The Lama Child

Kalu Rinpoche was one of the most loved Tibetan Lamas of the late 20th century. He passed away in 1989, and the following year his reincarnation was born in Darjeeling, in his former assistant’s family.

This film, which begins when the Tulku is just 2 years old, follows his progress up and till his 4th birthday. During this time he is still spending time with his father, Lama Gyaltsen and his wife Drolkar, not at home, but inside the monastery.

As he grows up he will spend more and more time with his monastic handlers, and less time with his family, but for now, he is still just a young child, learning his way in the world. Still, he has to perform arduous and sometimes lengthy duties giving darshan and blessings to his former incarnation’s devotees, both in India and in France, and around the world.

This is another of the films by the great Bruno Vienne, who went on to film a later episode in the life of the Tulku in The Children of the Buddha.