Customer Reviews

Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an excellent read, very inspirational and well worth the price. I think some of the reviwers slightly missed the point - whilst Dipa Ma probably didnt eat meat, Theravadin Buddhists are not vegetarian because like the Buddha himself, they rely on alms donations for food. There is no prohibition on eating meat or fish in either the vinaya or the sutras, monks and nuns in Thailand and Burma are mostly meat eaters. As for the change in title, its really just a reprint with colour photos and a new publisher - its not done to rip anybody off, the newer version I think is a better tribute to Dipa Ma's spiritual legacy. Anyhow, for anybody wanting to read about a lay meditatior who was highly acomplished and masterd the siddhis (spiritual para normal powers), the janas (absorbtions) and three of the four paths to nirvana, this is the book!

Other highly recommended books to people who enjoy this one are "Life of a Siamese Monk" by Richard Randall and also Maha Bowas facinating biography of Ajan Mun, a Thai forest monk who attained nirvana and passed away in the late 1940's. Maha Bowas book is given away freely and a great read, I think its also on the internet.

My heartfelt thanks to Ms. Schmidt for writing this book and collecting the very moving reflections of Dipa Ma's students. The teachings about the power of love embodied in this book and in the life of Dipa Ma can help us all to live a life that is truly joyful.

There are many wonderful books available that provide guidance and inspiration on the spiritual path. I found this one to be particularly inspirational and instructive about how suffering can be transformed into love and how love can be shared and a source of healing and joy.

What a blessing it would have been to meet Dipa Ma in person. What a blessing it is to be able to meet her through the words of people who knew her and now know in their hearts the power of kindness.

Dipa Ma's life, practice and high level of attainment is truly inspirational. If you're looking for a book that will teach you the basic tenets of Theravadin Buddhism, this is not it. But, if you're looking for a powerfully inspirational story of a profoundly loving, compassionate master who transformed and inspired many Western practitioners this book is great. It really brought tears to my eyes and I keep rereading it and my wonder never ceases. It has good pictures and can easily be read in an evening. I've bought and sent copies to all the women in my life. Buy it, read it and enjoy!

I'm a dharma book junkie, I admit. But this book stands alone in its ability to move me from talking and thinking about meditation practice, to actually doing the practice. It is my favorite dharma book ever, 3 years standing (I originally bought a previous edition, when it was called "Knee Deep in Grace", which had a bit less content). My favorite Dipa quote from the book: "Practice now. Don't think you will do more tomorrow". The accounts in this book of her are inspiring. Dipa Ma was a very gentle, but practical lay woman, all about persistence. She wanted everyone to benefit from Buddhist practice. The stories reflect all of this so nicely. Amy Schmidt did an amazing job collecting all these stories. Bravo!!!

In response to the reviewer who claimed false advertising because the content of this book is the same as "Knee Deep in Grace" - with some attentiveness he will note it is in fact the same book reprinted. No one is trying to pull the wool over his eyes, the original publisher is no longer in business. Another publisher, wishing to keep this important Dhamma work in existence has republished it under a different title. (However, there are unscrupulous used book store owners attempting to sell the original title at exorbitant prices, claiming the book is out of print, which is untrue.)

I have read many books on meditation and been a meditator for many years. I, in general like books which teach me something about meditation, but in this case, I found this book pure inspiration. Hearing how this woman affected the lives of many of the leaders of Insight Meditation folks and many in India is a blessing and a reminder of why to stay with it.

Bruce GibbsDipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master

I was quite disappointed, not by the content of the book itself (getting the account of Dipa Ma's life is a real gift to every reader), but by the fact that it is almost exactly the same book as "knee deep in grace"; this is false advertising, and as if Dipa Ma's legacy was already exploited....

Dipa Ma's life story was a journey of losing her mother at a young age, multiple child loss, late age childbearing, widowhood, single parenting, etc etc... Enough loss & suffering to incorporate all of our own and honor its shameless potential. Dipa Ma confirms how richly transformative such suffering can prove to be once one commits to vipassana practice.

This is a very emotionally embodied female householder version of an enlightenment journey, far removed from the repressingly tidy versions of male monastic legends and the even tidier examples of virgin saints. All this, and - she was the teacher of pivotal and now famous American vipassana senior teachers: Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzburg, to name a few. And nobody's heard of Dipa Ma, but everybody's heard of them! While that is the ultimate success of teaching (to be surpassed by one's students), Dipa Ma's role in the east-west vipassana lineage needs to known about for a variety of reasons.

This book tells the biography through factual research along with a collection of teaching quotes by Dipa Ma from a variety of interviews as well as student anecdotes. Very easy to read and hard to put down!

The last part of the book shares Dipa Ma's Metta meditations, progressing from basic beginner to more extensive ones - very cool. Sometimes she would tell a beginner to just practice Metta for months until they were capable of other practices. Those with self-deprecation/self-acceptance karma benefit greatly from Dipa Ma's insightful guidance. She taught as far outside the box of the monastic-based tradition as from deep within it, because that's what a yogini does.

What a wonderful story! Dipa Ma gently but fiercely paved the way for women to become Buddhist masters. She showed us how to live Buddhism in everyday life. Teachers from around the world including many from the US came to learn from her. Her teachings were simple but profound, and her loving and compassionate essence as a mother and teacher shone through. Great story and important teachings.

This is a delightful book that deserves more than one reading. Dipa Ma's teaching on Loving Kindness is indespensible for those on the practice path. Her emphasis on meditation and letting go of personal attachments cuts to the core of spiritual practice. Metta to all sentient beings! May Loving Kindness radiate to all. [...]