Customer Reviews

The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies) (Suny Series, Buddhist Studies)

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I accidentally ran across this book in the "new arrivals" section of a university library last night, and stayed up until 2 A.M. reading it. It contains the life story of the neglected Tibetan master Dolpopa, a subsequent account of the ill-fated legacy of his teachings, and two brief treatises by The Omniscient himself. I am not a specialist in Buddhism, and in fact had never even heard of Dolpopa 24 hours ago, but now I will never forget him.

Cyrus Stearns has obviously put an impressive amount of research into this volume without ever sliding over into pedantry. His concern is to tell the story of a simple and profound idea as it unveils itself in the spirtual and geographic vastness of 14th century Tibet. The central issue of Zhentong is explained clearly and memorably, and in such a way as to make it relevant for Western philosophers as well. Lucid works of this kind do far more for a true East-West dialogue than any amount of "multicultural" preaching. All who read this book with an open mind will be moved to cure their ignorance of the history of Buddhism.

I feel as though a new portion of the human past has been opened up for me by Stearns' work. It deserves to be read by anyone with even a trace of interest in world religions, world history, or the past and future of metaphysics in all traditions.

Cyrus Stearns ably introduces us here to the life, times, and teachings of Dolpopa, the great yogin and contemporary of Longchenpa. At the heart of this text are translations from Dolpopa's writings, which reveal an enormous and pure heart, a precise understanding and a very firm conviction born of real experience. On the matter of Madhyamika philosophy, Dolpopa gets the last word (in my opinion).

Dolpopa believed his teachings to have come to him from the holy kingdom of Shambhala; in a visionary way, he had travelled there himself. When the great Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche drew inspiration from and a spiritual connection to this kingdom, he (explicitly or not) invoked Dolpopa's precedent. This is a great book for Shambhala people, also, because like Trungpa Rinpoche, Dolpopa was a founder of a school of Vajrayana Buddhism. Where do tantric traditions come from?

I'm personally mistrustful of the dialectic and mechanical dialectical thinking. I fell I've found a comerad and inspiration in Dolpopa, who effectively declares: I am no dialectician and no pedant, I am a yogin and I am for real. Dolpopa is interested in praxis and in reality. (Trungpa Rinpoche, too.)

My hope: Dolpopa's legacy, the Jonang Lineage, will flourish, and that you will find a certain Something in the pages of this sublime book. May it be so!

Look elsewhere for a better price. $47???? Way too high.