Tulku

Tulku
kanadai dokumentumfilm/angolul beszélő/magyar felirat 76 perc
rendező: Geshar Mukpo
2009

Tulku (2009)

Tulku
Kanadai dokumentumfilm/magyar felirat/76 min
rendező: Gesar Mukpo
forgatókönyv: Gesar Mukpo
szereplők: Gesar Mukpo, Dylan Henderson, Ashoka Mukpo

A megvilágosodott tibeti mesterek reinkarnálódott buddhaként, azaz tulku-ként térnek vissza az emberi világba. Az 1970-es években tulkuk kezdtek születni nyugaton is, ami felbolygatta mind a tibeti rendszert, mind pedig az érintett nyugati gyerekek életét.

Gesar Mukpo elsőként egy kanadai honfitársával, Dylan Hendersonnal készített interjút, aki az első nyugaton felismert tulku volt. Csögyam Trungpa Rinpocse 1975-ben ismerte el őt egyik korábbi tanítójának inkarnációjaként. Az azonosítást Rangjung Rigpe Dordzse, a XVI. Karmapa is megerősítette, aki azt kérte, hogy Henderson élete hátralevő részét a Rumtek kolostorban töltse, Indiában. Csögyam Trungpa ezzel szemben inkább azt javasolta, hogy maradjon nyugaton. Henderson továbbra is tanulmányozza és gyakorolja a buddhizmust, de a keleten megszokott formalitások nélkül. Antropológia és történelem diplomája van.

New Yorkban Mukpo felkeresi féltestvérét, Ashoka Mukpót, akit szintén tulkuként azonosítottak. Ashoka, Gesarhoz hasonlóan világi életet él, a Human Rights Watch emberjogi szervezet amerikai irodájában. Bár a mindennapjait nem egy buddhista tulkuként éli, a lakásában az egyik falon ott lóg egy thangka festmény előző inkarnációjáról, Khamyon Rinpocséről. Ashokát Tibetben tulkunak koronázták, de az ott tapasztaltakat illetve mások elvárásait túlzottnak és néha kényelmetlennek érezte. Úgy érzi, hogy az ő útja nem az, hogy egy szerzetesi köntöst viselő tanító legyen, hanem az, hogy másoknak segítsen, a lakhelyéhez és kultúrájához illő módon.

Mukpo ezután meglátogatja a tibeti menekülttábort Birben, észak Indiában, ami 1950. óta fogadja a kínai megszállás elől menekülő tibetieket. Mentorával, Dzongsar Khjence Rinpocéval készített itt interjút, akivel együtt tanult Indiában a hagyományos iskolai oktatás helyett. Khjence, aki egy díjnyertes rendező (A Kupa (The Cup), Utazók és Mágusok (Travelers and Magicians) és híres buddhista mester, magával ragadóan mesél a tulku rendszer kialakulásáról, hibáiról és lehetséges hiányosságairól, különösen annak tükrében, hogy a buddhizmus nyugaton is terjed. Mukpo beszél saját belső konfliktusáról is, buddhista és nyugati énje között, keseregve mind azon a szinte leküzdhetetlen akadályon, amit a gyakorlás jelentett számára, mikor fiatalként próbált beilleszkedni, mind pedig azon a nyomáson és felelősségérzeten, ami a tulkuként való felismerés miatt nehezedik rá.

Mukpo találkozik egy 20 éves San Franciscoi fiatallal, Wyatt Arnolddal, aki tibeti nyelvet tanult Indiában. Arnoldot egészen kis gyerekkorában ismerték fel tulkunak és öt éves korában koronázták meg. Akkor ment volna Indiába is, de a szülei végül nem engedték. Arnold beszél előző inkarnációjáról való emlékeiről és megemlékezik kedves gyermekkori tibeti buddhista tanítójáról, Csagdud Tulku Rinpocséről is. Arnoldnak fiatalként ellentmondásos érzései vannak szerepéről és feladatáról, így tanácsot és útmutatást kér Mukpótól, aki 14 évvel idősebb nála.

Nepálban Mukpo ellátogat a Szecsen kolostorba. Ez szép emlékeket idéz fel benne: mikor Mukpo 15 éves volt, apja meghalt és anyja ide küldte tanulni egy évre Dilgo Khjentse Rinpocséhez. Nepálban Mukpo interjút készít Reuben Derksennel is, aki 1986-ban született Amszterdamban, majd Nepálban és Bhutánban nőtt fel és 11 éves korában ismerték el tulkunak. Derksen a legcinikusabb azok közül a fiatal tulkuk közül, akikkel Mukpo interjút készített, mert nagyrészt csak negatív tapasztalatai vannak arról az indiai tibeti buddhista kolostorról, ahol három évet töltött az érettségije után. Bár már nem tekinti magát buddhistának, évente mégis visszatér, hogy levezetője legyen egy hagyományos egy hetes buddhista ünnepségnek, és főleg csak azért, mert a jelenléte oly sok embert boldoggá tesz.

