I just finished reading Matteo Pistono’s wonderful book, In the Shadow of the Buddha. This non-fiction book contains three interwoven story threads. One thread narrates the author’s pilgrimages inside of Tibet, often in restricted areas, over the course of ten years. During his travels he visits remote holy sites, receives teachings, and tries to deepen his Meditation practice.
Another thread recounts the life of Terton Sogyal, who lived from 1856 to 1926 and was the previous incarnation of the contemporary teacher Sogyal Rinpoche. Terton Sogyal was the real deal, a wandering yogi who was incarnation of one of Padmasambhava’s disciples.
In the third thread the author bears witness to the hardships, oppression, and violence experienced by Tibetans living in a Tibet under Chinese rule. He finds himself in the role of courier. Carrying messages into Tibet and smuggling out evidence of the continued human rights abuses being perpetrated on the Tibetan people.
I found the book both heart wrenching and inspiring. It grounds us in the gritty suffering of an oppressed people who are nevertheless living religious lives rooted in the unconditional compassion of the Buddha Dharma.
Namo Amida Bu!
Peace, Paul
Peace Paul's Blog 
February 1, 2016 at 10:20 am |
Paul, you will probably also enjoy my science fiction story series “The Doom Healer.” It is aimed at an audience that knows little about Buddhism, and teaches it in a painless way.
🙂
Bob