Review of Kundun (1997) by Vanessa L — 01 Oct 2009

Kundun is the story of the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. After the 13th Lama dies, as search begins to find him reborn. After testing, a young boy living near the Chinese and Tibetan border is that new incarnation. He is poor, but will now be raised in a palace, needing nothing. He is trained and seeks enlightenment, as a reflection of Buddha himself. As he grows toward maturity, he is only vaguely aware of the politics going on around him. He is still a boy, having fun, driving a car, and visiting his parents. He studies geography, looking for the locations of Pearl Harbor and Great Britain. He presents the false teeth of the previous Lama to his mother as a present. He watches news reels about Hitler and the atomic bomb. Just before the Lama turns eighteen and takes his throne, the Chinese invade Tibet, lying about their liberation plans. The Lama is forced to negotiate with Mao Tse-tung, the ruler of China. ?They have taken away our silence? says the Lama, as Chinese propaganda is blasted over loud speakers in Tibet. He is a man of few words, usually preferring to listen, rather than make comments. At the end, the Lama is force to flee Tibet into India. We are left with the sense that there is a lot more to come in that we will never get to see.

We see many references to the Buddhist religion. There are amazing ceremonies, the Three Jewels, and the Four Truths. The movie is a strong testament to Buddhist faith and the practice of non-violence. The world?s religions could certainly learn a lot from them. The Dalai Lama is like Buddha himself, raised in luxury, but turning away from the worldly, looking to find liberation from suffering. He is Buddhism personified.

I myself am not religious; but a line from the movie struck a nerve with me. Mao Tse-tung tells the Lama that religion is poison. I completely disagree. Religion is hope in a hopeless world. For the Buddhists, it is the path to enlightenment and true happiness. It is liberation from desire, the root of all suffering.

References.

Scorsese, Martin, dir. Kundun. Perf. Tenzin T. Tsarong . 1997. Buena Vista Pictures . DVD.