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Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life
"Enlightened beings only appear to come and go, making themselves available for a time in this faltering world, but in reality they are never gone. Enlightened beings are always present here and now if you truly yearn to see them..."
Born in India to a prominent Hindu Brahmin family, the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi was only six years old when he began having visions of a mysterious mountain peak, and of men with shaved heads wearing robes the color of sunset. "It was as vivid as if I were watching a scene from life," he writes. And so at the age of ten, he ran away from boarding school to find this place--taking a train to the end of the line and then boarding a bus to wherever it went. Strangely enough, he ended up at a Buddhist monastery that was the place of his dreams. His frantic parents sent scouts to find him and, after two weeks, located him and brought him home. But he continued to have visions and feel a strong pull to a spiritual life in a tradition that he had never heard of as a child. Today, he is a revered monk and teacher as well as President & CEO of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he works to build bridges among communities and religions. He is also director of the Ethics Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.
Running Toward Mystery is the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi's profound account of his lifelong journey as a seeker. At its heart is a story of striving for the unseen, the vital importance of mentors in that search, and of the many remarkable teachers he met along the way, among them the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Mother Teresa. "Teachers come and go on their own schedule," Priyadarshi writes. "I clearly wasn't in charge of the timetable and it wasn't my place to specify how a teacher should teach..." But arrive they did, at the right time, in the right way, to impart the lessons that shaped a life of seeking, devotion, and deep human connection across all barriers. Running Toward Mystery is at once the bracing and beautiful story of a singular life compelled to contemplation, and the riveting narrative of just how exciting that journey can be.
Born in India to a prominent Hindu Brahmin family, the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi was only six years old when he began having visions of a mysterious mountain peak, and of men with shaved heads wearing robes the color of sunset. "It was as vivid as if I were watching a scene from life," he writes. And so at the age of ten, he ran away from boarding school to find this place--taking a train to the end of the line and then boarding a bus to wherever it went. Strangely enough, he ended up at a Buddhist monastery that was the place of his dreams. His frantic parents sent scouts to find him and, after two weeks, located him and brought him home. But he continued to have visions and feel a strong pull to a spiritual life in a tradition that he had never heard of as a child. Today, he is a revered monk and teacher as well as President & CEO of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he works to build bridges among communities and religions. He is also director of the Ethics Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.
Running Toward Mystery is the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi's profound account of his lifelong journey as a seeker. At its heart is a story of striving for the unseen, the vital importance of mentors in that search, and of the many remarkable teachers he met along the way, among them the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Mother Teresa. "Teachers come and go on their own schedule," Priyadarshi writes. "I clearly wasn't in charge of the timetable and it wasn't my place to specify how a teacher should teach..." But arrive they did, at the right time, in the right way, to impart the lessons that shaped a life of seeking, devotion, and deep human connection across all barriers. Running Toward Mystery is at once the bracing and beautiful story of a singular life compelled to contemplation, and the riveting narrative of just how exciting that journey can be.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2020
37 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 5, 2020
Running Toward Mystery by Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi is a spiritual memoir that takes a dig into his journey of spiritual quest. This book chronicles his journey as he moves away from the life of routine, then returns, and gradually discovers what it really means to be spiritually fulfilled, what it really takes to attain spiritual wisdom. I haven’t read many memoirs nor a lot of spiritual text in a long time. However, this book engaged me with its words - real and gold!
The author puts it across how at an early age, he found his urge to become a monk. He escapes his school and finds shelter in the caves. He comes across some interesting people that left a profound and indelible impact on his mind. Soon enough he returns to his family and his regular life but his desire to get more insights into spirituality never leaves him. This book exactly draws inspiration from his interesting and inspiring journey. His story might sound unbelievable in certain instances, to some people, but might really appeal to those who get into reading it with an open mind.
The writing is fine and especially flows seamlessly when the author talks about words of wisdom. Through his journey, he came across some wonderful ideas that find a place in this book. I simply loved his thought process and perspective. The book essentially throws light on how can we change ourselves, then the people around us, thereby changing the world. The way he explains this idea is lovely. He picks up nuggets of wisdom, intertwines them with the issues of society, and tells how things could be changed.
I found myself pondering over a few lines. Everything is interconnected - our energies, our existence, our beliefs, etc. We need the balance and it’s not impossible :)
The author puts it across how at an early age, he found his urge to become a monk. He escapes his school and finds shelter in the caves. He comes across some interesting people that left a profound and indelible impact on his mind. Soon enough he returns to his family and his regular life but his desire to get more insights into spirituality never leaves him. This book exactly draws inspiration from his interesting and inspiring journey. His story might sound unbelievable in certain instances, to some people, but might really appeal to those who get into reading it with an open mind.
The writing is fine and especially flows seamlessly when the author talks about words of wisdom. Through his journey, he came across some wonderful ideas that find a place in this book. I simply loved his thought process and perspective. The book essentially throws light on how can we change ourselves, then the people around us, thereby changing the world. The way he explains this idea is lovely. He picks up nuggets of wisdom, intertwines them with the issues of society, and tells how things could be changed.
I found myself pondering over a few lines. Everything is interconnected - our energies, our existence, our beliefs, etc. We need the balance and it’s not impossible :)
September 19, 2020
The life account, emancipated by early childhood visions into what would be a life striving towards the arc of veneration, guided all along by the divine; for the divine; and finally into the divine. Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi's biography dwells within the reader as he delve within his words, within its clarity, into the primordial existence of the divine.
"Is a pilgrimage that's hidden under a viel of pretense any less than a pilgrimage?", as he writes his journey with the certainty within, though to the world around him and his family it was nothing beyond a shadow of uncertainty surrounding his belief.
The path he took, the places it took him and the teachers that came to him when they required to be at his side; it all sums into a narration of unparalleled zeal.
As we get to know the individual in search of his purpose, the purpose and the approach receives our approval not just in mere words but in our heart's monstrance.
My rating: 4/5
"Is a pilgrimage that's hidden under a viel of pretense any less than a pilgrimage?", as he writes his journey with the certainty within, though to the world around him and his family it was nothing beyond a shadow of uncertainty surrounding his belief.
The path he took, the places it took him and the teachers that came to him when they required to be at his side; it all sums into a narration of unparalleled zeal.
As we get to know the individual in search of his purpose, the purpose and the approach receives our approval not just in mere words but in our heart's monstrance.
My rating: 4/5
April 28, 2020
“Engaging with mystery, and the peculiar chemistry of how that manifests in human connection, is something that happens in it’s own time, on its own terms. That is the stark truth that we have no choice but to face. All we can do is be open and ready to embrace it when it comes.”
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi shares the mystery’s that appeared to him and the adventures he chose to understand his mystery and the opportunities for all of us. I will definitely read this book again and continue to open to the mystery’s that are available for me every day. 🙏🏻
Addendum: I reread Running Toward Mystery and it was even better. I even underlined text that I will review regularly. This book touched a special place inside of me.
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi shares the mystery’s that appeared to him and the adventures he chose to understand his mystery and the opportunities for all of us. I will definitely read this book again and continue to open to the mystery’s that are available for me every day. 🙏🏻
Addendum: I reread Running Toward Mystery and it was even better. I even underlined text that I will review regularly. This book touched a special place inside of me.
August 22, 2020
I am not a big non fiction fan but lately was drawn to more books relating to solitude. This book took me about a month to finish and I still cut it short towards the end. I wanted to know why a child from an early age from a big loving family chose to be in the company of monks until he could be ordained. I love a good journey especially one that is resistant to the norm. This child became the venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Buddha monk. He came from India and followed his heart -- most of the book is wonderful bucking the family resistance and making his way so young and becoming so devoted and disciplined. It was an inner calling for sure. Later he rose up and became an educator in the U.S.
One of the main things I remember in the book was that Christianity embraced the ideology of forgiveness of those that harmed. In Buddhism it was not stressed that specifically but rather came from a story of Buddha who met a man who was in our modern terms a serial killer and did unspeakable things. The towns feared him so. Buddha met him on a path and invited him to become a monk. Now this man could have killed him. But instead he did leave his evil ways and became a monk and when he begged for alms as all monks did, he felt the need to be forgiven. All I am saying is from this story it had a back door to resolution and perhaps a much stronger restoration of the spirit.
One of the main things I remember in the book was that Christianity embraced the ideology of forgiveness of those that harmed. In Buddhism it was not stressed that specifically but rather came from a story of Buddha who met a man who was in our modern terms a serial killer and did unspeakable things. The towns feared him so. Buddha met him on a path and invited him to become a monk. Now this man could have killed him. But instead he did leave his evil ways and became a monk and when he begged for alms as all monks did, he felt the need to be forgiven. All I am saying is from this story it had a back door to resolution and perhaps a much stronger restoration of the spirit.
July 10, 2020
This memoir touched me in a profound way.
June 26, 2025
A young boy of 10 at boarding school decides on his own that he wants to be a seeker, a pilgrim. He runs away in the middle of the night with no money and no plan and ends up taking a train and finding his way to a mountain he had never heard of before. Remember... he is just 10! With no direction, just on some sort of feel, he finds this Japanese monastery in the middle of nowhere in India and the person there says that he was expected. Wild! It turns out that the famous guru who had first established the holy place, had come to the little boy in his dreams for months. Such starts the memoir of the little boy who against his parents' wishes for their wealthy Brahmin son becomes a seeker, a monk, a student, later a respected world wide teacher who developed deep connections with some of the most famous holy people (think Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and other Indian, Japanese Buddhist tulkas and lamas). I love the TRUE stories that seem just completely made up that the rational mind can't comprehend -- like when the young man struggling with his own ego and pride and attachment to what he perceives as the "right" way of practice, wakes up in the middle of the night and is drawn to some place blocks away from his home to an all night rave where the swami looks at him to ask, "is there joy in your religion?" When the young man returns the next day to the same place to ask more questions of the swami, he finds the caretaker who says the man he spoke to the night before (whose picture in on the wall) has been dead for 5 years. I mean, how can you explain these - extra-ordinary, unexplainable experiences? Tenzin wakes up the middle of the night to go to the room of his teacher, Sasaki and finds him bathed in a fire light, a blazing circle of light with "tongues of flames". Tenzin closes the door and the next day, Sasaki turns to him to say that what you saw if for you only. It reminds me how we get so caught up the dramas of everyday life but there is a whole world out there that is connected, one, unexplainable. And that is why I love this book... because you can tap into the world of magic and mystery... running toward mystery.
The spiritual, contemplative path was something that Terzin was drawn to from early on even though he had to fight and disappoint his parents who wanted him to have a life of worldly success, marriage, wealth. The most touching part-- the father before he died months later, told Terzin in a weekly conversation that he had become a teacher of the world and he was proud of him. Kudos for following the path he was meant to follow! He had an inner thirst that even his own parents could not dissuade him of...
This is not just Terzin's story... He ponders such issues as living the life of action vs. solitude and contemplation, following the path exactly as prescribed or getting to the nugget of practice, spiritual egotism ( there can be ego involved in following/bragging about one's practice). Here is just one nugget from his writing:
"If we really want to change the world, transforming ourselves... is a necessary part of getting the job done... This is not an argument for quietism, spiritual bypassing, or accepting wrongdoing passively. Nor is contemplative practice a luxury or indulgence... Contemplative practice is essential nourishment that fuels the active life... If you truly begin to change yourself, it becomes much easier to change the world around you, and to do so without throwing even more anger and divisiveness into the stew."
Beautiful writing, messages, amazing story of how that little boy called in the middle of the night to "the path" grew up, found teachers and teachings and became a light himself of those teachings. I loved reading this book!
The spiritual, contemplative path was something that Terzin was drawn to from early on even though he had to fight and disappoint his parents who wanted him to have a life of worldly success, marriage, wealth. The most touching part-- the father before he died months later, told Terzin in a weekly conversation that he had become a teacher of the world and he was proud of him. Kudos for following the path he was meant to follow! He had an inner thirst that even his own parents could not dissuade him of...
This is not just Terzin's story... He ponders such issues as living the life of action vs. solitude and contemplation, following the path exactly as prescribed or getting to the nugget of practice, spiritual egotism ( there can be ego involved in following/bragging about one's practice). Here is just one nugget from his writing:
"If we really want to change the world, transforming ourselves... is a necessary part of getting the job done... This is not an argument for quietism, spiritual bypassing, or accepting wrongdoing passively. Nor is contemplative practice a luxury or indulgence... Contemplative practice is essential nourishment that fuels the active life... If you truly begin to change yourself, it becomes much easier to change the world around you, and to do so without throwing even more anger and divisiveness into the stew."
Beautiful writing, messages, amazing story of how that little boy called in the middle of the night to "the path" grew up, found teachers and teachings and became a light himself of those teachings. I loved reading this book!
June 24, 2020
Bought this on a whim while looking through my local bookstore in Nevada City, CA. My gut told me to buy it and I was really caught off guard because this was not what I wanted to read.
But dang, this book is really good. Better than expected. I thought it would be about the life of a Buddhist monk...pretty straight ahead and somewhat predictable as those stories tend to go.
It didn’t read like that at all. It had all the elements you’d want out of a book of this genre but there was more. I was inspired in new ways.
Tenzin has a way of describing people and places in a way that captures your attention. Every time he referenced one of his teachers or someone that he met who had a profound effect on him I always had my phone at the ready, looking them up and doing research. Same goes for the places he went. I wanted to know everything.
I think one of the best parts of this book is that Tenzin gives you ideas on how to make change in your life which then affects the lives of others and the world around us. He asks questions and phrases things in a way that is approachable and human. He’s not on a pedestal, telling you what to do. He’s right there with you; observing life with an open heart and mind. He doesn’t just tell you about the adventure of his unconventional life, he urges and hopes that you’ll also find a similar path that suits your way of life.
He approaches modern global problems, not just those surrounding a spiritual life lead by monks, etc.
This isn’t about being spiritually detached. It’s about living in the world as it exists today with the problems that we currently face. How do we do that in a way that acknowledges different people and different approaches that are unlike our own?
“Change always looms, if rarely so dramatically as now. The real challenge is to bring this scattered family together, to reach across the boundaries of our separate beliefs, with empathy and a shared understanding of ethics, to learn to care for one another.”
Highly recommend.
But dang, this book is really good. Better than expected. I thought it would be about the life of a Buddhist monk...pretty straight ahead and somewhat predictable as those stories tend to go.
It didn’t read like that at all. It had all the elements you’d want out of a book of this genre but there was more. I was inspired in new ways.
Tenzin has a way of describing people and places in a way that captures your attention. Every time he referenced one of his teachers or someone that he met who had a profound effect on him I always had my phone at the ready, looking them up and doing research. Same goes for the places he went. I wanted to know everything.
I think one of the best parts of this book is that Tenzin gives you ideas on how to make change in your life which then affects the lives of others and the world around us. He asks questions and phrases things in a way that is approachable and human. He’s not on a pedestal, telling you what to do. He’s right there with you; observing life with an open heart and mind. He doesn’t just tell you about the adventure of his unconventional life, he urges and hopes that you’ll also find a similar path that suits your way of life.
He approaches modern global problems, not just those surrounding a spiritual life lead by monks, etc.
This isn’t about being spiritually detached. It’s about living in the world as it exists today with the problems that we currently face. How do we do that in a way that acknowledges different people and different approaches that are unlike our own?
“Change always looms, if rarely so dramatically as now. The real challenge is to bring this scattered family together, to reach across the boundaries of our separate beliefs, with empathy and a shared understanding of ethics, to learn to care for one another.”
Highly recommend.
August 27, 2025
An amazing story, first heard on a plane flight by the writer Zara Houshmand, who brought it to life with such care and beauty. It's an exploration of life and what Buddhism means once it was brought to the west.
His words are even more important now:
". . . In Buddhist terms, being non-judgemental was originally part of training to suspend one's own projections and biases. The goal was never to turn a blind eye, but to see more clearly without distortion. Here too forgiveness may have to play a role, because it demands that we see darkness clearly before moving toward reconciliation. The truth portion of 'truth and reconciliation' cannot be skipped. There can be no genuine forgiveness . . . without first acknowledging that something was wrong. Holding in memory the truth of harm done is crucial to preventing that harm from being repeated, but we can forgive even as we say, "Never again!" . . .
His words are even more important now:
". . . In Buddhist terms, being non-judgemental was originally part of training to suspend one's own projections and biases. The goal was never to turn a blind eye, but to see more clearly without distortion. Here too forgiveness may have to play a role, because it demands that we see darkness clearly before moving toward reconciliation. The truth portion of 'truth and reconciliation' cannot be skipped. There can be no genuine forgiveness . . . without first acknowledging that something was wrong. Holding in memory the truth of harm done is crucial to preventing that harm from being repeated, but we can forgive even as we say, "Never again!" . . .
