Kiwi Buddha
Kiwi Buddha is the story of seven year old Rinpoche, a New Zealand born Buddhist High Lama.
From building sandcastles on a North Shore beach to sitting on a throne at the foothills of the Himalayas, Kiwi Buddha is an incredible story about an amazing Kiwi kid.
Director: Peta Carey
Producer: Leanne Pooley
Camera: Swami Hansa
Editors: Ken Sparks, Roger Burn
2000
Watch a video excerpt from Kiwi Buddha Television, 2000 (Documentary) NZ Onscreen if video embedded below isn’t viewable on your browser or device.
Kiwi Buddha follows the journey of seven-year-old Rinpoche as he becomes the first Buddhist High Lama incarnated in the Southern Hemisphere. ‘Venerable Pong Re Sung Rap Tulku Rinpoche’, is a schoolboy from Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland. The film documents Rinpoche’s journey as he leaves small town New Zealand behind (along with McDonalds and Pokemon) to travel to a monastery in the Himalayas where he will spend his next 20 years studying Buddhism. Kiwi Buddha sold to the National Geographic channel and to 60 territories.
