The Dance of 17 Lives The Incredible True Story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa

by Brown, Mick

• ISBN13: 9781582345987
• ISBN10: 1582345988
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-06
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary

The 17th Karmapa, one of the holiest figures in Tibetan Buddhism, arrived in Dharmsala as a fourteen-year-old boy in 2000, after an extraordinary escape across the Himalayas. Fascinated by this charismatic young figure, Mick Brown traveled to meet him, and found himself drawn into the labyrinthine web of intrigue surrounding the 17th Karmapa's recognition and early life. Mick Brownis the author of four previous books and has written extensively about music, movies, and religion. Born in London, he is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. In January 2000, a taxi twisted its way up the narrow road leading toward Dharamsala in Northern India--the home-in-exile of the Dalai Lama. Inside was a fourteen-year-old boy, the 17th Karmapa, whose arrival was the culmination of a thrilling escape that had brought him 900 miles across the Himalayas. The Karmapas are the oldest line of identifiable reincarnates in Tibetan Buddhism, and the escape of the 17th surprised the global media, the Chinese government, and his devotees around the world. Fascinated by this charismatic young man, Mick Brown traveled to Dharamsala and was drawn into the labyrinthine web of intrigue surrounding the 17th Karmapa. What he discovered included stories of miracles and rumors of murder, political conspiracy, and the setting of centuries-old scores. And at the center of it all is the extraordinary figure of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of the coming age. "An escape that for drama and daring makes most Hollywood fare pale by comparison."--The Washington Post "Brown, author ofThe Spiritual Tourist, tells a tale that educates, fascinates, and ultimately disquiets."--Tricycle "Tangled rumors, rivalries among lamas, a secret letter, gnarled court cases, and violence all feature in this complex and startling tale . . . Brown's informative and frank portrait of the courageous young lama conveys the power of Tibetan Buddhism and the blight if 'theological politics.'"--Booklist "An extraordinary story . . . Crisp, dramatic, and scrupulously even-handed."--Sunday Telegraph "Superbly accessible . . . Far from being a mere report on the 17th Karmapa and his exodus, this is an excellent history of modern Tibetan Buddhism on a broad scale."--Publishers Weekly(starred review)

Author Biography

Mick Brown is the author of four previous books and has written extensively about music, movies, and religion. Born in London, he is a freelance journalist and broadcaster.