Clemens Kuby : Living Buddha, English

[Opening with Tibetan music]

[ The hard sound of wore-shippers
scrapping along the hard road ]

[ Interpreter ] - Where are you from?

- from the Riko monastery

[ Int.] -How long have you been doing this?

- For one year.

[ Int. ] - Where are you going?
- To Lasha

[ Int.] -But it is at least 300 miles to Lasha.
How long it will take you?

[ Int] - About 3 months.

[ Int.] - How many
prostration you do a day?

[ Int. ] - About 3000

[ Int. ] - A day?
- Less than 4 miles.

[ Female Narrator ] -Prostrations
are spiritual exercises.

It cleanses people of egotism,
greed, aggression and ignorance.

[ Local voices of prayers ]

[ Male Narrator ] -Tibetans make a
pilgrimage to Lhasa just once in their lives

There they pray for their spiritual
leaders; who fled the Country in

1959 in the face of Chinese
treats to destroy them.

They honour and venerate Karnapa.
Gyalwang Karmapa.

The head of a long established
Kagyu line in Tibete.

Older than the Sect of the Dalai Lama.

Kamapa marched with more than
100 monks over the Himalayas into exile.

Untse? Karmapa's tutor, quickly
formed a new monastic community.

And the ancient traditional teachings
of Tibetan Buddhism continued to florish.

[ Many voices ]

[ Fem. Narrator ]This place is called
Rumtek, a monestary Sikkim which

was then a little Buddhist kingdom,

North of India, on the southern
slopes of the Himalayas.

The Rumtek monastery became the
new headquarters of Karmapa in exile.

[ Male Narrator ] - Karmapa
is the holder of the black crown; a

symbol of his mastership. he is the living
link of an undropping chain of enlighted

beings back to the historical Buddha
Shakyamouni who lived in India

in 700 BC. He is Buddha. Buddah
Shakyamouni, transmits his experiences

to his people, who also became enlighted
and are able to help thei pupils or

so to reach the stage of self liberation.

In the 12th century, this chain
of enlighten beings, led to

the 1st Karmapa. Who then developed
the unique ability to predict exactly and

in writing his own reincarnation.
As did the 2nd Karmapa and

the 3rd and so fourth up to him

the present the 16th of reincarnation.

of Karmapa. He died 1n 1991 at
the age of 57. His body was

cremated at Rumetk monestary.
It was a State funeral. nd mourners

gather from all corners of the earth.

Karmapa has millions of followers.

He left behind 4 number of
representatives or interim regents.

Sharma on the right, Tai Sitou
on the left, Jamgon and Gyaltsab,

the youngest of the interim regents.

Rainbows over the blue sky of Sikkim.
In Tibete a sure sign of an enlighten

being has left its body. In Buddhism
death is not the end.

Karmapa died with the promise that
he would give a clear sign by which

he could be recognised in his new life.

But for a long time no more clues were found.

Until eleven years later.

[ Dalai Lama ] - I've got something new.
I've dreamed of the location, the area

where the person is born... One valley is next...

to the stones and lawns...actually it looks
high altitude...and then facing the South

there are some streams...small beautiful
streams... and then there is a main...

the picture. There is someone there...and it

told me... actually without its form....
that someone...some source, you see, telling

to me : ''This is the place!
Where Karmapa was born.

[ Fem. Narrator ] where could this place be?

How could it be found?

[ Tromp Music + ]

[ Male narrator ] - Here in northern India,
is where Taï Sitou, one of Karmapas

of 4 interim regents made
an interesting disovery.

[ Sound of a box being open ]

[ Male narrator] - pressured by the faithful
that hope and expected Karmapa has

left some clues behind, Sitou felt
that he should open the talisman

Karmapa had given him 10 months,

before his death with the words: ''this
will protect you and some day it will be useful.

His Sanctity has given me this protection.
...pouch.... In early January 1981.

And one day it was sneaking here...
I opened that and found an envelope.

And the envelope had red ink letter
saying that this should be opened

in the iron horse year. And then I
was very very happy.

And then after the , after I offer the
letter to Rumtek...it would be taken

in March 1982.

[ Male narrator ] - Traditionally such talisman
are never opened; but since no one had

found any indication of Karmapa's
rebirth, he decided to open it, afterall.

[ someone ]- But the letter is still...
[ Taï Sitou ]- The letter is in Rumtek, yes. the

envelope and the letter, both.
It's in alter.

[ Male narrator ] - here in the Rumtek
monastery, in the late heathquarters of

the late Karmapa, this most important
and holy document is protected by

the secret police; those from outside and inside.

Absolutely no one has access to it.

