Memoir / Biography
A life well lived—or interestingly lived—is a perennial source of interest. And such a life well described makes one of the most satisfying reading experiences there is. Lose yourself in one of the intriguing lives described in these books.
-
From the Heart of Tibet
The Biography of Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche, the Holder of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage
This is the story of a young boy, born in Tibet to inherit the role of Buddhist lineage holder, whose life was interrupted by the Chinese army invasion and the ensuing Cultural Revolution. Two decades later, he walked out of Tibet and started on his journey of fully taking on leadership of the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Since then the teachings of this lineage have flourished and are practiced all around… Read More
Paperback$21.95+ Add to Bag -
The Goldfish Went on Vacation
A Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth about It)
The moment when Patty Dann’s husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she felt as though the ground had dropped out beneath her. Her grief, however, was immediately interrupted by the realization that she would have to tell their three-year-old son, Jake, that his father was dying. The prognosis gave her husband just a year to live. In that short time, the three of them—Patty, Willem, and Jake—would have to… Read More
Paperback$11.95+ Add to Bag -
-
Hard Travel to Sacred Places
Hard Travel to Sacred Places is the record of a personal odyssey through Southeast Asia, an external and internal journey through grief and the painful realities of a decadent age. Wurlitzer—novelist, screenwriter, and Buddhist practitioner—travels with his wife, photographer Lynn Davis, on a photo assignment to the sacred sites of Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia. Heavy Westernization, sex clubs, aging hippies and expatriates, and political dissidents provide a vivid contrast… Read More
Paperback$19.95+ Add to Bag -
House of the Turquoise Roof
- edited by
- Michael Harlin
Mrs. Dorje Yuthok's frank and fascinating account of life in upper-class Lhasa before the Chinese occupation is also a quiet, dignified description of a noblewoman's status in the family and the community. She moved in the highest government circles—both her father and her husband were cabinet ministers, and her brother served as prime minister. Yet her outlook on life is grounded in the Buddhist practice she learned as a close… Read More
Paperback$16.95+ Add to Bag -
I Give You My Life
The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist Nun
Ayya Khema (1923-1997) was the first Western woman to become a Theravadan Buddhist nun. As such, she has served as a model and inspiration for women from all the Buddhist traditions who have sought to revive the practice of women's monasticism in modern times. Though her renown as a teacher is widespread, few know the truly amazing details of her life before her monastic ordination at the age of fifty-eight.… Read More
Paperback$24.95+ Add to Bag -
In Buddha's Kitchen
Cooking, Being Cooked, and Other Adventures in a Meditation Center
Kimberley Snow offers an outrageously funny and honest account of her adventures as head cook at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center. With her earthy sensibility and sharp sense of humor, the author shows this world in a light devoid of preciousness—while expressing with heart the integrity of the spiritual work being undertaken. We come away from our visit to this exotic realm having found it both extraordinary and surprisingly familiar.… Read More
Paperback$17.95+ Add to Bag -
In the Service of His Country
The Biography of Dasang Damdul Tsarong, Commander General of Tibet
In the Service of His Country tells the story of a remarkable individual who rose from humble origins as the son of a farmer to become one of the outstanding figures in the social and political life of Tibet prior to the Chinese takeover in the 1950s. Dasang Damdul Tsarong (1888–1959), noted as a child for his unusual intelligence and capability, entered the personal service of the Thirteenth Dalai… Read More
Paperback$14.95+ Add to Bag -
Invincible Warrior
A Pictorial Biography of Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido
Invincible Warrior tells the fascinating story of the life of Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), whose quest for the true meaning of warriorship lead to the creation of the martial art called Aikido, "The Art of Peace." Ueshiba—whose name means "abundant peace"—is considered by many to be one of the greatest martial artists who ever lived. His documented ability to disarm any attacker, throw a dozen men simultaneously, and down and… Read More
Paperback$23.95+ Add to Bag -
Islands Apart
A Year on the Edge of Civilization
Author Ken McAlpine stands in his front yard one night in Ventura, California, trying to see the stars. His view is diminished by light pollution, making it hard to see much of anything in the sky. Our fast-paced, technologically advanced society, he concludes, is not conducive to stargazing or soul-searching. Taking a page from Thoreau's Walden, he decides to get away from the clamor of everyday life, journeying alone… Read More
Paperback$16.95+ Add to Bag
