An American. A baby. The Chinese Government. And the Race to Save Tibet. The eldest son of a wealthy San Francisco family, Samuel Falk Simms, Jr. has just graduated from college with a life of privilege and power ahead of him. On a whim, he books a flight to Kathmandu that will leave him changed forever. Barely off the airplane, he is fighting for his life while following an obscure map slipped to him by a Buddhist monk. Samuel must find his way in foreign lands and escape from the Chinese Colonel intent on stopping him, as he struggles to forge an authentic path for himself in order to help Tibetans reclaim theirs. "You know 'Dharma'? Dharma means 'The Way.' Each man will have his own way. Each man is ruler of his own way. Each man is his own Dharma King."

The ancient Indian Sanskrit tradition produced no text more intriguing, or more persistently misunderstood or underappreciated, than the Mahabharata. Its intricacies have waylaid generations of scholars and ignited dozens of unresolved debates. In Rethinking the Mahabharata, Alf Hiltebeitel offers a unique model for understanding the great epic. Employing a wide range of literary and narrative theory, Hiltebeitel draws on historical and comparative research in an attempt to discern the spirit and techniques behind the epic's composition. He focuses on the education of Yudhisthira, also known as the Dharma King, and shows how the relationship of this figure to others-especially his author-grandfather Vyasa and his wife Draupadi-provides a thread through the bewildering array of frames and stories embedded within stories. Hiltebeitel also offers a revisionist theory regarding the dating and production of the original text and its relation to the Veda. No ordinary reader's guide, this volume will illuminate many mysteries of this enigmatic masterpiece. This work is the fourth volume in Hiltebeitel's study of the Draupadi cult. Other volumes include Mythologies: From Gingee to Kuruksetra (Volume One), On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess (Volume Two), and Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics (Volume Three).

March 10, 1959. Artillery shells smash into the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, home of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. Fleeing Tibet for their lives, the family of His Holiness took what they could carry, including a set of 15 scroll paintings called the Tsongkapa Eighty. As an art form, the scrolls are magnificent. As the retelling of the life's work of Je Tsongkapa, the scroll paintings are irreplaceable. After reaching safety, the paintings were donated to a Kalmyk Buddhist Temple in New Jersey. Based on these paintings, the authors have researched and written an amazing work; it is the story told through the scrolls, and the history of how the paintings developed over the centuries. The book includes: - All 200 scenes from the original 15 paintings with captions, creating an account of Je Tsongkapa's life, in text and paintings, nearly 1,000 color images! - A history of the Kalmyk Temple and how the paintings arrived there - A photographic journey that retraces Je Tsongkapa's steps across Tibet - A definitive list of Je Tsongkapa's writings, and the biographies of his life - Maps, produced with the help of the map maker for the Lord of the Rings books, which trace Je Tsongkapa's constant travels to teach and to learn. - Contemporary painter Ori Carin's, modern interpretations of several scenes. - A detailed review of Je Tsongkapa's many roles: monk, philosopher, writer, meditator, yoga practitioner, poet, spiritual partner and diplomat, all depicted in the paintings.

The first complete English-language life story of Longchenpa (1308-1364), one of the greatest masters in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Compiled from numerous Tibetan and Bhutanese sources, including Longchenpa's autobiography and stories of his previous lives and subsequent rebirths, The Life of Longchenpa weaves an inspiring and captivating tale of wonder and magic, of extraordinary visions and spiritual insight, set in the kingdoms of fourteenth-century Tibet and Bhutan. It also reveals for the first time fascinating details of his ten years of self-exile in Bhutan, stories that were unknown to his Tibetan biographers. Renowned as a peerless teacher, dedicated practitioner, and unparalleled scholar, Longchenpa thoroughly studied and mastered every one of the many Buddhist vehicles and lineages of teachings existing in Tibet at his time. Through his radiant intellect and meditative accomplishment, in both his teachings and written works, he was able to reconcile the seeming discrepancies and contradictions between the various presentations of the view and the path within the many lineages of transmission. His written works are also famous for being able to transfer true blessings just by reading or hearing his enlightened words. A lyrical introduction by Venerable Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche on the significance of Longchenpa and the importance of his birth and teachings; an essay by the late Khenpo Shenga (1871-1927), In Praise of Longchenpa; plentiful illustrations; and a comprehensive glossary round out this compelling tale.

In the first book to reflect the voices of Buddhist nuns from every major tradition, 14 contributors describe their experiences, explain their order's history, and discuss their lives. 14 photos.

Norma Levine has travelled to Tibet, India, Europe and North America to record the stories of this memorable man and the impact he had on the people who met him. This book gives us a rare and intimate insight into the personality of the man who was the 16th Karmapa.