Synopses & Reviews
Many of us dream of exchanging our day-to-day responsibilities for a heartfelt life full of purpose, but few of us ever get around to doing something about it. The women featured in
Dakini Power — contemporary teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, both Westerners and Asians, who teach in the West — are the exception. All twelve women followed their intuition against all odds, made dramatic and unusual decisions, and sometimes had to fight for their survival in order to lead the lives they envisioned. All were criticized — for being too conservative or too rebellious, too feminist or not feminist enough — yet they pulled through with immense determination and bravery. Today all are recognized as accomplished practitioners and brilliant teachers.
What can we learn from these women? How do they handle the cultural differences? How do they deal with the more controversial aspects of Buddhism? The Westerners among them risked alienating their families and closest friends by immersing their lives in a completely foreign culture. Often, this necessitated radical life changes. What did they find on their journey? Was the price they paid worth it to them?
Dakini Power honors the lives and accomplishments of these female pioneers of Buddhism in the West, not least because they seem to have bridged gaps that many of us struggle with. Meeting them in this book, the reader will be inspired in the same way: to let go of old fears, explore new paths, and listen to one's inner voice with confidence.
Featured here are:
• Khandro Rinpoche (This Precious Life)
• Dagmola Sakya (Princess in the Land of Snows)
• Tenzin Palmo (Diane Perry) (Into the Heart of Life)
• Pema Chödrön (Deirdre Blomfield-Brown) (When Things Fall Apart; Start Where You Are)
• Khandro Tsering Chödron (most familiar to readers as the late aunt of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying)
• Thubten Chodron (Cherry Greene) (Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Mind)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo (Patricia Zenn) (Buddhism Through American Women's Eyes)
• Chagdud Khadro (Jane Dedman) (P'howa Commentary; Life in Relation to Death)
• Sangye Khandro (Nanci Gay Gustafson) (Meditation, Transformation, and Dream Yoga)
• Roshi Joan Halifax (Being with Dying)
• Tsultrim Allione (Joan Rousmanière Ewing) (Women of Wisdom; Feeding Your Demons)
• Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel (The Power of an Open Question)
Synopsis
Pema Ch dr n, Joan Halifax, and ten other female Tibetan Buddhist teachers share inspiring personal stories, revealing how we can embody Buddhist wisdom and overcome everyday challenges What drives a young London librarian to board a ship to India, meditate in a remote cave by herself for twelve years, and then build a flourishing nunnery in the Himalayas? How does a surfer girl from Malibu become the head of the main international organization for Buddhist women? Why does the daughter of a music executive in Santa Monica dream so vividly of peacocks one night that she chases these images to Nepal, where she finds the love of her life in an unconventional young Tibetan master?
The women featured in Dakini Power--contemporary teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, both Asians and Westerners, who teach in the West--have been universally recognized as accomplished practitioners and brilliant teachers whose life stories demonstrate their immense determination and bravery. Meeting them in this book, readers will be inspired to let go of old fears, explore new paths, and lead the lives they envision.
Featured here are:
Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche (This Precious Life)
Dagmola Sakya (Princess in the Land of Snows)
Jetsun Tenzin Palmo/Diane Perry (Into the Heart of Life)
Pema Ch dr n/Deirdre Blomfield-Brown (When Things Fall Apart; Start Where You Are)
Khandro Tsering Ch dron (late aunt of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying)
Thubten Chodron/Cherry Greene (Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Mind)
Karma Lekshe Tsomo/Patricia Zenn (Buddhism Through American Women 's Eyes)
Chagdud Khadro/Jane Dedman (P 'howa Commentary; Life in Relation to Death)
Sangye Khandro/Nanci Gay Gustafson (Meditation, Transformation, and Dream Yoga)
Roshi Joan Halifax (Being with Dying)
Lama Tsultrim Allione/Joan Rousmani re Ewing (Women of Wisdom; Feeding Your Demons)
Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel (The Power of an Open Question)
Synopsis
How 12 Tibetan Buddhist Teachers Succeed in Merging East and West — including Pema Chödrön, Joan Halifax, and Thubten Chodron, among others.
Personal reflections and life stories from 12 contemporary female Tibetan Buddhist teachers, both Westerners and Tibetans, who share insights into how they discovered their true calling, overcame barriers, and developed the courage, determination, and wisdom to progress on the spiritual path.
What drives a young London librarian to board a ship to India, meditate in a remote cave by herself for twelve years, and then build a flourishing nunnery in the Himalayas? How does a surfer girl from Malibu become the head of the main international organization for Buddhist women? Why does the daughter of a music executive in Santa Monica dream so vividly of peacocks one night that she chases these images to Nepal, where she finds the love of her life in an unconventional young Tibetan master?
The women featured in Dakini Power — contemporary teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, both Asians and Westerners, who teach in the West — have been universally recognized as accomplished practitioners and brilliant teachers whose life stories demonstrate their immense determination and bravery. Meeting them in this book, readers will be inspired to let go of old fears, explore new paths, and lead the lives they envision.
About the Author
Michaela Haas, PhD, is a reporter, lecturer, and consultant. She is the founder of Haas live! Communication Coaching Consulting, an international coaching company that specializes in media and mindfulness training for business leadersand media professionals. She is also a TV host, interviewer, and documentary filmmaker who has hosted numerous successful live talk shows and political broadcasts in Germany. She has been studying and practicing Buddhism for twenty years, has a PhD in Asian Studies, and is a visiting scholar in Religious Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. Haas divides her time between Malibu, California, and Munich, Germany.