Category Books

Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche »

Authors: David P. Jackson
ISBN-13: 9780861713967, ISBN-10: 0861713966
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Wisdom Publications MA
Date Published: August 2004
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: David P. Jackson

Book Synopsis

In 1960, the Tibetan lama Dezhung Rinpoche (1906-87) arrived in Seattle after being forced into exile from his native land by the Communist Chinese. Already a revered master of the teachings of all Tibetan Buddhist schools, he would eventually become a teacher of some of Western Buddhism's most notable scholars. This inspiring and unlikely biography of a modern Buddha is fully annotated, and includes photographs.

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
	List of Illustrations	xix
	List of Maps	xxxi
Part I	Life in the Old World: 1906-1960
1	First Years at Tharlam	3
2	Early Studies under Gaton Ngawang Lekpa	14
3	First Scholastic Studies under Shenga Rinpoche at Jyekundo	25
4	Initial Recognition as a Trulku	34
5	Journey to Derge and First Studies of Sanskrit	45
6	Studies under Jamgyal Rinpoche and Khunu Lama	54
7	Travel to Horkhok and Lithang Dezhung	72
8	The Two Previous Dezhung Trulku Incarnations	84
9	Final Studies in Derge	91
10	Further Studies under Gaton at Tharlam and Enthronement as Gaton's Successor	99
11	Second Visit to Dezhung and the Death of Gaton	113
12	Four Years in Minyak	124
13	Pilgrimage to Sakya and the Holy Sites of Milarepa	139
14	Great Offerings at Sakya and Ngor	153
15	Sojourn at Sakya and Travel to Serdokchen and Lhasa	163
16	Return to Kham, Teaching among the Nomads, and a Visit from the Sakya Dagchen and Dagmo	181
17	A Second Visit to Minyak	200
18	The Activities of Khenpo Kangshar and the Death of Surmang Rolpay Dorje	210
19	Flight from Kham to Central Tibet	218
20	Flight from Lhasa to Bhutan and India	228
21	The First Year of Exile in India	239
Part II	Life and Travels in Exile: 1960-1987
22	Arrival and First Months in America	249
23	Collaborators and Friends at the University of Washington	260
24	Misunderstandings at the University	273
25	Further Instruction of Gene Smith	281
26	Adapting to a Long-Term Stay	295
27	Buddhist Students and Scholars in Seattle in the Late Sixties	307
28	Final Years at the University	318
29	Beginnings of a Public Buddhist Teaching Career in North America	329
30	Founding a Buddhist Center in Seattle	339
31	Teaching Activities in Seattle and Canada and the First Dharma Center House	350
32	Visit to New York as Translation Collaborator	358
33	The Second Year in New York	364
34	Travels and Teachings on the West Coast	376
35	A Second Visit to New York	387
36	Establishment of the Cambridge Center and Further Teachings	398
37	Return to India and the Beginning of the Tharlam Temple in Nepal	405
38	The Journey to Southeast Asia	417
39	Return to North America and a Visit to Taiwan	427
40	Final Visits to the East and West Coasts	443
41	The Second Journey to Nepal	461
42	His Final Year	471
43	Epilogue	481
	Appendixes
A	Dezhung Rinpoche on Buddhism without Sectarianism	485
B	Previous Attempts and Main Biographical Sources	494
C	A Brief Autobiography of Dezhung Rinpoche	502
D	Dezhung Rinpoche's Influence on Non-Tibetan Scholars	504
E	Dezhung Rinpoche's Ancestry	518
F	Gakhok, Dezhung Rinpoche's Place of Birth: Historical Notes	522
G	Dezhung Rinpoche's Daily Schedule of Meditation	537
H	Invitations to Teach the Path with Its Fruit	539
I	The Life of Kalu Rinpoche	541
J	The Writings of Dezhung Rinpoche	547
	Abbreviations	575
	List of Interviews	576
	Notes	578
	Table of Tibetan Words and Names	691
	Bibliography	721
	Index of Names	739