No, not a magic show. Wait, may be it was a magic show after all :)

magic: a special and exciting quality that makes something seem different from ordinary things.

A kind friend gave me a copy of The Magical Show, a documentary by Anika Tokarchuk, about acclaimed director Khyentse Norbu (aka Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche) and his vision to make a movie about the life of Buddha. Can't wait for that to happen :)

I'm such a fan of his movies! The Cup was once chosen to represent Bhutan as its entry to the foreign language film category for Academy Awards. Travellers and Magicians was screened at many international film festivals, such as Toronto International Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival and Cannes. Oh how I miss those afternoons when I used to watch international movies at Midvalley with a student ticket during my years in uni (some classes were so boring I'd fall asleep anyway :D!).

Some of you might think: "Oh no, not another Little Buddha movie!". Well, not really, although he was the consultant relating to Buddhism for that movie. Khyentse Norbu wants to parallel Buddha's story with Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk's. Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk is a highly revered master. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has also received teachings and empowerments from him. It wrenched me to hear his tale of physical and mental torment he suffered, especially the 21 years in Chinese concentration prisons. The condition in the concentration camp, such as being given only one handful of tsampa (roasted flour) to eat a day, living in a small room cramped with about 100 people, forced to urinate at the gold-leaf-decorated wall painted with Buddhist deities; are really unbearable! This reminds me of the torture in Abu Ghraib prison, but his suffering was probably at a greater magnitude as it was for almost two decades.

Also, at an old age, Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk crossed the Himalayas, alone, on foot (!!!), to meet the new reincarnation of his beloved guru. It's amazing how he survived the hardship and still is the kind, devoted, 'not-gonna-waste-any-time-of-my-precious-live' person, teaching many classes a day (even on weekends) when he first arrived at the monastery.

The next sentence is rated PG-13: "Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13."

Next time when I am in deep sh*t, I will remember his story. None of the sh*t I face can compare.