(Enter The Mandala) In April 2025, we visited the construction of the
World Peace Stupa in Tsum Valley, Nepal.
This was the first time we made the journey by foot
rather than by helicopter. We were led by Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Tenzin Zopa, retracing the route
he had walked many times as a child.
We hope that through this video viewers can join us in experiencing the blessings of this sacred land.
Music at end is "Snow Flower" by Tenzin Choegyal.
The Tsum Valley Trek goes to the remotest Himalayan region in Nepal which was once restricted as visitors were kept out. The Tsum Valley lies at the far northern side of Gorkha District in Nepal.
The valley gets its fame from being a sacred place blessed by Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche), misunderstood to be one of the "incarnations" of Lord Buddha [as if a buddha were ever reborn, having by definition already overcome ALL rebirth, suffering, and cyclical "becoming" in samsara, more likely a bodhisattva striving to become Maitreya Buddha].
Buddhists revere this place as sacred, and most living in this region follow the Tibetan form of Vajrayana Buddhism infused with remnants of Bon shamanism. The valley lies in the lap of Ganesh Himal and offers the best view of surrounding areas with a good contrast to glistening peaks in the background. Other peaks like Singi Himal and Himal Chuli may also be observed up close during this trek.
The Buddhist concept of rebirth -- often poorly translated as "reincarnation" -- while both mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most Westerners to grasp.
UNMISTAKEN CHILD follows the four-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world-renowned Tibetan master who passed away in 2001 at the age of 84.
The 14th Dalai Lama, who himself is believed to be the same being reborn on Earth life after life to save or protect the people of Tibet, charges the deceased monk's devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who had been in his service since the age of seven), to search for his master's reincarnation.
Tenzin sets off on this unforgettable quest on foot, mule, and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way Tenzin listens to stories about young children with special characteristics and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation.
He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master to the Dalai Lama so he can make the final decision.
Stunningly shot, UNMISTAKEN CHILD is a beguiling, surprising, touching, and humorous experience.
"Unmistaken Child" is a glimpse into a mysterious process A monk searches for the childhood reincarnation of his deceased Tibetan master
"Unmistaken Child" does more than take you inside a closed culture in an almost unreachable part of the world. It bears witness to a strange and mysterious process, the search for the childhood reincarnation of a recently deceased and revered Tibetan master. Its privileged glimpse deep into unfamiliar spiritual territory has the strength of revelation.
This journey began for writer-director Nati Baratz in 2002, when he met a monk named Tenzin Zopa at the Kopan Monastery in Nepal and realized that the young man had been delegated by the Dalai Lama to find the reincarnation of the legendary Geshe Lama Konchog, who had died the year before at the age of 84.
Zopa was not chosen for his task by accident. For 21 years, since he was a boy of 7, he had on his own volition been the attendant of Geshe Lama Konchog, familiarly known as Geshe-la, a man revered for spending decades in solitary meditation in an isolated cave. More>>
Following a young monk’s journey in search of his master’s reincarnation
“Unmistaken Child” documents the four-year search of Tenzin Zopa, a gentle, baby-faced 28-year-old Nepalese monk, for the reincarnation of his Tibetan master, Geshe Lama Konchog, who died in 2001. The young monk’s journey, on foot, by mule and by helicopter, begun at the request of the Dalai Lama, takes him through some of the world’s most spectacular high country, as he travels from village to village, seeking a very young child, 1 to 1 ½, who shows signs of being his reincarnated teacher. More>>
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