Családjához hazatérve Halifaxba, Mukpo visszatekint életére és azokra a tapasztalatokra, amelyeket a tulkukkal és buddhista tanítókkal készített interjúi során szerzett. Beismeri, hogy nincsenek könnyű válaszok azokra a nehézségekre és ellentmondásokra, amelyekkel egy nyugaton azonosított tibeti tulkunak kell megküzdenie modern, gyorsan változó világunkban. A kulturális konfliktus egyik megoldása a szeretett tanítókkal, közösségekkel és hagyományokkal kötött szoros kapcsolat. Nyugati tulku társairól szólva, befejezésül azt mondja: "Nincs biztos ösvény egyikünk számára sem, kivéve önmagunk felfedezésének ösvényét."
2011 86min

Tulku (2009)
76 min - Documentary - 25 May 2009 (Canada)
Director: Gesar Mukpo
Writer: Gesar Mukpo
Stars: Gesar Mukpo, Dylan Henderson, Ashoka Mukpo

Enlightened Tibetan masters return as recognized "tulkus" -- reincarnated buddhas. In the 1970s, tulkus began to be born in the West, confusing both the Tibetan system and the lives of the Western children involved.

Gesar Mukpo begins by interviewing a fellow Canadian, Dylan Henderson, who was the first Caucasian tulku discovered in the West, recognized in 1975 by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as the incarnation of one of his teachers. The identification was confirmed by Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16thKarmapa, who requested that Henderson come to the Rumtek Monastery in India for the rest of his life.[4] Chögyam Trungpa, however, recommended that he remain in the West. Henderson maintains his Buddhist studies and practices, but without the form and structure present in the East. He has a degree in anthropology and history.

In New York City, Mukpo visits his younger half-brother Ashoka Mukpo,[5] who was also identified as a tulku. Ashoka, like Gesar, leads a secular life, working in the U.S. division of Human Rights Watch.[6] Although he has not adopted the life of a Buddhist tulku, he has a thangka wall-hanging portrait of his previous incarnation, Khamyon Rinpoche, in his apartment.[7] Ashoka was enthroned as a tulku in Tibet, and found the experience, as well as the expectations of others, very intense and at times uncomfortable. He feels his path is not to be a teacher, wearing monk's robes, but rather to help others and give back in ways appropriate to his location and culture.

Mukpo visits the Tibetan refugee colony of Bir in Northern India, which since the 1950s has welcomed fleeing Tibetans after the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He interviews his mentor Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, with whom he studied in India instead of attending college. Khyentse, who is an award-winning filmmaker (The Cup, Travelers and Magicians) as well as a renowned Buddhist master, speaks eloquently about the development of the tulku system, and also about its flaws and possible failings, especially as Buddhism spreads in the West. Mukpo describes his own internal conflict between his Buddhist side and his Western side, lamenting both the seeming incongruousness of the practice when he became a teen and wanted to fit in, and the pressure and obligation he has felt because he bears the designation of tulku.

Mukpo meets a 20-year-old from San Francisco, Wyatt Arnold, who has been studying Tibetan in India for the past year.[8] Arnold was identified as a tulku as a young child and enthroned at the age of five.[9] He was slated to go to India at that time, but his parents decided against it. Arnold speaks about his early memories of his former incarnation, and about his fond memories of his childhood Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the U.S., Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Arnold seems youthfully conflicted about his role and task,[10] and seeks advice and feedback from Mukpo, who is 14 years his senior.

In Nepal, Mukpo visits the Shechen Monastery. This brings back fond memories: When Mukpo was 15, his father died, and his mother sent him there to study with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche for a year. While in Nepal, Mukpo also interviews Reuben Derksen, who was born in Amsterdam in 1986, raised in Nepal and Bhutan, and recognized as a tulku at the age of 11.[11] Derksen is the most cynical of all the young tulkus Mukpo interviews, having had a largely negative experience at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India he lived at for three years following high school. Although he no longer considers himself a Buddhist, he still goes back annually to emcee the weeklong Buddhist ceremony in Bhutan, mainly because his presence makes the people there so happy.

Returning home to Halifax and his family, Mukpo reflects upon his life and upon the experiences of the tulkus and teachers he has interviewed. He admits that there are no easy answers to the complications and contradictions of being a Westerner identified as a Tibetan tulku in a modern, rapidly changing world. One compensation to the culture conflict is the meaningful connection formed to beloved teachers, communities, and heritages. Speaking about his fellow Western tulkus, he concludes, "There is no certain path for any of us, other than the path of self-discovery."

Tulku is a 2009 documentary film, written and directed by Gesar Mukpo. The film details the personal experiences of five young Western men who were identified in childhood as being tulkus, or reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist masters.

