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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gesar Kicks Demon A**,
This review is from: The Warrior Song of King Gesar (Paperback)
I am not a student of Eastern philosophy, although I've always thought that I had some appreciation for Buddhist ideas. Well, Gesar is not your sanitary, American high school Buddhism. Gesar is a warrior and superman, and through meditation and divine interaction, he goes out and - excuse the expression - Kicks Some Demon A**. The demon kingdoms surround Gesar's country of Ling, and Gesar must be victorious over them, so the populous will turn towards the tenets of Buddhism and his country have security.Gesar is an ancient tale from the Himalayan region, and its hero based on a real king. The author has done his best to abridge the major story into a form that is approachable to those of us without extensive background to Tibetan or Mongolian Buddhism, or knowledge of the extensive pantheon of Buddhist deities. However, I fear he has shortened the tale too much; some of his actions seemed like they needed more context. Doing a book search through a university library led me to another translation of the epic of Gesar - *The Superhuman life of Gesar of Ling* by Alexandra David-Neel & the lama Yongden. This version is nearly 400 pages long, compared to 150 pages. Obviously Douglas J. Penick took some liberties with the translation. This is an exciting tale, filled with magic, demons, and adventure. It is a good, "off-the-beaten-path" story that will give you another perspective on Buddhism and an insight into the cultures of the Himalayan region.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Inspiration,
By
This review is from: The Warrior Song of King Gesar (Paperback)
The story of Gesar, the Warrior King offers us a modern hero. The ancient wisdom-culture of Tibet in union with buddhism is the context of this fifteenth century poetic narrative. And while it is tempting to lose oneself in the iron-age magic, the source of Gesar's power is not sorcery, but the depth of his heart.
The impact of Penick's gorgeous line and verse is not just a satisfying romp back to the shamanistic wisdom of the ancient past, though you could read it that way. The Warrior Song of King Gesar is an energizing call to rise from current depression and hopelessness, to engage the obstacles we face. Like King Gesar, we must get intimate and give birth to genuine culture with depth for dreaming, passion for creating, faith to start, and compassion to persevere. Those of us living in the "anti culture," --the Big-Box materialism that has lead us to global warming and the Shopping Channel ( to mention a few house hold examples of material and spiritual degredation) will find much in this rendition of a fifteenth century epic that is spooky in its relevance: "Our earth is wounded/Her rivers are like running sores...)" To respond takes not just strategy and grim determination, but fundamentally, heart. The Warrior Song of King Gesar is bone fide, life sustaining human culture: It's called a SONG, not SELF HELP. "Gesar comes like an iron wheel rolling across the sky..." Maybe it is time to start singing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome back Gesar,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Warrior Song of King Gesar (Paperback)
At last this wonderful and often cited rendition of the most famous parts of the Gesar epic is back in print! Buy it, read it, keep it. Its a gem.
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