September 9, 2022
Tenzin Priyadarshi has written a beautiful account of his life as a spiritual seeker. Running Toward Mystery is part bio and part reflection on the main teachers he has had the opportunity to meet along the way. (He has stated that his relationship with his root teacher, the Dalai Lama, will be the topic of another book.)
Priyadarshi has been very brave to talk about the mundane and the extraordinary experiences that have come up in his spiritual path, given that the mention of any magical or unexplained events is frowned upon in the academic settings in which he moves as head of MIT's centre for ethics and transformative values.
An excellently written book, that has perfectly captured Priyadarshi's humility and candor.
Priyadarshi has been very brave to talk about the mundane and the extraordinary experiences that have come up in his spiritual path, given that the mention of any magical or unexplained events is frowned upon in the academic settings in which he moves as head of MIT's centre for ethics and transformative values.
An excellently written book, that has perfectly captured Priyadarshi's humility and candor.
March 26, 2025
If you have some affinity for Tibetan Buddhism, this is a very nicely written autobiography of an individual who was thrust upon the path by his karmic residue. The experiences he had seem unreal at times, however it's presented in a very down to earth and valid manner. It is both an inspiring view into how Buddhism can integrate into modern life, and a wonderful view into the path of someone who ended up devoting his life to the path but had an interesting way of getting there. I really enjoyed the writing, perspectives, and story, and often reflect on it. If you're not into Buddhism you might not enjoy it as much, but even as an autobiography alone it's quite good.
October 5, 2020
Brilliant! Very honest and insightful. Recommend this to everyone and anyone interested in spirituality, religion, humanity, science and anything in-between. Took me 2 reads to really appreciate it and just starting again a 3rd time. It is one of those books that you don't part with and return to at various points in your life.
July 9, 2025
an awesome life guide
Thanks for this book, this is an awesome description of a monk’s journey, the language and the style suggest the truthfulness with which the narrative has been built in the book.
Thanks for this book, this is an awesome description of a monk’s journey, the language and the style suggest the truthfulness with which the narrative has been built in the book.
September 20, 2020
Great Read
Well written and good teachings about the mysteries of life and practice. It helps you stop and think about what you are doing with your life.
Well written and good teachings about the mysteries of life and practice. It helps you stop and think about what you are doing with your life.
December 14, 2020
3.5 stars
January 20, 2021
Interesting and some good explanation of basic Buddhist thought. When deciding to pursue a lifetime as a Buddhist monk at ten years old, the author seems to have been unusually mature for his age.
March 2, 2021
A unique, thoroughly enjoyable read.
March 21, 2021
Found this book a bit hard to follow and not particularly insightful. I think he had an interesting enough story but it didn't translate for me while reading this book.
July 10, 2021
More about me than the book itself, but it just didn’t resonate. Well written and an interesting story.
September 15, 2021
There were times reading this book that I felt the wisdom of its teachings shift things in my body.
July 30, 2022
5 stars for content, 3-4 for writing style etc.
April 21, 2023
Great life story, but I fault editor for some redundancies and a major gap after languid pacing to bring book to a slightly abrupt close
June 14, 2020
One of the best spiritual memoirs one can come across. Full of stories, lessons, anecdotes this book makes for a contemplative, silent, sometimes heavy to understand and paradigm shifting read. The author has been so brutally honest about his tremendous journey so far and makes one realise how only path of dharma can lift the burden off of our narrow, selfish chests. There was so much to learn, not even a single line bored me. I found myself reading and trying to memorise some lines subconsciously!
Books like these have something to offer every time you read them, I will definitely read it again and try to imbibe as many teachings and reflections to my own being, as I can. A MUST READ for people who are too spiritually inclined. For people who aren't that spiritual or don't believe in synchronicity might find mentioned stories to be a bit of a sham or concocted, but since my own life operates this way, struck by serendipity every moment, I could totally relate to the author. Ranging from vocabulary to structure, everything was just perfectly fine.
Books like these have something to offer every time you read them, I will definitely read it again and try to imbibe as many teachings and reflections to my own being, as I can. A MUST READ for people who are too spiritually inclined. For people who aren't that spiritual or don't believe in synchronicity might find mentioned stories to be a bit of a sham or concocted, but since my own life operates this way, struck by serendipity every moment, I could totally relate to the author. Ranging from vocabulary to structure, everything was just perfectly fine.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews