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Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama: The Untold Story of the Holy Men Who Shaped Tibet, from Pre-history to the Present Day |  | Author: Alexander Norman
Creator: Dalai Lama
Publisher: Doubleday Religion
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $7.70
as of 7/29/2010 15:03 CDT details
You Save: $7.30 (49%)
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Seller: godsnet
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 137023
Media: Paperback
Edition: Original
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0385530706
Dewey Decimal Number: 294.39230922
EAN: 9780385530705
ASIN: 0385530706
Publication Date: February 16, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Complete Story of the Dalai Lamas
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is known to the world for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and for his inspiring spiritual teachings. Often unnoticed, however, is the long, colorful history from which this most beloved of holy men has emerged. In Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama, Alexander Norman tells this story in full for the first time, from Tibetan Buddhism’s foundational narratives to the present-day crisis faced by Tibet.
And what a story it is. Along with dedicated monks selflessly serving the Tibetan people, among His Holiness’s spiritual forebears there are a Dalai Lama who waged wars, a womanizing and inebriated poet, and several who wound up dead following disputes over temporal power. Also, while Western practitioners focus on Tibetan Buddhism’s liberating vision of enlightenment, it simultaneously contains ritual practices of prophecy and magic, as well as a vivid pantheon of deities and demons.
In the end, although Tibet falls short of the Western myths of a Himalayan utopia, by illuminating the historical struggle toward compassion and selflessness embodied in the Dalai Lama lineage, Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama ultimately reveals a reality that is vastly more compelling than any romance of “Shangri-La” and provides deeper reasons for admiring Tibetan tradition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 wonderful read! March 28, 2010
Kathryn J. Townsend (Ojai, California)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful read... I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in buddhism.
Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama April 5, 2010
Jane Illinger (Hingham, MA, USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
An excellent introduction to the history of Tibetan Buddhism and the god-rulers, the Dalai Lamas.
History of Tibet April 6, 2010
Brent G. (Switzerland)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is a good read. The history of Tibet and the Dali Lamas. It takes almost a third of the book to get started with the Lamas but it is well worth the wait as the pre-history is well done and required for the story. It was helpful to learn that Tibet and China have been going at it for a very long time. Not strictly about Buddhism but the context Tibetan Buddhism grew up in. Can also recommend "The Open Road" by Pico Iyer.
 Tibet and Its' Holy Men April 27, 2010
wogan (Indiana&Maryland- U.S.A.)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is a history of the Holy Men, the Dalai Lama and the country of Tibet. It seems to be thoroughly researched and is very exacting in it's detail as Alexander Norman progresses through the ages.
The present Dalai Lama lent his support to the writing of this manuscript; although he says in his forward that he does not agree with everything.
Sometimes the history is deeper than a casual reader can comfortably understand, for example in the frequent use of tantric and words such as antinomianism. There is a glossary to help, but a chronological listing of the Holy Men would have been very helpful; however there are many enlightening footnotes to help in understanding. The traditions of Tibet and its' many deities are covered from the early 600's to the present.
This reading is not for someone who wants an easy reading of Tibet and the Dalai Lamas. What the book shows is not the serene, peaceful vision that many have of Tibet, but a country that has had its' share of violence both within and from others. It would make a good textbook on the subject, but does little to go into the heart and soul of the country and its' religion.
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