Only Karmapa himself when
he returns his new reencarnation

has the right to break these seals.

[ Sitou ] - But I have a copy here
of the sacred letter and

this is in Tibetanian;
so i read this:

[ Translation of reading by Sitou ]
- Self awareness is always blessed.

A diamong dirt has no centre or
edge; from here to the North

and East of the land of snow
is a country where divine

thunders spontaneous blazes.

In a good nomads place

with a sign of a cow.

"methode is Deundroub
and wisdom is Lolaga."

Born in the year one
used for the earth.

with miraculous far reaching
sound of the the white one.

This system is known as karmapa.

He is sustained by a lord Droupa.

Being no sectarian he
prevades in all directions.

Staying close to some
and distant from others

he is the protector of all beings.

[ Sitou ] -When I discovered these
I was very pleased. and actually it

was a tremendous relief; it was

exactly the blessing and also

inspiration of the highest aspect.

In which we have been waiting

and we were finally blessed by it.

So I was very very happy.

[ Sound of a bell ]

[ Narrator ] - This letter was
interpreted by Gyaltsab on the left

Jamgon, Sitou and Sharmapa
on the right, workinng together.

They al came to a unanimous
conclusion which Gyaltsab

reads to us.
[ Translator/narrator male ] - From here
to the North in the East of the land

of snow, we interpret here
as Rumtek, where Karmapa

wrote the letter. And in the East
of the land of snow means

we have to look for him
in east Tibet because

land of snow is the
Tibetan name for Tibet.

Where dine thunders
spontaneous blazes

indicates a district in
Eastern Tibet.

''Lha'' means divine
and ''Thok'' means thunder.

There is only one community
in Eastern Tibet named Lhathok.

The letter describes the area
more precisely as a good nomad

place with a sign of a cow.

''Goood'' means a good fertile area

this area must have a name
which includes the syllabus ''KAh''

meaning cow.

The next line, the method is

Deundroub and wisdom is Lolaga

predicts the name of the parents.

It refers to the Buddhist symbolism.

The sun symbolises the masculine
principle of the method. And the

moon symbolises the
female principle of wisdom.

Therefore the father must be

named Deundoup,
and the mother Lolaga.

Born in the year of the one used
for the earth prophecises

the year of his birth.

During the relevant period
of the Tibetan calender there

is in addition to snake, dragon,
hair and tiger, only one animal

sign used for the earth, the ox, in 1985.

The words the miraculous far
reaching sound of the white one

refer to the white conk shell that
we use in Tibet in religious music,

which is always called the ''white one''.

Sustained by Lord Droupa, refers to
Sitou whom buddhist name of honour is

Droupa. In his previous life,
Sitou had identified the last

Karmapa and was chosen to
exercise his function once again.

With respect so much for the moment

Jamgon, Karmapa's other Interim Regent

[ Interviewer ] -What do you think personally
of the letter?

[ Jamgon ] - very precise

[ Interviewer ] - do you think that the
information which the letter contained

and how you interpret it, will enable

you to find the reincarnation of Karmapa?

- Yes; we ought to say that. Yes, it is
very clear and very precise. And that

is why we are all very confident

about finding his Holiness... or Him...

[ Narrator ] - Because of visa problems

a copy of the letter is sent together
with the interpretation to Tsurphu's

monastery in Tibet.

Tsurphu, has been the seat of all
Karmapas for 800 years.

[ The sound of the
gong and the tromp ]

[ Male Narrator ] - Drupon
Déchen, the abbot of the

monastery gives Lama Tomo

the task of leading the search
with the letter as a guide.

[ Translator ] - Take Ashang Letro with you,

and travel to Kham,
East Tibet and then follow

the directions in the letter.

The reincarnation of Karmapa,
is something so unique; is like

an offering cup
made of a pure blue gems.

Hopefully, after 12 years
of waiting all our wishes are

going to be fulfilled.

The letter brings a blessing.

For Tomo this is the greatest
task of his life. Only a handful

of people know of his mission;

because indications and conditions

could be manipulated and
the search could therefore fail.

As discreetly as possible
Tomo sets up on his long

journey together with his
companions; 70 year old

Ashang Letro, with the white hat,
Titi his attendant, a driver and Pato.

[ Fem. Narrator ] - no one in tibet

is allowed to travel without
official permission. Therefore Pato

in the black coat government officer,

accompanies them.

[ Music beat for the road ]

[ Fem. Narrator ] - It is more than
1,600 km to Lathok, east of Tibet.

And several military check points

have to be passed.

[ Music beat for the road including
a Tibetan song ]

- Pato! ''You simply will say that
you are on a official inspection trip;

and that you were kind
enough to take us along.''

