Have you seen Ong-bak? As far as I can tell, Muay Thai is not a professional commitment that’s easy to get up and walk away from. Phra “Khru Bah” Neua Chai Kositto, a former Thai boxer (having fought “many hundreds of men” in his lifetime) turned Buddhist monk, has done just that. His hard-headed fighter’s attitude manifests itself as strength and devotion at the unconventional Golden Horse monastery he runs, upstream of the convergence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers in the Golden Triangle of Thailand. Local orphans and those abandoned due to poverty or drug addiction comprise the place’s inhabitants, who spend their time learning a moral code based around kick boxing as well and taking care of the small army of horses that are used for transportation and farming. Dutch director Mark Verserk was understandably intrigued by this world that Khru Bah had created. His touching PBS documentary outlines life and loss in the life of young monks.
Buddha’s Lost Children is available in its entirety on the YouTubes or for purchase at Amazon.
