Review: US premiere of “My Reincarnation”

The US debut of My Reincarnation previewed to a full house at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City on May 18.

Michael Sheehy20 May 2011

The US debut of My Reincarnation previewed to a full house at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City on May 18. This screening was sponsored in association with the Lion’s Roar Foundation and the Shang-Shung Institute.

Filmed intermittently over a decade alongside the Tibetan master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and his Italian family, the filmmaker Jennifer Fox has created a movie about the relationship between father and son, both ordinary and spiritual.

Namkhai Norbu’s son Yeshi speaks candidly about being the son of a Dzogchen master, being identified as a tulku, and living as an Italian in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Through Yeshi’s narration, the film highlights both personal and perennial tensions in being a practitioner in a cultural tradition different than your own, as well as being recognized as a reincarnation in the Tibetan Buddhist system.

The real gem of this movie, however, is Fox’s up-close footage with Namkhai Norbu. Her privileged access invites the viewer into the life of this extraordinary Tibetan Dzogchen master and scholar.

My Reincarnation – Festival Trailer from Zohe Films on Vimeo.

Michael Sheehy

Michael Sheehy

Michael Sheehy, PhD is a scholar of Tibetan Buddhism and contemplative studies. He is the director of scholarship at the Contemplative Sciences Center and faculty in religious studies at the University of Virginia.