Tulku reborn: "Buddha in Suburbia" (doc)

Movie-discovery.com (Buddha in Suburbia); Ashley Wells, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buddha in Suburbia

Efforts to recover lost [Tibetan] spiritual teachings

This film tracks the extraordinary journey of 40-year-old Lelung Rinpoche, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s three principal tulkus (reborn teachers, reincarnations), as he sets out to gather the lost teachings of his tradition and return to his homeland, Tibet.

For the past seven years, Lelung Rinpoche has been living in North London, in the garden shed of one of his students. He runs a Dharma or teaching center, which is attended by British followers.

Now a British passport holder, he embarks on a mission to find previous incarnations of Lelung’s Vajrayana teachings and those who hold the key to unlocking their secrets.

HBO's Mr. Show imagines a tulku in Indiana

His fascinating odyssey takes him to India, Mongolia, and China as he tries to find a way back home to Tibet. Along the way the rinpoche meets some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most senior teachers, including the Tibetan prime minister in exile.

This documentary follows Lelung Rinpoche as he takes on the most daunting of tasks: to recover lost spiritual teachings before they disappear forever while taking the right steps on his own path towards enlightenment.

“An enlightening documentary”

- Mike Mulvihill (The Times)

• Directed by Robert Wilkins. Produced by Simon Wheeler. Narrated by Hermione Norris.