Enthronement: The Recognition of the Reincarnate Masters of Tibet and the Himalayas

Description

Review "A sort of: What You Always Wanted to Know About Reincarnation but Were Afraid to Ask."—Publishers Weekly "With extraordinary intelligence and devotion, Ngawang Zangpo has produced a book which offers real insight into the profound mystery of the recognition and enthronement."—The View "A fascinating book. Introduces the reader in a comprehensible way to the theoretical and practical implications of the tulku system."—Tibet Journal "Zangpo combines well-placed historical anecdotes with quotations from masters and his own personal experience to give the reader a strong foundation in the process of recognition and enthronement."—Northwest Dharma News Review "With extraordinary intelligence and devotion, Ngawang Zangpo has produced a book which offers real insight into the profound mystery of the recognition and enthronement." Review "A fascinating book--introduces the reader in a comprehensible way to the theoretical and practical implications of the tulku system." Review "Zangpo combines well-placed historical anecdotes with quotations from masters and his own personal experience to give the reaer a strong foundation in the process of recognition and enthronement." From the Back Cover Even the most casual contact with the culture, politics, or religion of Tibet and the surrounding region brings outsiders face-to-face with the institution of reincarnate spiritual masters. Past masters are identified as small children, installed in their predecessor's monastery in a ceremony called enthronement, and educated to continue the work of their former incarnation. This custom has provided a principal source of spiritual renewal for Himalayan Buddhists for the past thousand years. The introduction places the subject of reincarnate meditation masters within two major contexts--the activity of bodhisattvas, and in modern Tibetan society, where the reappearance of past masters is both natural and profoundly moving. Tai Situpa Rinpoche, a contemporary reincarnate master and a leader of the Kagyu lineage, describes the process of finding other reincarnate masters. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, an outstanding writer and meditation master offers a traditional view of the enthronement of reincarnate masters. "A sort of: What You Always Wanted to Know About Reincarnation but Were Afraid to Ask."--Publishers Weekly "With extraordinary intelligence and devotion, Ngawang Zangpo has produced a book which offers real insight into the profound mystery of the recognition and enthronement."--The View "A fascinating book--introduces the reader in a comprehensible way to the theoretical and practical implications of the tulku system."--The Tibet Journal "Zangpo combines well-placed historical anecdotes with quotations from masters and his own personal experience to give the reaer a strong foundation in the process of recognition and enthronement."--Northwest Dharma News Ngawang Zangpo (Hugh Leslie Thompson) completed two three-year retreats under the direction of the late Kalu Rinpoche. He is presently working on a number of translation projects under the direction of Chadral Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin Rinpoche. His previous works include Jamgon Kongtrul's Retreat Manual and Enthronement: Recognition of the Reincarnate Masters of Tibet and The Himalaya's. He also contributed to the work of Kalu Rinpoche's translation group's books Myriad Worlds and Buddhist Ethics. About the Author Jamgön Kongtrül (1813–1899) was a versatile and prolific scholar. He has been characterized as a "Tibetan Leonardo" because of his significant contributions to religion, education, medicine, and politics.