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At the age of 14 months, Osel Hita Torres was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of a revered Tibetan lama. But by the age of 18, he had turned his back on monastic life, leaving in his wake a string of headlines as he partied in Ibiza and bemoaned a childhood bereft of television, football and girls.
Nearly two decades later, the Spaniard has opened up about his experience, in a recent four-part series on HBO Max in Spain that has cast a spotlight once again on his singular story.
“In a way, you could say I’m a social experiment,” Hita Torres, now 37, told the Observer. “A reincarnation is almost like going to the casino. You’re betting on something when you don’t know what the outcome is going to be, and you’re investing in that.”
Born in 1985 in a small village at the foot of Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Hita Torres became the subject of rumblings about reincarnation when he was just a few months old. His parents had been devoted followers of Lama Yeshe, a Tibetan spiritual leader who had long worked to make Buddhist teachings accessible to westerners, and who had died one year earlier.
The toddler was taken to India and asked by a religious leader to pick out the lama’s former possessions. The trip also saw the 14-month-old meet the Dalai Lama – the most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism – who confirmed him as the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe.
At the age of six, he moved to a monastery in southern India, trading sports, movies and playdates for robes and intensive studies. “For me, it was a time of suffering,” said Hita Torres.
Attempts by his family to move with him to India proved complicated – Hita Torres was the fifth of his mother’s nine children – and loneliness set in. He also found he had trouble identifying with the strict role set out for him.
“Sitting on the throne was very uncomfortable for me,” he said. “I had to put my hands on heads as a blessing, and it was like, who am I to put my hand on your head to bless you, purify you? I prefer a hug, in any case.”
When he turned 18, he informed the monastery he was leaving and moved into his family’s home in Ibiza. “I went from one extreme to another,” he said. “From being completely isolated and studying where there’s no entertainment, no distractions whatsoever, to going to the most free [life], full of distractions and no control.”
Everything was new to him. He marvelled at jam-packed nightclubs and gaped at public displays of affection. At home, he learned basic skills such as cooking and cleaning – tasks that had previously been carried out for him.
As he bounced between prestigious schools, Burning Man festivals and stints living on the streets of Venice and Naples, the question of what to do next loomed. “I had nothing to relate to or identify with,” he said. “For many people, I’m a disappointment. I didn’t follow the path that was meant for me.”
Word eventually reached Hita Torres that Lucas Figueroa, an Argentinian film director and producer, was envisioning a film or series based on his life.
“For me, it’s a story of a normal family passing through fantastic events,” said Figueroa. “The clash between east and west was the core of the story, intertwined with a family story.”
Hita Torres felt the timing was right. He had matured over the past decades and relished the chance to narrate his experience in his own words.
The series – called Osel – captures how time has shifted Hita Torres’ view of his experience, particularly when it comes to his childhood in the monastery. “It was a huge opportunity for which today I thank my parents,” he said.
“I have a five-year-old son, and I would never have been capable of handing him over. But I’m very grateful that my parents believed in that opportunity, that possibility, because otherwise I would have missed out on many good things,” he added, citing his various interactions with the Dalai Lama as an example.
He describes himself as a disciple of the Dalai Lama, highlighting his continuing relationship with members of the Buddhist community. “I have a very good connection. Of course I’m a little bit of a weird outcome,” he said. “But there’s a lot of love, a lot of respect.”
This view was backed by the network of dharma centres, projects and services co-founded by Lama Yeshe. “I would say our relationship is quite good,” Roger Kunsang, CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, said in an email. “Of course, there have been times when it has been difficult, but we are all committed to having a close relationship built upon respect and love.”
He described it as a continual learning experience for everyone. “It is an unusual role he has, and it did not come with a manual explaining how we relate to the incarnation of a Tibetan spiritual teacher who was reborn a westerner.”
In recent years, Hita Torres has been channelling his energy into environmental causes, launching a tree-planting NGO in 2020. It’s a small nod to his passion for gardening – an interest he shares with the late Lama Yeshe. “I’ve been discovering similarities with Lama Yeshe my whole life, and it’s always surprising to me because I never really identified myself with him,” he said.
“It has been a process – a lot of controversy, a lot of polemics. But in the end, things are falling into place and people are understanding, from both sides, from both extremes. And that, for me, is a great victory.”
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