Memoirs of a Tibetan Lama

by Lobsang Gyatso

A Tibetan patriot and unswerving follower of the Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso emerges from these memoirs as a master storyteller, a fearless social critic, and a devoted Buddhist monk.

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Nathan Willard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lobsang Gyatso, brutally murdered while he was in the process of recollecting his life for a western editor, describes with unusual frankness the life of a monk from the provinces in pre-occupation China. His humor colors his growth from a headstrong, short-tempered and arrogant uneducated youth to a well-disciplined and scholarly leader. While even at the end of his life he maintained many of his youthful characteristics, his willingness to break the secrecy of monastic life shows a breadth of perspective that one rarely gets, and his endearing style makes what ought to be a somewhat dull existence quite engaging.