Search Buddhist Channel

"The Orphanage" of "Absent" Children

by Shen Shi'an, The Buddhist Channel, April 2, 2008

Dharma-Inspired Movie Review: www.theorphanagemovie.com

Singapore -- In "The Orphanage" (El Orfanato), a mother (Laura, played by Belén Rueda) loses her adopted son Simón (played by Roger Príncep) in the orphanage she grew up in. Prior to that, he had befriended a mysterious unseen boy - Tomás (played by Óscar Casas).

Assumed to be another imaginary friend created from his loneliness, not much attention was paid to him. Well, perhaps children create imaginary friends due to lack of attention in the first place. An important lesson indeed, for absent parents - who assume the other parent is always present.

It turns out that Tomas is indeed an invisible friend - a wandering spirit, who drowned unhappily in a freak "accident" many years ago when the tide came in. Born deformed, he was the unfortunate victim of an insensitive prank played by children of the orphanage, with whom the Laura grew up with. These children were later vengefully poisoned by Tomas' mother. As if truly orphaned for good, and unable to make peace with their unfortunate past to let it go, the children became alienated but restless spirits haunting the orphanage.

Though the Peter Pan myth has magical children who never grew up, the truth is that even wandering spirits of kids do not live forever. Rebirth resumes as long as liberation from the karmic cycle of birth and death is not attained. According to a psychic, the children were trapped in their misery of their sudden deaths, unable to untangle the knot that was their existential crisis - a wound that needed to be healed. Her remarks spurred Laura to believe that Simón's disappearance involved these spirits.

With the passing of time, it became increasingly torturous for Laura, who could no longer be certain whether Simón was still alive, and whether she should simply give up the search for him. How much parental attachment is considered "natural" and how much of it is considered unhealthy? Needing regular medication, she had concealed the truth from Simón that his health was in a precarious state. It would be ironic if Simón too died a "premature" death like the children, without understanding or accepting the fragility of mortality.

The ending of the story should prove bittersweet to the general audience, when Laura unwittingly joins the children in the afterlife as wandering spirits to live in the orphanage. She is however, willing to do this because the children were all her friends in need of love. Is this a "happily ever after"? It's a tragedy of attachment really, that will not lead to true lasting happiness - because unenlightened beings have different and constantly changing karma, that will eventually pull them apart, just as it happened to bring them together.

True love in Buddhism is not attachment in life till death and beyond does us apart. It is love that is able to graciously let the beloved go in peace, should they need to leave. Love sets free. This is not heartless, but being true to the reality of life and death. True love ensures peace of mind for the beloved who is passing away, or who has passed on, while creating and dedicating merits for their well-being in a future life. In the mean time, may all parents treasure their living children, just as children should treasure their living parents.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP