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The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat: The Life of Ra Lotsawa
The story of Tibet’s notorious master of Buddhist sorcery—translated for the first time into English
An essential sacred text of Tibetan Buddhism, The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat tells the wondrous story of Ra Lotsawa Dorjé Drak. Though he was canonized as a saint and a fully enlightened buddha, the eleventh-century Ra Lotsawa’s life story presents a darker path than those taken by Siddhartha Gautama and Milarepa. Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, accumulate wealth, and amass a devoted following. His life offers a rare view into the often overlooked roles of magic and sorcery in the Buddhist tradition. Despite this sinister legacy, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped spark a renaissance of Buddhism in Tibet. This spirited new translation gives readers in English their first opportunity to encounter one of the most colorful and memorable figures in Tibetan Buddhist history.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
An essential sacred text of Tibetan Buddhism, The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat tells the wondrous story of Ra Lotsawa Dorjé Drak. Though he was canonized as a saint and a fully enlightened buddha, the eleventh-century Ra Lotsawa’s life story presents a darker path than those taken by Siddhartha Gautama and Milarepa. Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, accumulate wealth, and amass a devoted following. His life offers a rare view into the often overlooked roles of magic and sorcery in the Buddhist tradition. Despite this sinister legacy, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped spark a renaissance of Buddhism in Tibet. This spirited new translation gives readers in English their first opportunity to encounter one of the most colorful and memorable figures in Tibetan Buddhist history.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
364 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 6, 2017
This has some shocking and funny moments, but it's also extremely monotonous and repetitive.
June 3, 2022
An engaging and fun hagiography of Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak.
As the product description alludes to:
"Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, gain a devoted following, and grow rich. Despite these deeds, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped spark a renaissance of Buddhism in Tibet."
one can expect this story of the Lama saint to be a little different from others. In many of these Tibetan saint hagiographies, the saint must at some point demonstrate and ultimately destroy a Siviate tantrik sorcerer with their powers from their Vajrayana training, this book is no different; however, what separates this story from others, is that Ra Lotsawa also leaves a large body count of other Buddhist Lamas who disrespects him.
Bryan J Cuevas does a great job with his translation as The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat reads with a nice flow. People interested in Tibetan tantrik sorcery will get a kick out of this one.
Diabolical to some and a saint to others Ra Lotsawa story is a colorful and fun read.
As the product description alludes to:
"Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, gain a devoted following, and grow rich. Despite these deeds, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped spark a renaissance of Buddhism in Tibet."
one can expect this story of the Lama saint to be a little different from others. In many of these Tibetan saint hagiographies, the saint must at some point demonstrate and ultimately destroy a Siviate tantrik sorcerer with their powers from their Vajrayana training, this book is no different; however, what separates this story from others, is that Ra Lotsawa also leaves a large body count of other Buddhist Lamas who disrespects him.
Bryan J Cuevas does a great job with his translation as The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat reads with a nice flow. People interested in Tibetan tantrik sorcery will get a kick out of this one.
Diabolical to some and a saint to others Ra Lotsawa story is a colorful and fun read.
October 20, 2020
Very good book !!! Must read !!
December 27, 2021
Glorious hagiography, uplifting and awesome from start to finish. A pretty solid translation, too, afaik.
September 11, 2024
Required dedication to complete it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews