The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava [Paperback]

Yeshe Tsogyal (Author), Erik Pema Kunsang (Translator), Tsele Natsok Rangdrol (Introduction), Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2004

In English for the first time is the complete story of how Buddhism was planted in Tibet. The Lotus-Born is a translation of a biography that was concealed as terma treasure—as protection from the changes of time—and revealed centuries later ba a tertön, a reincarnation of an accomplished student of Padmasambhava who had made the aspiration to benefit people in future generations.

Also included are 'A Clarification of the Life of Padmasambhava,' by Tsele Natsok Rangdröl, an extensive glossary and index, and a bibliography of Tibetan and English sources. The endnotes and the glossary are drawn from authentic ancient scriptures, intended to illuminate the historical background of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The first complete version of Guru Rinpoche’s life, The Lotus-Born translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, one of the most able and prolific Western translators, comes highly recommended. What a relief to be able to sit down and read a treasure in which we can have full confidence in both the words and the meaning. He has put Guru Rinpoche’s life into meaningful context by including with his translation a foreword by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and a short work by Tsele Natsok Rangdröl, a master of the seventeenth century."
- Ngawang Zangpo, author of Guru Rinpoche: His Life and Times

Language Notes

Text: English
Original Language: Tibetan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (July 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 962734155X
• ISBN-13: 978-9627341550
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly inspirational, informative and devotional, October 31, 2002

By 

Shreekrishna Akilesh (St. Louis, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava (Paperback)

This book on the life of Padmasambhava is a beautiful story that lists his various accomplishments from his miraculous birth from a lotus to his attaining various spiritual accomplishments and establishing the Buddha Dharma firmly in the Land of Tibet. This book is translated from the original scripture, and is an authentic source for information on Padmasambhava's life.

The book may read as fantasy, but as any religious literature, it must not be read in a wooden-literal sense, because to do so, would defeat the purpose of the work in the first place. This book was originally written by Yeshe Tsogyal (Padmasambhava's consort) to inspire future generations and to deepen their faith in Padmasambhava and his works. To that end, this modern translation succeeds completely. The foreword by the much reknowned teacher-H.H Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche adds weight to the caliber of this book and the information it contains.

For practitioners of Tib. Buddhism, this book is an invaluable resource. For non-practitioners, the book reads like a fast paced fantastic story with many miraculous events and larger-than-life personages whose lives contain snipets of many former lives. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Refreshing, August 20, 2007

By 

W. Lee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava (Paperback)

It is SO refreshing to read a book on Buddhism, a biography nonetheless, where we are not inundated with rationalizations, psychological justifications, or de-mystifications. If you read other biographies of Buddhist saints, you realize know how rare this is. Thank you, thank you... Sometimes you just want to read a book with some real, genuine, magical meat on the bone. Especially when you're hoping to get some insight into a totally different culture -- it's a good lesson for us westerners to learn how to let go of what can or cannot happen in a story.

I love this book on many levels. There's also a great terms dictionary in the back, which I've referred to repeatedly.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Padmasambhava is a buddha, who authored the Tibetan book of the dead, December 25, 2005

By 

Zorro (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava (Paperback)

giving this book a bad review, is like giving a "thumbs down" to the Bible... it is the autobiography of a buddha; believers will see its merit... let us rate this book, with an infinite number of stars... The writings of Padmasambhava are extremely deep.