Customer Reviews

Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal

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Once again the Padmakara Translation Group does an exemplary job of translating this fascinating life story of Tibet's most famous and influential master (yes, she was a female from Tibet born over 1200 years ago, who was renowned as the great Indian yogi Padmasambhava's main Tibetan disciple/consort, and responsible for spreading his teachings through the planting of termas or "hidden treasures").

This tale is a traditional "namthar" or spiritual biography which is meant to teach on many levels. Sometimes these kinds of stories are a bit too fantastic for the modern (literal-minded) reader, but this translation does a good job of presenting Yeshe Tsogyal as both humane (intimate and familiar) and fantastic (divine consort of Padmasambhva and mother of Buddhism in Tibet). It is a fun, lively story (full of joys and sorrows, intrigue, struggle and liberation), and not a dry retelling of an old tale.

As good as the story is, my favorite part is the introductory chapter where the translators put the Lady's life and tradition into perspective. They give one of the clearest explainations of how our Buddha Nature (ever present and unchanging in all beings) is obscured by ignorance and revealed through the accumulation of merit and pointing out instructions of a genuine master (Padmasambhava and then Yeshe Tsogyal in this case).

This is a remarkably complete and complex story of personal liberation, Tibetan history, direct and symbolic spiritual instructions and some might say, an early feminist statement, but I tend to disregard her gender, and even her nationality-cultural identity. What matters is how she served her master, and what she accomplished and disseminated... a practice legacy we are still directly benefiting from today.

This story was written about 1,000 years ago in one of the world's most isolated regions. But it's an epic spiritual adventure, with one of the greatest female heroes in world literature. This is a woman of almost unbelievable intelligence and drive, who inspires a whole nation. It's a tale mixing medieval-style myths and miracles with surprisingly modern-style personal honesty. At first, Tsogyal's precocious girlhood abilities make the Buddhist path look dramatically easy. But gigantic trials will come, including rape and all other abuses commonly suffered by traditional women. The privations she endures rival those of St. Antony (but hers are colder); her deeds of compassion surpass those of St. Francis; her humiliations rival those of St. Augustine. In the end, Tsogyal's insight transforms it all. The strangest thing to most Western readers is the role of sex in spiritual practice. With Tsogyal's path, we can speak of "right sex" as one of the means of enlightenment.

This is a book where even the notes and glossary are full of good stories. The story should be one of the planet's spiritual classics.

--author of A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization

Yeshe Tsogyal, or White Tara, was a rare example of a female buddha. She has walked the earth many times but her 200+ years here with Padmasambhava left a legacy for all mankind that we are still learning from. She left behind many treasures and teachings for us to use as we grow. Some treasures are still to be found.

To understand Yeshe Tsogyal is to understand the true meaning of compassion and detached giving. These are lessons for all time.

"Lady of a Lotus Born" is a wonderful life story that inspires vajrayana practitioners to endeavor in their practice with magnificent literature and stories that will reach deep inside your heart. Whether you are a long-time practitioner or just curious to know about Buddhism, this book will definitely open your mind and heart.

it seems the tradition of retelling life-stories in tibet was largely for teaching purposes. this book does that part well. a valuable support for the depressed yogini.