Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary (Lives of the Masters Book 1)

The most comprehensive work available on the life and writings of Tibet's most famous modern cultural hero. Visionary, artist, poet, iconoclast, philosopher, adventurer, master of the arts of love, tantric yogin, Buddhist saint. These are some of the terms that describe Tibet’s modern culture hero Gendun Chopel (1903–1951). The life and writings of this sage of the Himalayas mark a key turning point in Tibetan history, when twentieth-century modernity came crashing into Tibet from British India to the south and from Communist China to the east. For the first time, the astonishing breadth of his remarkable accomplishments is captured in a single, definitive volume. Here is an exploration of Gendun Chopel’s life as a recognized tulku, or incarnation of a previous master, becoming a monk and soon surpassing the knowledge of his teachers, to his travels and discoveries throughout Tibet, India, and Sri Lanka. His exposure to the wider world brought together his philosophical training, artistic virtuosity, and meditative experience, inspiring an incredible corpus of poetry, prose, and painting. While Gendun Chopel was known by the Tibetan establishment for his vast learning and progressive ideas—which eventually landed him in a Lhasa prison—he was little appreciated in his lifetime. However, since his death in 1951 his legacy, fame, and relevance across the Tibetan cultural landscape and beyond have continued to grow. No American scholar knows Gendun Chopel better than Donald Lopez, who has written six books about him, culminating in this volume. Lopez intimately and eloquently carries the reader through the life of Gendun Chopel and sets the stage for his selected writings, which present the range and depth of Gendun Chopel’s thought. The most comprehensive and wide-ranging work available on this extraordinary figure, this inaugural book of the Lives of the Masters series is an instant classic. Review “The lives of the most important Buddhist masters in history written by the very best scholars in elegant and accessible prose—who could ask for more?” —José Ignacio Cabezón, Fourteenth Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California Santa Barbara “Lopez’s book is freshly-written and is a more than worthy inaugural volume for the Lives of the Great Masters series. This book is essential to understanding how the mind of a modern Buddhist master works.” —The Asian Review of Books "Since the time of Buddha Shakyamuni himself, Buddhists have been accustomed to recollect the lives of great teachers and practitioners as a source of inspiration from which we may still learn. The Lives of the Masters series continues this noble tradition, recounting the stories, wisdom, and experience of many accomplished Buddhists over the last 2,500 years. I am sure readers will find the accounts in this series inspirational and encouraging." —The Dalai Lama About the Author DONALD S. LOPEZ, JR. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies and Chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He specializes in late Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism and is the author of numerous books, including A Study of Svatantrika, The Madman's Middle Way, and Prisoners of Shangri-La. "The most comprehensive work available on the life and writings of Tibet's most famous modern cultural hero. Poet, prolific writer, Buddhist philosopher, adventurer, madman, and saint can all be used to describe Gendun Chopel (1903-1951). The life and writings of this cultural prophet of the Himalayas represent a key turning point in Tibetan religious and cultural history, when twentieth-century modernity came crashing into Tibet as a result of the Great Game and the invasion of Communist China. Gendun Chopel was a recognized reincarnation (tulku), a Gelukpa monk, and a nonsectarian Buddhist practitioner. He eventually became Tibet's first modern artist and writer, largely due to his extensive time abroad and exposure to Western culture in British India. Gendun Chopel was little appreciated in his lifetime, though he was known by the Tibetan elite for his scholarship and progressivist ideas, which eventually landed him in a Lhasa prison. While he did not accrue many followers in his lifetime, his love of the Dharma and extensive contributions to Tibetan Buddhist philsophy count him among the greatest Buddhist masters to have come from Tibet. No contemporary scholar knows Gendun Chopel better than Donald S. Lopez, Jr., who has written six books on the figure so far. Lopez intimately and eloquently carries the reader through the life of Gendun Chopel, setting the stage for his selected writings, which present the range and depth of Chopel's thought"-- Provided by publisher