Buddha's Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today [Paperback]

Erik D. Curren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2006

Buddha's Not Smiling is the anatomy of a crisis. On August 2, 1992, Rumtek monastery was attacked. Its monks were expelled and the cloister was given to a lama appointed by the Chinese government. But Rumtek was not in China, and its attackers were not Communist troops. Rumtek was in India, the refuge for most exiled Tibetans. And it was Tibetan lamas and monks themselves who led the siege. Evidence shows the Chinese Communists directly supported Tibetan lamas and monks who attacked Rumtek monastery. Why was Rumtek attacked? For a decade, the Chinese government has appointed puppet lamas to strengthen its control over occupied Tibet. Shockingly, the Chinese have recruited Tibetan leaders in exile to further these goals. Politically appointed lamas threaten the integrity of Tibetan Buddhism, yet thousands of Buddhists worldwide are unaware of this controversy, the picture blurred by media bias towards current Buddhist leaders. Buddha's Not Smiling challenges readers to judge for themselves the health of Tibetan Buddhism today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1981, the 16th Karmapa—leading lama of the Karma Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism—died. In a highly biased but fascinating account, first-time author Curren describes the controversy over the Karmapa's succession that still rages today. After the 16th Karmapa's death, two different factions arose, each naming a different boy the 17th Karmapa: Ogyen Trinley, supported by several Karma Kagyu leaders and the Dalai Lama, and Trinley Thaye, whom the second-ranking Kama Kagyu lama, Shamar Rinpoche, believes to be the true Karmapa. While most previous accounts of the controversy have favored Ogyen Trinley, Curren—who acknowledges early on that he is a student of Shamar Rinpoche—believes Ogyen Trinley to be a fraud. Curren is quite critical of the Dalai Lama, suggesting that His Holiness should never have gotten involved in the dispute to begin with. The bulk of the book lays out the power struggles and court battles that have marked the succession controversy. Unfortunately, Curren's journalistic account is not only highly partial but often badly written, filled with melodrama and purple prose. It will please Trinley Thaye and Shamar Rinpoche's partisans, but it is too one-sided to truly illuminate the Karmapa controversy. (Dec.)
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Review

"Curren's examination of the dispute is unsullied by bias, and his concern - the health of Tibetan Buddhism - feels genuine..." --Kirkus

...untangles a sordid tale of hypocrisy, bribery, intimidation, and violence...an eye opener for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. --Michael Parenti, author of The Culture Struggle and The Assasination of Julius Caesar

A must-read for any student of this unfortunate business. --Alex Shoumatoff, author and publisher

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Alaya Press (March 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977225305
• ISBN-13: 978-0977225309
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Divide and Conquer - an unfolding tragedy, April 30, 2010

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applewood (everywhere and nowhere) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Buddha's Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today (Paperback)

I was a bit skeptical of this book at first because of the nature of this partisan controversy, and the investigative reporter style of writing, yet pretty quickly I was taken in and fully absorbed. I'm a long time student of Tibetan Buddhism, but am not much interested or involved in the Kagyu Lineage, yet by the end of this book I was feeling both well informed and passionate about the subject (I really look forward to being able to meet Thaye Dorje Karmapa some day).

This book appears to be well researched and documented (lots of fascinating historical details and insider accounts), as well as including some helpful pictures, appendices, chronology of events and glossary, and it reads like a leCarre' novel at times - engrossing, convoluted, outrageous and impossible to put down. This is a side of Tibetan culture most Western devotees and outsiders are unaware of, yet this autocratic approach is at the root of how and why Tibet fell to the communists in '59.

My reading experience alternated between disgust, fascination, delight and sadness; sadness for everyone involved, delight that the wizard's curtain was finally being pulled back, fascination to see the utter petty humanness of it all, and disgust to learn of a few so-called "high" Lamas who's debased motives and involvement have led to such a split in the religious community. And this isn't simple political power grabbing, it involves high crimes of treason (to the Kagyu lineage), theft, assault (beatings, killings, & assasinations), forgery, bribery and deceit....

This book appears to be the most unbiased and informative account written so far about this controversy (On further study I discover a couple of the more horrible/outrageous aspects of the story were left out, probably for liability reasons.). It will probably interest a wide range of curious and intelligent readers, but for Tibetan Buddhists, especially Karma Kagyu followers, it is essential reading. I could easily list the dozen or so basic points of the controversy for you, but that would spoil your reading experience. No matter whether you have taken sides already, or never will, this book is worth reading. After all the horrors exposed here (both historic and current), this book amazingly left me on an upbeat note - the possibility of reconciliation. As Thaye Dorje Karmapa says, this will pass, the controversy will eventually be resolved as similar ones have in the past, and the dharma (truth) is too strong to be harmed. I hope he is right. And I hope we all learn something...and allow ourselves to be changed by this unchanging dharma.

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So far, the best of the best, July 10, 2007

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D. Perkins "daveagain" (St. Augustine, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Buddha's Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today (Paperback)

I have been reading dispassionately all of the books regarding the controversy surrounding the Karmapas. I am not a Buddhist so I don't have a predetermined opinion about any of them. I have a couple more books on this issue to read but so far this book is the most comprehensive look at the controversy despite the author's admitted bias for one of the Karmapas. He still tries to address all of the angles and be as fair as possible. I couldn't put this book down it had so much relevant information that so far is not discussed in the others I have read. He also looks at the books already written since his was released in 2006 so it provides another look at other books and where they might disagree or agree.

He has done extensive interviews with various parties and he attempted to include others on the other side who apparently refused (or couldn't work it in their schedule) to discuss the issues. I was impressed with what "Karmapa" Trinlay Thaye Dorje had to say about this entire controversy at the end of the book. He sounds like he is level headed and certainly ready to reach out to the modern world in which he finds himself. He also is interested in talking with "Karmapa" Orgyen Trinley Rinpoche and seeing if they can resolve this issue in some reasonable way. But, in any case, Trinlay Thaye Dorje doesn't seem caught up in the "tradition" but more interested in spreading the message of Buddhism rather than the fanfare. This should be interesting to watch. But---A great book! Thanks Mr. Curren!

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Professional documentation, November 21, 2007

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Ben (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Buddha's Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today (Paperback)

The author has rigorously written the book. It tells you where each piece of information or quotes comes from. It is an excellent documentation with academic values.