Customer Reviews

Cave in the Snow : Tenzin Palmo's Quest for Enlightenment

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Tenzin Palmo, this book's subject, is a character you will never forget. Full of faith, insight and strength, her dedication to persuing the Path has determined her life and continues to do so. The writer, Vicki Mackenzie, writes a gripping narrative about Tenzin Palmo's life from her beginnings in England (where her interest in the East bloomed) to her voyage to India, to living in a monastary, finding her guru and eventually going up to her cave, where she meditated for 12 years. The book reaches a peak in the chapters about Tenzin Palmo's cave retreat. The book changes directions upon Tenzin Palmo's emergence from the cave, becoming more reportorial and less biographical. Among the topics covered are Tenzin Palmo's efforts in founding a nunnery for her lineage (Kargyu) and to perpatuate the esoteric yogic practices of the Togdenmas, female yogis in this particular Tibetan line. Also interesting chapters on Buddhism in the West (particularly the U.S.) and the role of retreat. An amazing book for anyone who is deepening their spiritual practice, curious about or considering retreat, and highly valuable to women seekers! A wonderful book! Hurrah!

It would seem difficult to commend sufficiently the merit of this book. Despite lackluster writing by journalist Vicki MacKenzie (whose fascinating book on lama Osel, the surprising tulku recently discovered in Spain, seemed affected arbitrarily by the same lack of dynamism in the writing) the story of Tenzin Palmo shines through, and witnesses to a kind of freedom that is the stuff of legend, and a harbinger of peace. Her presence is clear on every page, distinct and standing and shining on its own power, and perhaps in that way MacKenzie's notably waveless style serves the book well. The book is assembled beautifully, MacKenzie takes her time in just the right places; the final few chapters take up a kind of ecstatic explosion of joy, rumbling to a final free-flying celebration of a remarkable woman's life and freedom. I enjoyed it immensely; and what really calls, and remains a part of us is the woman, this rather great personage of achievement, the lama of freedom- Tenzin Palmo! Her teaching is without any superfluous edges, one finds on nearly every page of this book an immensely grateful and happily intelligent woman, one worth considering for the quality of her genuine spiritual impact. One of the more satisfying books I've read this year, its minimalist decor notwithstanding; not that the writing is so impoverished, but a little bloodless, as I say. But take heart, Tendzin Palmo is a bountiful journey! 4 glad stars!

This biography of the first western woman Tibetan Buddhist lama, child of the second half of the 20th Century & seeker of spiritual perfection is delightful, frank, detailed & absorbing. Born into war-torn London's East End this girl always felt out of place, survived some astonishingly dangerous childhood traumas & headed pell-mell into London's Swinging Sixties. All the while she's been searching, finding the rare Budhhist community, knowing yet not knowing what to do with her life. Finally she earns enough money for her passage to India & to the exiled Tibetan Buddhist communities in the fabled foothills of the Himalayas. There, when she isn't taken seriously as wanting to immerse herself in the religious life just as the monks do, her determination becomes unshakable & the ultimate feminist battle is engaged. Does the Soul have gender?

This is a stunning book! Exciting & infuriating; transformational & down-to-earth. For the first time my Western mind has been able to grasp the concept of reincarnation.

A superb gift for anyone who has ever contemplated a life of meditation & devotion; for anyone who thinks religion has no humor. This book will have your heart laughing & your spirit bursting open like a flower in sunshine. For my full review please see [my website]

Despite Vicki Mackenzie's breathless tabloid style (which she comes by honestly, as a British tabloid journalist), this book works brilliantly ... and the reason is its subject, Tenzin Palmo, a British woman who became a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Her dry English wit and sterling character shine from every page. The first Western woman to engage in a 12-year meditation retreat in a cave in the Himalayas, Tenzin Palmo describes her spiritual life in a matter-of-fact way that is all the more inspiring for its simplicity and humour. Along the way she tackles the difficult question of women's role in Tibetan Buddhism - I was not surprised to learn that, rather than resting on her own accomplishments, Tenzin Palmo has devoted herself to helping her sister nuns in Asia. An engaging and wonderful book!

