|  Sansara,
an Indian film, takes place 15,000 feet above sea
level in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, where Chinese
and Indian troops clashed in 1962. The word "Sansara" means "reincarnation." Tashi
(played by Shawn Ku) begins in the role of a Lama
(a Buddhist monk). He has fallen into a trance in
a remote monastery, left alone for three years, three
days, and three days, and is almost entirely frostbitten.
After his fellow monks rescue him, he resumes a happy
life as a monk, promoted in rank because of the long
test, until one day the beauty of a village woman
captivates him and he has a wet dream. In time, the
couple marries, and her former suitor contains his
anger maturely. They have a delightful son, so he
enjoys the role of father. Having decided to live
among the common people, Tashi becomes a productive
worker and trader of wheat, the principal cash crop
of the community. When Ladakh's principal buyer of
wheat arrives at harvest time, Tashi exposes the
trader for having unbalanced scales. The trader leaves,
so Tashi and companions go to Ladakh's open market
to sell the wheat. Next year, Tashi's continuing
opposition to the trader brings hardship to the village.
Meanwhile, an attractive Indian woman who lives in
the village seduces Tashi, so his wife rejects him.
Sobbing uncontrollably, Tashi realizes that the temptations
of life cancel out the joys, so he decides to return
to the purity and simplicity of the life as a Buddhist
monk, and his fellow monks greet him warmly. Clearly,
Sansara is a variation on the story of the life of
the Buddha as well as of any child who becomes an
adult in a world that is bound to be filled with
disappointments. The Indian film Siddharta (1972),
based on the Herman Hesse novel, is truer to the
life of the Buddha, but Sansara, a story made into
a film several times before, updates the story to
a somewhat more modern time. For many filmviewers,
the best part of Sansara may be the ethnography of
the region, brought to the screen by outstanding
cinematography. A subtext of the film is that Chinese
culture is not present in Ladakh, thus justifying
India's claim of sovereignty. MH
I
want to comment on this film |
Siddharta
by Herman Hesse
A
young man, leaves his family for a contemplative
life, then, restless, discards it for one of the
flesh.
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