The Wheel of Life: The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist

by John Blofeld

The Wheel of Life is the spiritual autobiography of John Blofeld (1913-1987), a world-renowned British scholar and writer who devoted his life to the study of Eastern traditions, especially Buddhism and Taoism. With wit, honesty, and humility, Blofeld portrays his search for wisdom and his discovery of a genuine spiritual path. He describes in vivid detail his life in Peking and his travels in Tibet, Mongolia, China, India, and the worlds of remote mountain monasteries, the sacred inner chambers of sages and yogis, and the inspired lives of simple, ordinary people. The book is particularly valuable for its sensitive picture of a world that no longer exists. As Huston Smith remarks in his Foreword, "Blofeld encountered Chinese Buddhism and Taosim at a very special moment in history, the final moment before they came under Communist onslaught. To have his intimate glimpses into what they were like as still-living traditions is historically important."

Among John Blofeld's notable books are The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet and Bodhisattva of Compassion, both in Shambhala Dragon Editions, and The Book of Changes, a translation of the I Ching.

Genres: Buddhism, Biography, Religion, Spirituality, China

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

John Eaton Calthorpe Blofeld (M.A., Literature, University of Cambridge, 1946) wrote on Asian thought and religion, especially Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. During WWII, he working in counterintelligence for the British Embassy in Chongqing (Chungking), China, as a cultural attaché. In the 1950s, he studied with Dudjom Rinpoche and other Nyingma teachers in Darjeeling, India. He later mentored Red Pine in his translation work.

Reviews

[Alexa Tanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard not to like this book - Blofeld is a natural writer, this is definitely a page turner if you're interested in Buddhism, or even just travel literature. There are some fascinating glimpses of pre-communist China detailed here, including some meetings with legendary Chinese Buddhist masters, such as Xuyun and Neng Hai. Because it documents so many now lost or obscured figures and places its certainly a valuable book, and the atmosphere is quite tantalising.

In addition, I feel that I learned something from this book. Blofeld is very honest about his spiritual journey - which is actually a very slow and distracted one, despite genuine interest behind it all. He is a relatable in this, and i'm sure many reading the book will find great relief in reading some of his confessions about Buddhist doubt and wavering.

However, this is definitely a book from another age. There are many borderline racist comments and his tone towards other cultures is often condenscending in that particularly 'endearing' tone. There's a latent British colonialism to it all that can be quite off putting at times, and his comments about his 'servants' feel particularly dated. Nevertheless, these were never enough to stop me reading the book, as such moments are brief and Blofeld was a product of his time when unfortunately such opinions were much more common - indeed, he was probably among the more sympathetic British at the time.

So, if you're just starting on a Buddhist journey I can highly recommend it. Even if you are just Buddhist curious, this is a great tale that will likely also give you some things to investigate after reading. I'm interested to read Blofeld's other non-biographical works having finished this.

[Peter Certo · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating portrait of buddhist life in pre-war china and mid-century asia. ahead of its time, it delves deeply into buddhism and the east before the counterculture and subsequent generations of yuppies made it fashionable for westerners, yet the author is possessed of a distinctly archaic, late-imperial british orientalism. it's also an interesting and sympathetic portrait of a spiritual traveler who is incredibly earnest and adventurous when it comes to seeking out temples and teachers but slothful when it comes to spiritual practice itself. that's ultimately what makes him relatable despite his seemingly extraordinary life and travels.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I studied under dr blofield in the 1980's but did not discover this book until after his death. The description of his spiritual journey and the way of life in China pre communist was amazing!
Likewise India, Sikkim, etc. I found myself RIGHT THERE with his great descriptions and thoughtful details. I would give this book 20 stars if I could.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when a student of Chinese religion several decades ago, but spotted it again last week while searching for another book on the Buddhist concept of hell. I don't know why I took it down and began to leaf through it, then sat down to read it again over the past few days, but am so glad I did.

First of all, despite its title The Wheel of Life and cover photo, the work has little to do with the Buddhist concept of hell, but rather with life itself--in this case, the life of its author and his on-again/off-again search for the eternal Truth, a path that winds through many different schools and practices of Buddhism, and lingers for a while in Zen, before staying its course in Vajrayana Buddhism.

This wonderfully honest and charming autobiography takes us back to the days before many of the famous temples in China were destroyed (first by the Japanese, then the Communists, then the Red Guards), back when John could wear a long grey Chinese gown in the streets of Beijing without seeming eccentric, or hire a mule cart to carry him up to the heights of Mt. Tai Shan. It's a lovely tale of a young man who had Chuangzi's butterfly dream when he was 5 years old, and convinced a maiden aunt to buy a small Buddha for him when 9, and who left for China to live his dream while still at University. He converted to Buddhism as an adolescent and spent the rest of his life--sometimes more ardently and earnestly than others--trying to follow its path, but he is honest throughout of his successes and failures in this area. It's also a tale of shamans and travel experiences, meetings with great teachers and Lamas and even the Dalai Lama himself. As one shares with the author his disappointments and insights, one can only hope that in the last decade of his life he was more content with his progress than he confesses in the book's final chapter.

Reading it, one feels as though one is sitting in John's study, sharing a glass of sherry and listening to his life story. I never wanted the visit to end. Yes it's outdated, but that gave me the opportunity to step back into time and engage with the past that was China and as a Metropolitan curator [Marla Prather] once said, "Anytime you can step out of time [with an art work] is a gift from that artist". Readers who enjoy this book will also enjoy reading The Years that were Fat by George Kates and will certainly want to read others works by Blofeld himself.

[Flowquietly · Rating 3 out of 5]

seems an interesting read - right up my street

[Troy Reicherter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing tale of a Westerner who turns East before the modern age had fully closed in. I can relate!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were some gems within the covers of the book, the overall writing style did not appeal to me. I found the author to be a romantic in thrall to the exotic.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and great to read about that era of Buddhism-especially about Tashi Ding.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book lacked a certain passion but was still a very intelligent and enjoyable book by one of the west' foremost writers on Buddhism. Blofeld visited China and Tibet before the Maoist revolution and offers much in those terms.

[Martinxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight in to Buddhism and Taoism in pre-revolutionary China.

[Josh]

rather thick on the romanticism, but honest about it. very entertaining so far

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful narrative that not only educated me about Buddhism (and I knew nothing about it!), but also had detailed, vivid descriptions of now-lost times and places.

[Huy Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the book "Journey to the East" by Baird T. Spalding, you might want to read this book too.