Unmistaken Child is a documentary about the search for
the reincarnation of a great Tibetan Lama named Geshe Lama Konchog. Lama
Konchog died at the age of 84 in 2001. According to Buddhist beliefs, Konchog
was such a highly evolved soul that at the point of death he could have decided
either to depart earth forever, or to return in another incarnation to continue
to help all suffering sentient beings. Astrologers and psychic monks examined
the signs, including a footprint left in his cremated ashes, and determined
that he had chosen reincarnation.
It is left to his remarkable young disciple, Tenzin Zopa, to
find the baby in whom Konchog has been reincarnated. He travels by foot,
donkey, and helicopter, only knowing that the child’s father’s name begins with
A.
As a Westerner, I initially watched this documentary with
interest, as it is beautifully made and shows many colorful nooks and crannies
of Tibetan life that were completely new to me. Villages of almost medieval
appearance nestle in remote green valleys, mountain scenery is stunningly
beautiful, and we are allowed a glimpse into the lives of the monks and into
their temples. The movie took a whole different turn for me, however, when
Tenzin Zopa finds the child, living in just such a remote valley with his
family. To see this preternaturally solemn three-year-old blessing crowds, and
carefully studying and blessing pictures of Lama Konchog, as well as
withstanding every obscure test the monks can devise to prove his authenticity,
is to wonder. The monks are sophisticated about human nature and are wary of
being fooled by imposters. But from a Westerner’s standpoint, are they
misguided? Or are skeptical Westerners the misguided ones? The answer to this
question is much less clear to me after viewing Unmistaken Child.
