Little Buddha Page #4

Lama Norbu!

[ Siddhartha ]

Oh, my father,

why have you hidden the truth

from me for so long?

Why have you lied to me

about the existence of suffering,

sickness, poverty,

old age and death?

If I've lied to you, Siddhartha,

it has been because I love you.

Your love

has become a prison.

How can I live here

as I lived before...

when so many

are suffering outside?

You never wanted

to go outside.

- Father.

- Mm-hmm.

I must find an answer

to suffering.

Even if you betray me,

Siddhartha,

have you no pity for the wife you leave,

and for your own son?

My... child is born?

Born this very evening.

Think of them, Siddhartha.

You too are a father.

You too have a duty.

You cannot leave now.

Even my love

for Yasodhara...

and my son...

cannot remove

the pain I feel.

For I know that they too

will have to suffer,

grow old...

and die.

Like you, like me,

like us all.

Yes.

We must all die...

and be reborn...

and die again,

and be reborn and die,

and be reborn and die again.

No man can ever

escape that curse.

Then that...

is my task.

I...

will lift that curse.

[ King Suddhodhana ]

Lock the gate.

Double the guard.

If the Prince tries to escape,

he must be stopped by force.

[ Ringing ]

Hello.

Evan?

I can't believe it.

When?

How did it happen?

It's-- Oh, God.

In San Francisco.

I'll try to get

a flight out tonight.

What happened to Evan?

Evan had an accident.

Is he dead?

Just a minute, Jesse.

"As soon...

as he left his father,

Siddhartha went to see

his wife and his newborn son.

[ Jesse Reading ]

His heart was torn,

but his mind was made up.

[ Baby Cooing ]

[ Whispering ]

Channa.

Channa.

Channa.

- [ Jesse Reading ] A magic mist

had descended over everything.

- Channa.

The whole court

had fallen into a deep sleep.

Channa.

Channa.

Channa.

Channa.

Channa. Channa,

- wake up. Get Kantaka.

- What?

Get Kantaka. Mind no one sees you

and meet me at the old gate.

- Go now.

- Yes, my Lord.

Only the great elephants

are awake, my Lord.

The whole world

is dreaming, Channa.

[ Jesse Reading ] But for Siddhartha

the dream was ending.

His long journey

of awakening had begun.

[ Kantaka Whinnying ]

[ Elephant

Trumpeting ]

[ Chanting ln Nepali ]

[ Chanting Continues ]

[ Chanting

Continues ]

Who are they, Channa?

Are they robbers?

No, my Lord.

They're ascetics.

[ Siddhartha ] Ascetics?

Why are they so thin and naked?

They have given up

all the comforts of life, my Lord.

They have sworn never

to leave the forest...

- until they have reached Enlightenment.

- Enlightenment?

These are for you.

Channa,

I am doing this

for everyone.

I am looking

for freedom.

[ Flies Buzzing ]

[ Thunder Rumbling ]

[ Speaking Nepali ]

[ Speaking Nepali ]

[ Loud Thunderclap ]

[ Thunderclap ]

[ Speaking Nepali ]

[ Ascetics Laughing ]

[ Jesse Reading ]

The five ascetics...

witnessed these miracles

and were filled with wonder.

They became Siddhartha's

first disciples."

[ Slowly Inhaling

And Exhaling ]

[ Car Door Slams ]

[ Front Door Opens ]

- I'm... so sorry about

Mr. Evan, Mr. Conrad. I--

- Thanks, Maria.

- I know.

- Is Jesse all right?

Yeah. He's--

He read in his room all afternoon.

He's asleep now.

Thank you, Maria,

for staying and everything.

Do you want me to fix you

something to eat?

No, thanks.

Cab's waiting outside to take you home.

Okay, thank you.

Good night.

Good night.

[ Heavy Breathing ]

[ Dean Whispering ]

Come on.

[ Grunts ]

Too hungry.

Lisa, I think Jesse

should go to Bhutan.

- What?

- I think Jesse should go to Bhutan.

You're joking,

right?

No. I've just

changed my mind.

About a lot of things

these last two days.

What are you saying? That you've

suddenly started to believe...

Jesse is

this Tibetan lama?

I thought you were the one

that was open to the idea.

Come on, Dean. This is crazy.

What's going on?

Nothin's goin' on.

Just think of it as

a career opportunity for Jesse.

He can...

get a little robe...

- and sit on the floor

and do meditation...

- It's not funny.

- and hang out with

the other monks and--

- It's not funny, Dean!

Jesse can't go

to Bhutan.

It's just for

a couple of weeks.

No, he can't go.

[ Sighs ]

He's got school.

And I'm in the middle of the semester

and I can't take him.

I thought I could

go with him.

- Just the two of you?

- Yeah.

While I stay here?

But you've never

looked after Jesse before.

He's never been

away from me.

There's nothing I can do

here now except wait...

for lawyers to talk to

lawyers to talk to lawyers.

Maybe it's the time I need

to think about what to do

with the rest of my life.

Without me?

I love you, Lisa.

You'd better.

It's just for

a couple of weeks.

It'll be all right.

- What if they decide

Jesse is this reincarnation?

- They never will.

They already have

another candidate,

a little boy

in Kathmandu.

[ Sniffles ]

I'm sorry, Dean.

I'm sorry. I'm just

upset with myself being upset.

I'm just--

For not encouraging you

and for...

not being able to be

with you and Jesse.

And because you're taking

the adventure away from me.

[ Whispers ]

Dad.

Dad!

Good morning,

Jesse Long-Ears.

Were you sleeping,

Lama?

No, I was meditating.

What's meditating?

It is being

totally quiet and relaxed,

separating yourself

from everything around you,

setting your mind free

like a bird.

And you can then see

your faults...

as if they were

passing clouds.

Look.

If we can learn to meditate

in the right way,

we can all reach

Enlightenment.

[ Lama Norbu Narrating ]

For six years,

Siddhartha

and his followers...

lived in silence

and never left the forest.

For drink,

they had rain.

For food,

they had a grain of rice...

or a broth of mud,

or the droppings

of a passing bird.

They were trying

to master suffering...

by making their minds

so strong...

they would forget

about their bodies.

Then, one day...

Siddhartha heard

an old musician...

from a passing boat

speaking to his pupil.

If you tighten the string

too much, it will snap.

And if you leave it

too slack, it won't play.

[ Lama Norbu Narrating ]

Suddenly, Siddhartha realized...

that these simple words

held a great truth...

and that in all these years

he had been following...

the wrong path.

[ Whispering ]

If you tighten the string too much,

it will snap.

And if you leave it

too slack,

it will not play.

[ Water Buffalo

Grunting ]

[ Sighing ]

[ Lama Norbu Narrating ]

The village girl offered

Siddhartha her bowl of rice.

And for the first time

in years,

he tasted proper food.

But when the ascetics

saw their master...

bathing and eating

like an ordinary person,

they felt betrayed,

as if Siddhartha had given up

the great search for Enlightenment.

Come...

- and eat with me.

- You have betrayed

your vows, Siddhartha.

- You have given up the search.

- We can no longer follow you.

- We can no longer learn from you.

- To learn is to change.

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