Great movie!

Palzang

Recently American University in the District (of Columbia) hosted BuddhaFest, a four day celebration of Buddhism in film and with various speakers. I only was able to make it to one movie (Tulku, by Gesar Mukpo, which was excellent), but I was able to get the DVD of another movie I have been waiting a long time to see, Buddha's Lost Children. It tells the story of Phra Khru Bah, a Thai Buddhist monk and former professional kick boxer, who runs a monastery called the Golden Horse Monastery in the very north of Thailand, smack dab in the middle of the infamous Golden Triangle with Burma and Laos, source of the majority of the world's supply of heroin. His mission in life, now that he is a monk, is to rescue the children of the area who are orphaned or whose parents are drug addicts or so poor they can't feed their children. He takes the young boys into his monastery as novice monks and educates them, feeds them, and gives them the life skills they will need to survive in this hostile environment. Along the way he also teaches their elders how to live and how to reject the drug trade, which before he came along was rampant and uncontrolled in this area. His efforts have been so successful, in fact, that the local drug lords have tried to kill him several times, either with poison or by physical attacks. So far they have not been successful.

The movie itself is fantastic, made by a Dutch documentary filmmaker. I highly recommend it. Since it is unlikely to be playing at your local multiplex any time soon, you can purchase the DVD at their website. Part of the proceeds go to support the monastery. It is easily one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen.

Palzang

mugzy

That sounds wonderful! I wonder if it would be possible to have it shown at a local independent cinema.

NomaDBuddha

From what I've seen on the website, the film is really , really nice ! Too bad it's not advertised enough to "spread the word".

Palzang

Ah, finally able to get back on! An exercise in impermanence, perhaps?

Anyway, Mugzy, if you go to their website and click the contacts, you can go to the distributor's site. Maybe you can arrange something directly with them, if you have a theater in mind. Or you can buy the DVD.

Palzang

LesC

Thanks Palzie... I shall order this DVD. How long did it take to arrive?

Palzang

I don't know. I got it at Buddhafest.

Palzang

LesC

I have ordered it. They got back to me right away... I'll try to remember to tell you how look it took... probably many weeks!!!!

Palzang

Well, not everyone lives on an island!

Palzang

truthseeker

Thank you for the tip, Palzang. I look forward to watching the movie. Although I live in northern Thailand I have never heard of Wat Maa Tong or Phra Khru Bah. Are you sure that's his name? "Khru Bah" means "crazy teacher" in Thai... well, it wouldn't surprise me after all. Just for your information: the poppy seed/heroin days of the Golden Triangle are long gone. I think it faded some time in the late eighties. You can tell when the CIA types get transferred to other sunny locations. Today the problem is amphetamines (Ya Ba) and other synthetic drugs that are produced en masse in the Burmese jungles along the border. It's not concentrated in the Golden Triangle aerea any longer.

Cheers, Thomas

Palzang

Hi, Thomas. His full name is Phra Khru Bah Neua Chai Kositto. Not speaking Thai, I had no idea what "Phra Khru Bah" meant, though I figured "Phra" means "monk" (just like English "Fra"). Anyway, if you go to the website, the geographical coordinates are there somewhere, which I used to find the place on Google Earth. Happy to hear that the bad old days of heroin running aren't what they used to be, though it is very clear in the movie that times are still pretty rough in that area.

Palzang

pwursteisen

I just had the opportunity to visit the monastery yesterday! I was also very fortunate to get to meet Phra Khru Bah, as he rode up on his horse just as we were leaving. The man is truly inspirational and just standing there w/ him and some of his students, I could feel a sense of peace. I was also able to visit the cave where he was meditating when the bees surrounded him and he originally got the sign that inspired him to dedicate his life to others. The whole experience was truly amazing!

Vangelis

Ah yes, I remember when this movie was originally promoted some years ago now and I wanted to see it. I have since forgotten all about it. Thanks for the reminder and link to where I can buy it.

LesC

I bought this movie also - truly inspirational. I have submitted it to my local film festival for consideration.

Ada_B

See, next time anyone says that they've tried Buddhism and its all negative and depressing, I'll point them in the direction of that guy! He's not sitting there moaning about living in a difficult part of the world, and how horrible it is with all the junkies and drug traffikers about - he's going out there and making a difference!

Is there some sort of Buddhist way to say "Way to go, mate!"?

buddhajunkie

Be sure to rate and review it on rottentomatoes and other sites.

Palzang

Is there some sort of Buddhist way to say "Way to go, mate!"?

In Tibet they say, "EH MA HO!"

Palzang