From Publishers Weekly
Memorable anecdotes, great storytelling and keen observations
mark this cogent exploration of the explosive growth of Tibetan
Buddhism in the West. Paine offers chapters on many famous
Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama (who, refreshingly, doesn't
appear until nearly the end of the book), the pioneering Lama
Yeshe, who first taught Westerners, and the controversial rogue
playboy Chogyam Trungpa, Yeshe's character foil. Other chapters
profile Westerners who discovered Tibetan Buddhism, like Tenzin
Palmo (formerly a Cockney London girl named Diane Perry), who
meditated alone for 12 years in an Indian cave and American lama
Jetsunma (Catherine Burroughs), a much-married "tough bird
from Brooklyn" who was the first Western woman to be
recognized as a tulku (reincarnated Buddhist figure). Of course,
there's a chapter on Hollywood, but Paine eschews a superficial
chronicle of Tibetan Buddhism's sudden popularity among the
glitterati in favor of a compelling analysis of why a Buddhist
concept of reality might make sense to people whose lives
revolve around the creation of impermanent "realities"
like films. Throughout, Paine explores how Tibetan Buddhism has
changed the American religious landscape, but also how it has
been changed by America: in Tibet, for example, meditation was
traditionally a very advanced practice, but in practical-minded
America, practitioners "dive straight into meditation
immediately." A final chapter introduces the only Tibetan
Buddhist on death row; in a fascinating observation, Paine notes
that famed Tibetan saint Milarepa was in fact a reformed
criminal.
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Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Forty years after Chinese Communists attempted to sweep
Tibetan Buddhism off the planet, casting much of its monastic
community and the Dalai Lama into exile, Paine asserts that
Buddhism is enjoying record-breaking popularity, particularly in
the West. Its attractiveness stems from principles that appeal
to Americans disenchanted with what has turned out to be the
myth of materialism and the politicization of organized
religion. Tibetan Buddhism, he says, is universal, places
accountability squarely in the hands of the individual, and
offers the potential for heightened capacity. What's more, it
relocates religion from church and Sunday to anywhere, anytime.
In this guide-to-the-common-person narrative, Paine provides a
brief history of Tibetan Buddhism, constructs an apology of its
basic tenets, and relates the personal histories of several
converts. His account of Frenchwoman Alexandra David-Neel's
obsession with Tibetan Buddhism and the stories of converts,
including an Ivy League professor, a death-row inmate, and a
Hollywood movie star, illustrate the broad range of those to
whom Buddhism has become a personal salvation. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights
reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.
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