, Raju (Rajuh Lal) and Gita (Greishma Makar Singh).

In the story, the Lama Norbu relates the story of Buddha, which is also enacted as a story within the story. In the story, a Hindu Prince called Siddhartha embarks on a journey to attain enlightenment and is viewed by the children in the Story. Mara, a jealous demon, senses that Siddhartha (Keanu Reeves) is about to attain enlightenment and sends his daughters to distract him. Failing to do so, he attempts to shatter Siddhartha’s resolve and thus begins an onslaught of threats, intimidation and temptation. Mara summons a terrifying horde of monsters of every conceivable description but even something as horrific as this still leaves Siddhartha unmoved, unperturbed. Instead he transforms the weapons which these hosts threw at him into lotus petals which exude a lovely fragrance as they gently floated down to earth. Mara decides that Siddhartha will not deny himself and turns into his image in a reflection on a pool of water. Instead Siddhartha reaches and pulls the image out of the water. The classic Buddhist dialogue between Mara and Siddhartha takes place:

Mara: "You who go where others dare not; Will you be my God? The architect of my house?" Siddhartha: "Finally I meet the illusion of self; Your evil house will not be built again." Mara: "But you live in me; I am your house." Siddhartha: "O, trickster; phantom of my own ego, you are pure illusion. You, self, do not exist. The earth is my witness to this Supreme Enlightenment."

Lama Norbu explains that Siddhartha defeated an army of demons, simply through his observance of patience and tolerance. He achieved great peacefulness and compassion, through self-detachment from illusions.

In the end, it is found that all three children are reincarnations of the Lama Dorje - representing his body, mind, and speech. Lama Norbu enters meditation passing away soon after, and a funeral for him is held.

Then, the children distribute his ashes. Jesse sets them off to sea in a bowl. The Raju sets them into the air, and Gita distributes them around the base of the Bodhi Tree.

[edit] Trivia

The Buddha flashback scenes of Little Buddha were photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The rest of the film was filmed in conventional 35 mm Panavision.

In a scene involving Lama Norbu, prominent Tulku Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche made a small cameo appearance, a nod to his role as a consultant to Bertelucci. In a later documentary entitled Words of my Perfect Teacher, the film is referenced with behind the scenes look at the filming of Little Buddha.