Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama: The Untold Story of the Holy Men Who Shaped Tibet, from Pre-history to the Present Day

by Alexander Norman, Dalai Lama XIV (Foreword)

The Complete Story of the Dalai Lamas

   His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is known to the world for his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and for his inspiring spiritual teachings. Often unnoticed, however, is the long, colorful history from which this most beloved of holy men has emerged. In Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama, Alexander Norman tells this story in full for the first time, from Tibetan Buddhism’s foundational narratives to the present-day crisis faced by Tibet. 
   And what a story it is. Along with dedicated monks selflessly serving the Tibetan people, among His Holiness’s spiritual forebears there are a Dalai Lama who waged wars, a womanizing and inebriated poet, and several who wound up dead following disputes over temporal power. Also, while Western practitioners focus on Tibetan Buddhism’s liberating vision of enlightenment, it simultaneously contains ritual practices of prophecy and magic, as well as a vivid pantheon of deities and demons.
   In the end, although Tibet falls short of the Western myths of a Himalayan utopia, by illuminating the historical struggle toward compassion and selflessness embodied in the Dalai Lama lineage, Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama ultimately reveals a reality that is vastly more compelling than any romance of “Shangri-La” and provides deeper reasons for admiring Tibetan tradition.

Genres: Buddhism, History, Religion, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norman's history honors religious myth as a real force in people's minds, but he also wants to expose the harsh realities of competition for leadership. His saga of Tibet's mythic sages and its 14 Dalai Lamas is roughly as violent as the tale of any other nation. In its juxtaposition of real spirituality with political intrigue, the tale rivals that of the Catholic papacy. And even now, despite the present Dalai Lama's full endorsement for a constitution separating elected political authority from spiritual leadership, the controversy rages on. The very fact that the Dalai Lamas won international admiration as spiritual guides made their patronage a bone of aggressive contention between Mongolian and Chinese warlords. Within Tibet, Norman exposes the competition between sects as an often ruthless struggle for influence, with some sects demanding complete sectarian and ethnic exclusivity toward the "pollution" of outsiders. Norman maintains that this history of struggles ultimately shows the greatness of Tibet's people and their faith, and no doubt he is right. But in showing just how hard the struggle to find and follow a middle path has been, he ends up giving surprisingly little attention to the actual teaching of the Dalai Lamas. Unlike Reginald Ray's "Indestructible Truth," which focuses almost entirely on the evolution of Tibetan spiritual teaching, Norman's story highlights the politics. It's just one side of Tibet's story, but it's part of the reality to be worked through.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into the history of the institution of the Dalai Lama from ancient times up to the present 14th. Though not exactly historical in some places it is a great read and provides a good understanding of Tibetan Buddhism and the current political situation in Tibet.

[Sarasvatī · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmm...

[Bradthad Codgeroger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of Tibet, focusing on the institution of the Dalai Lama. The political and ideological murder that went on makes the CIA look like a bunch of chumps.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history of Tibet. Interesting look into a different mind set.