Sky Dancer: The Secret Life & Songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel (Paperback)

by Keith Dowman (Author)
Key Phrases: pema jungne, lord guru, mystic initiation, The Life, Guru Pema, Guru Rimpoche (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
One of the few texts dealing with the spiritual evolution of a female aspirant.

Language Notes
Text: English, Tibetan (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (July 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559390654
• ISBN-13: 978-1559390651
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars woman buddha, August 3, 2000

By	taylor caron (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

yeshe tsogyal. apology accepted if you don't know of her. she is the consumate female yogi, and the events of her life-story, with its sweet and bitter struggles as a stunning village-beauty offerred in marriage to the king of tibet, to her tantric initiation and education and subsequent practice (under the guidance of her consort padmasambhava, the mystic yogi credited with bringing tantra to tibet), all serve to exemplify the triumph over ignorance and suffering. this book is heavy at times (she went through some tuff stuff) but you will be a better woman for reading it (males and females alike!)

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "yes I said yes I will Yes", August 10, 2005

By	Myron Makewater "redcrosseknight" (Laramie) - See all my reviews

Keith Dowman has had the extraordinary good fortune of learning (and learning well) from very skilled teachers, among the best really, including Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche. The reader of Dowman's translation benefits much from the depth of his learning and engagement with the material.

And what material! What a joy it is to read psychotropic hagiography, the revelation of many gifted hands. (This text is a terma, or what Gurdjieff might call a 'legominism.' Interested?) In short: first order reading of first order importance for men and women engaged in the Tantric Buddhist path, and those interested therein.

A weakness: I found some of Dowman's exclamations on gender in the commentary a bit undercooked. Just to listen in, I would love to share a pot of coffee with him and Judith Simmer-Brown (have you read her book Dakini's Warm Breath yet? Good stuff, mate!). At least Dowman's honest and well-intentioned.

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche's forward is perhaps as indelible as any other aspect of this text; the interested reader may wish to explore his volume Magic Dance, regarding the manifestation of the dakini.

Finally: Tarthang Tulku's translation of this biography, entitled Mother of Knowledge, is very much worth the reader's time and attention.

Homage to the dakinis!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life and times of a female Tantrika, August 1, 2007

By	A. Roberts "Pranasakti" (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a wonderful addition to the library of any Tantrik practitioners. Yeshe Tsogyel was an incarnation of the Goddess Sarasvati, and this book documents her life and adventures. I found it a little tough to get into the language at first, but then I was hooked!