- ''Tomo Lama will not tell anyone

of what we are looking for;
we will pretend to be pilgrims.''

[ fem. Narrator ] - The job they
have to do is very risky; because

searching for reincarnation is
condemned as a superstition

activity by the Chinese
and severely punished.

Therefore they have to keep
the reason for their journey

strictly a secret. And if they
really find Karmapa their

hope is that Karmapa wil protect them.

Karmaka is not like an ordinary
reincarnation; He is a living Buddha.

And the Chinese would
provoke an upraise in Tibet

if the chose to condemn him;
as they did up to now with many others.

[ Male Narrator ] - For 30 years the Tibetans

have been strictly forbidden for
practising their religion.

In the meantime however
very few selected monasteries

were given permission to rebuild.

The monasteries were centres of
education for everyone.

the country on the roof of the world

is as big as west Europe or
a quarter of the US.

But onlly with 6,000.000 inhabitants.

Since 1960, Beijing has been oppressing

Tibet wit one half million soldiers.

Colonising it for what there are now

8,000,000 new Chinese settlers.

[ Fem. Narrator ] - More than a 1,000.000

Tibetans have been killed.
The country has been looted.

Tibet national resources are
plundered and nearly all of

the wild animals have been wiped out.

Before the Chinese started
to build roads one could see

great hordes of antelopes
wild donkeys and Yaks.

Today only a few birds are left.

[ Male narrator ] - Tibetans do not
kill animals just for fun or profit;

it would be against their faith.

The majority are nomads who
live with and not against nature.

Tibetan sounds... traditional song
with English theme ''misery'' ]

The Himalayan Valley can
be so large that it takes

all day to cross it.

If the jeep has a breakdown
there is no one who can help.

It is so cold that in the morning

one can drive over frozen rivers

but by midday they've
thaw out again.

These extremes of temperature
are repeated day after day.

Tibetan sounds... traditional song
with English theme ''misery'' ]

[Fem. Narrator ] - This is a search
where nothing can go wrong.

The monks from Tsurphu bear
an enormous responsibility.

If they're not able to find Karmapa

they will disappoint millions
of people whose faith in reincarnation

as a law of nature, would be
deeply shaken.

[ Male Narrator ] - The search party now

has to proceed on horse back,
because there are no roads

into the district of Lhathok .

They need 4 riding horses and
1 pack horse for at least 2 weeks.

Horses are rear and not easy
to get but with friendly words

they quickly come to terms.

[ Sound of dialogue and bell ringing ]

Before drinking one always sacrifices

a few drops to the angry spirits.

[ Fem. Narrator ] - If the beer is
made out of barley or salted

butter tea which tastes like
a greasy grog.

[ Sound of dialogue and bell ringing ]

[ Male Narrator ] - The horses of the Himalayas are pretty small

and pretty tough.

[ Sound of dialogue and bell ringing ]

[ Male Narrator ] - Without giving
themselves away the men

continue the search.

Now the arduous part of the
journey begins. The day's ride

to Lhathok over high passes
are too dangerous ravines

[ Rhythmic tambourine sounds ]

[ Male Narrator ] - The monks
of Tsurphu have sent Pato on ahead

to see if the coast is clear and
to find accomodation in Lhathok.

After thee days in the saddle

Pato reaches Lhathok.

Above the village at the C--- monastery

which was completed
destroyed by the invaders

in 1966 and recently rebuilt.

The Abbot Lama Palden welcomes
the camouflaged pilgrims fro Tsurphu.

He spent 25 years in prison.

Now once again he looks after the
little boys sent to the monastery

for education.

[ Fem. Narrator ] - Could
Karmapa only be among them?

[ Male Interviwer ]- Lama Palden, do you

have any unusual children?

[ Translator ] - Recently many children
from the area have again begun

to enter the monastery and although

I am able to see if a child
has special skills and qualities

I'm not able to see where they've
been in their previous lives.

[ A Bhutanese Voice...]

[ Fem. narrator ] - Tradition says that
there had been earlier incarnation

of karmapa who identified themselves

with they're very first words:
'' I am Karmapa''

In the case of such a child however,

his personal data always has to
correspond exactly with the

indications in the letter of prophecies.

[ Voices of happy children ]

[ Male narrator ] - Tomo and lodro
not only interviewed monks . They also

talked to people outside the monastery.

[ Translator ] - They asked me about
a place with "Kor" in its name.

Yes i said: Bakor the Valley of the cows.

And they wanted to know if
there was a woman named Lolaga.

Yes there is. And her husband is
called Deundoup.