| Title | : | The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 335 |
| Publication | : | First published March 2, 1993 |
Padmasambhava, the Lotus-Born, who grew up an adopted prince, was banished, burned at the stake in a neighboring kingdom, and continued miraculously unscathed, wandering through cemeteries, dancing on corpses, and proceeded to live more than five hundred years. He is regarded by the most sane Tibetans as a real, historical figure, the founder of Buddhism in Tibet where he subjugated demons and taught the Buddha’s teachings.
The complete story of how Buddhism was planted in Tibet is available in English for the first time with the publication of this book. Lotus-Born is a translation of a biography of the great master recorded in the ninth century by his foremost Tibetan disciple, the princess Yeshe Tsogyal. Many of these biographies were concealed as terma treasures to protect them against the changes of time.
The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava Reviews
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The Immaculate Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru, the man that tamed the land of snows; the northern savages with widespread shamanistic and heretic practices. Heck! Game of Thrones seems like a little kids story compared to Pamasambhava’s life story.
Written by his 3rd consort Yeshe Tsogyal, and hidden for a thousand years to be revealed a couple hundred years ago, its a must if you want to understand the second Buddha, and if you want to understand how tantric practices spread through India, Afghanistan (Oddiyana), Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
“If you don’t believe all my stories, what is the use in practicing Buddhism?”
- Mahasiddha Virupa -
Aside from the weird takedown of Threvada Buddhism and schools of Nyingma Buddhism in the translator's notes, this seems to be a straightforward translation of a pretty complex text.
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I'm never going to finish this book, not if I keep rereading it. I'm going to read this forever. Maybe longer. So much to discover.
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"This life is only on loan; no one knows when it will be lost."
This is an exceptional story of an exceptional being. Essential reading for anyone walking the Buddhist (or, for that matter, any philosophical/spiritual) path.
I'd only say that it is not a "conventional" or "straightforward" biography of an individual in case one were particularly looking for that.
The Lotus-Born is magical — strap in and enjoy the ride! -
I only read half.. not my favorite spiritual biography
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Quite mediocre. Was ok, and I often enjoy Dharma language - I find it inspiring. But if I ever get this out again I will not read cover to cover. Too many notes, glossary and index. Much of the miracle descriptions are absurd to the modern mind, a kind of magical religious thinking. But I get that it is a kind of boosting metaphors to capture a truly amazing character who did wonderful things for the mountain kingdom of Tibet that wouldn't be done justice by a merely mundane description.
Quite an ancient text also, 9th century, hidden in a temple for three hundred years. I love these intriguing academic historical "torma" treasures. -
It gives a mystical account of the life of Padmasabhava. However it contains a lot of "and then he made the lake boil" and "he flew on a cloud to the other side of Tibet". I'm not much for that and this should be taken as the story about Padmasambhava the myth, not so much the real person.
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Read this first in summer 2005.
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Decent book.
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One of the most amazing spiritual books written by the enlightened female Buddha Yeshe Tsogyal, an incarnation of Goddess Saraswati. She was the consort of Guru Padmasambhava, who is like the Krishna of Buddhism. They flew together to the famous cave known as the Tiger's Nest in Bhutan.
