What is more important? Satisfying a thousand desires or conquering just one?
This is the question that the elder monk puts to Tashi as Tashi embarks on his journey of self discovery.
The film opens up to the brilliant Laddhak landscape where Tashi’s fellow monks travel up the mountainside to welcome him back into the world after his 3 years of intense & solitary meditation.Tashi is back to the simple life of a monk in a buddhist monestary however, on most nights he finds himself experiencing sexual intensity that he has never experienced before. These nocturnal events coincide with his meeting Pema, a local village peasant girl in whose house he spends a night. That night is an eventful one because, Pema comes by and sleeps beside him for a brief moment and Tashi is undecided on whether it was really Pema sleeping next to him or was he just imagining her!
Tashi decides to leave the monestary. He reasons that even the Buddha renounced the world only after experiencing its worldly offerings. Tashi leaves, much against the wishes of the elder monk who shares his displeasure silently. Tashi rebukes the silent pleasure with ’see, even You can get angry. Tashi eventually marries Pema who is at first surprised to see him working for her father who is a well-to-do farmer. The love making scenes between Tashi and Pema are beautiful and elegantly erotic.
With the birth of a son, Tashi’s life as a householder sees him prospering as he takes over the running of his father-in-law’s farm and the big decision to sell his grain directly in the city rather than to the village merchant.
Tashi lives and experiences the pleasures and anxiety of a working man. A brief sexual encounter with a dusky indian maid and witnessing his stock of grain going up in flames, allegedly the handiwork of the vengeful local village merchant only adds to his cup of joys and sorrows.
Somewhere along the way, Tashi looks at himself and remembers the words of the elder monk. ’What is more important? Satisfying a thousand desires or conquering just one?’
What does Tashi do next? How does his wife respond? The climax is interesting and left me pondering the immortal lines by another prophet ’look at the lilies, how they grow! They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, not even Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these!’
There is this tale of the Buddha, by Thich Nath Han which I must share. On entering the meditation hall where all of his monks and lay disciples are seated, without a word, he takes a flower in his fingers and raises it before him, all the while smiling. The disciples are wondering at the message. What could he mean? As they try to comprehend the message, they examine the Buddha’s posture, hand position and by extension, the flower. Everyone is waiting for the message to be delivered. Finally, Moggalanna smiles as well. He understands the simple message. The Buddha is simply enjoying the sight of the beautiful flower.
This is one of my favorite stories which I recall as I write this review. Enjoy!