For over 700 years tulkus have been sought out as highly revered leaders and teachers of Tibetan Buddhism. Beginning in the 1970s, several tulkus have been identified as having incarnated in the West. These new, Western-born, very modern tulkus lead lives prone to culture clash and identity confusion.

Background
Gesar Mukpo, who wrote and directed Tulku, was born in 1973, the son of world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his British wife Diana. At the age of three, Mukpo was identified by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as the reincarnation of the late Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche (the Jamgon Kongtrul of Shechen), one of his own father's teachers in Tibet.[2][3] Three-year-old Gesar was then enthroned as a tulku in Berkeley, California.

In the film, Mukpo's British mother describes her scandalous marriage to a Tibetan monk, and her vision in a dream of a being who asked to be her son. When Gesar was born and was identified as a tulku, his father believed he could be a great teacher, but did not send him away to a monastery, believing it would separate him from his environment too much.

Mukpo, who grew up internationally, and whose father died in 1987, lives an ordinary secular life in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has a daughter, is separated from his wife, and is a music video director and producer. Aware of the irony of his situation and the ambiguity of his life purpose, in the film he sets out to interview other Western tulkus to see if their disorientation is similar to his own, and to see how each has coped with the unique status of Western-born tulku. Mukpo travels to various locations to interview other young Western tulkus and the significant people in their lives. In the process, he relates his own life story and dilemmas as well.
Synopsis

Gesar Mukpo begins by interviewing a fellow Canadian, Dylan Henderson, who was the first Caucasian tulku discovered in the West, recognized in 1975 by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as the incarnation of one of his teachers. The identification was confirmed by Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, who requested that Henderson come to the Rumtek Monastery in India for the rest of his life.[4] Chögyam Trungpa, however, recommended that he remain in the West. Henderson maintains his Buddhist studies and practices, but without the form and structure present in the East. He has a degree in anthropology and history.

In New York City, Mukpo visits his younger half-brother Ashoka Mukpo,[5] who was also identified as a tulku. Ashoka, like Gesar, leads a secular life, working in the U.S. division of Human Rights Watch.[6] Although he has not adopted the life of a Buddhist tulku, he has a thangka wall-hanging portrait of his previous incarnation, Khamyon Rinpoche, in his apartment.[7] Ashoka was enthroned as a tulku in Tibet, and found the experience, as well as the expectations of others, very intense and at times uncomfortable. He feels his path is not to be a teacher, wearing monk's robes, but rather to help others and give back in ways appropriate to his location and culture.
Gesar Mukpo (right) relaxes with his former teacher, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (left), in Northern India.

Mukpo visits the Tibetan refugee colony of Bir in Northern India, which since the 1950s has welcomed fleeing Tibetans after the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He interviews his mentor Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, with whom he studied in India instead of attending college. Khyentse, who is an award-winning filmmaker (The Cup, Travelers and Magicians) as well as a renowned Buddhist master, speaks eloquently about the development of the tulku system, and also about its flaws and possible failings, especially as Buddhism spreads in the West. Mukpo describes his own internal conflict between his Buddhist side and his Western side, lamenting both the seeming incongruousness of the practice when he became a teen and wanted to fit in, and the pressure and obligation he has felt because he bears the designation of tulku.

Mukpo meets a 20-year-old from San Francisco, Wyatt Arnold, who is has been studying Tibetan in India for the past year.[8] Arnold was identified as a tulku as a young child and enthroned at the age of five.[9] He was slated to go to India at that time, but his parents decided against it. Arnold speaks about his early memories of his former incarnation, and about his fond memories of his childhood Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the U.S., Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Arnold seems youthfully conflicted about his role and task,[10] and seeks advice and feedback from Mukpo, who is 14 years his senior.

In Nepal, Mukpo visits the Shechen Monastery. This brings back fond memories: When Mukpo was 15, his father died, and his mother sent him there to study with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche for a year. While in Nepal, Mukpo also interviews Reuben Derksen, who was born in Amsterdam in 1986, raised in Nepal and Bhutan, and recognized as a tulku at the age of 11.[11] Derksen is the most cynical of all the young tulkus Mukpo interviews, having had a largely negative experience at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India he lived at for three years following high school. Although he no longer considers himself a Buddhist, he still goes back annually to emcee the weeklong Buddhist ceremony in Bhutan, mainly because his presence makes the people there so happy.

Returning home to Halifax and his family, Mukpo reflects upon his life and upon the experiences of the tulkus and teachers he has interviewed. He admits that there are no easy answers to the complications and contradictions of being a Westerner identified as a Tibetan tulku in a modern, rapidly changing world. One compensation to the culture conflict is the meaningful connection formed to beloved teachers, communities, and heritages. Speaking about his fellow Western tulkus, he concludes, "There is no certain path for any of us, other than the path of self-discovery."