This is one of the most inspiring books I have read in years. Tenzin Palmo's life path is beautifully described and includes her personal as well as spiritual perspectives. This is the story of a woman of our times who continues to blaze a path without ego, and therefore with greater effect. I congratulate the author for her remarkable writing talent and the dedication she had to her subject. I hope she writes more.

Although I am usually most interested in books relating to Taoism and the martial arts, this book caught my attention. The story of a British woman spending 12 years in a small cave at 13,000 feet in Tibet meditating was one I had to read. Although some readers have said that the author's style turned them off, I must say I had no problem with it. It took me a day to read this book, and I will probably go back and read it again. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that thinks it may be interesting- a GREAT read.

Tenzin Palmo's story is amazing and inspirational. From her
upbringing in England, her life, experiences and struggles
as nun among Tibetan monks, her 12 year retreat in a cave
high in the Himalayan Mountains, to her continuous effort
and fundraising to build a nunnery and international retreat
center for women. A marvelous and inspiring woman and being!
I could hardly put the book down and read it in two days.

A truly inspiring book. Written without sentimentality, it describes the life of Tenzim Palmo and her quest to receive enlightenment. The last few chapters eloquently describe what it is like for women to be on the spiritual path. A must read for anyone who wants to move forward in their understanding of the mystery of life.

This book is a well-written biography of Diane Perry who became the first fully ordained Western Buddhist nun, Drubgyu Tenzin Palmo. It includes her motivations and obstacles to this decision, her main claim to fame-a 12 year solitary retreat in a cave in the snowy mountains of northern India, and the effects of her Buddhist experiences on her life thereafter. While she does not elaborate on the cave experiences or realizations themselves (no doubt very personal and difficult to explain to a general audience), Ani Palmo (Ani is an honorific for a Buddhist nun or Bhikshuni) makes a number of forceful and discerning observations and conclusions:
--monastic life: p. 72: "We also have to learn not to be attached to simplicity and poverty."
--literal interpretation of mythology: p. 173: `Frightening people with tales of hell is counter-productive-it just makes them want to give up."
--religious development via transplanting: p. 188: Different aspects of the dharma emerge when they resonate with certain qualities in the psyches of the people it is meeting. It's an absolutely necessary process if Buddhism is going to be applicable to one's own country."
--Western seeds of Buddhism: p. 167: "'Ground Hog Day' was a very Buddhist movie"
--monastic teachers: p. 165: Confusion and problems arose, for the lamas, used to addressing the very specialized congregation of monks, had no precedent of how to deliver the Buddha dharma in terms applicable to householders, professionals, and women of the West."
--the emergence of Western Buddhism: p. 188: I think the skillful incorporation of certain psychological principles is going to be very significant. I also like the idea of social involvement, of genuinely going out there to help others rather tan just sitting on the meditation cushion thinking about it. It's opening the heart through practical application and it suits the West...Buddhism will not be rooted in the West until some Western people have gone and taken the dharma and eaten it and digested it and then give it back in a form which is right for Westerners."

She correctly observes that while Buddhism changes people (and perhaps even cultures), nations and their peoples also change Buddhism. It's reciprocal. Thus, her dynamic efforts to liberate Buddhist women reflects prior Western efforts: suffrage, sexual harassment, etc. in America and elsewhere. It is a natural reflection of cultural interaction as well as the inner response (despite her awesome need for solitude and individual efforts towards Enlightenment) of an amazing woman to an obvious need for evolvement within Tibetan Buddhism itself. One can only applaud and support her sacrifice for her sisters as well as Buddhism and the Western psyche.

This is a book for all of us who Dare. Tenzin Palmo shows what we are capable of when we put aside everything but the goal. For her everything else was secondary to Liberation, this included her own guru's Teaching that Enlightenment is impossible in the female form. Tenzin Palmo Dared the result is pure magic