Message from mhogan

[Anonymous]

I haven't seen "Little Buddha" for a while, but liked it when I did. I find it very instructional, its use of the stories of Buddha. From my studies of Buddhism, thesub-plot stories are pretty in-line. I originally thought just those sections (the sub-plot, I guess) would be used in the classroom to teach Buddhism, as they are the most direct link to Buddhist ideas. However, the main plot may also be interesting to 6th graders. I actually met a reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist in 4th grade form the other year. I went to see the Mandala at LACMA and sat next to this woman from Santa Barbara who told me all about how her son was the reincarnated spirit of the teacher of the monks whom I was watching perform this ceremony. He had been "found" just a year previously. His older brother was allegedly his spiritual protector. It was intriguing to meet this Caucasian woman from California and hear all about their family experience and how her son was going to fulfill an ancient prediction that would link both the Tibetan Buddhists and one of the native American tribes. It was quite an experience. Anyway, I share this to say that the movie is not as farfetched as I originally thought it was.