Siddhartha the Buddha (the movie)

Wisdom Quarterly

(Lightofasiafoundation) Light of Asia Foundation presents the upcoming epic motion picture "SIDDHARTHA THE BUDDHA."

Not Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha" by Conrad Rooks, a Hindu
tale about another Siddhartha who meets the Buddha


Nor Keanu Reeves as "Little Buddha" by Bernardo Bertolucci
a Tibetan tale about an American tulku (reincarnated lama)

• Siddhartha the Buddha.com

PBS made a wonderful documentary, by filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, telling the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors who have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Insightful with a modern narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and the 14th Dalai Lama. But this is a different undertaking altogether.

Sri Lanka was once a Buddhist country, as it remains officially in spite of its growing minority British Christian, Portuguese and Dutch Catholic, and Tamil Hindu populations. It felt the need to present the life of the Light of Asia, the Buddha. It aims to remain closer to the ancient texts, the Pali Canon, to tell the story with an ancient Theravada twist. Previous movies have focused on Tibetan, Indian, and Mahayana perspectives with or without realizing it. SIDDHARTHA THE BUDDHA has become a national endeavor as Buddhism turns 2,600 years old (officially counting from the time of Siddhartha's mahabodhi or "great enlightenment").