The fourteen Dalai Lamas : a sacred legacy of reincarnation

In The Fourteen Dalai Lamas, author Glenn H. Mullin vividly brings to life the myth and succession of all 14 Dalai Lamas in one volume for the first time. The book contains a chapter on each Dalai Lama (except Dalai Lamas 9-12, who are covered in one chapter). Each chapter opening features an illustration of the Dalai Lama who is the subject of that chapter. Mullin has also included characteristic excerpts from the Dalai Lamas' teachings, poetry, and other writings that illuminate the principles of Tibetan Buddhism expressed in their lives. The 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetans in exile, is well-known, but the 600-year tradition to which he is heir is less familiar. From the birth of the first Dalai Lama in a cowshed in 1391, each subsequent Dalai Lama has been the reincarnation of his predecessor, choosing to take up the burdens of a human life for the benefit of the Tibetan people. For almost six centuries, the Dalai Lamas have served as the Tibetans' spiritual leader and have held secular power for almost half that time. All the Dalai Lamas are revered as incarnations of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist deity of compassion, but each has been a unique individual with different abilities and temperaments. Over the ages, various Dalai Lamas have been poets, statesmen, builders, philosophers; most have been disciplined monastics, but one was a lover of women. The potential of some was tragically lost when their lives were cut short, possibly the victims of political intrigue, while others lived long enough to shape entire eras of Tibetan history. The Author Covers The Lives Of All 14 Dalai Lamas In One Volume, Quoting From Their Writings, As Well As Describing And Offering Insights Into Their Teachings. Before The First Dalai Lama -- The First Dalai Lama : How It All Began -- The Second Dalai Lama : A Legacy Established -- The Third Dalai Lama : From Ocean To Oceanic -- The Fourth Dalai Lama : A Descendent Of Genghis Khan -- The Fifth Dalai Lama : The Birth Of Modern Tibet -- The Sixth Dalai Lama : Tibet's Immortal Lover -- The Seventh Dalai Lama : The Lama And The Emperor -- The Eighth Dalai Lama : A Return To Simplicity -- The Ninth Through Twelfth Dalai Lamas : The Quiet Years -- The Great Thirteenth : Monk, Mystic And Statesman -- The Fourteenth Dalai Lama : From Refugee To Nobel Laureate -- Epilogue : Prophecies Transcended, Prophecies Fulfilled. Glenn H. Mullin ; Edited By Valerie Shepherd ; Foreword By The Dalai Lama. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [517]-535) And Index. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 6 Chronology 9 Foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama 10 Introduction 13 Before the First Dalai Lama 22 The First Dalai Lama: How It All Began 72 The Second Dalai Lama: A Legacy Established 108 The Third Dalai Lama: From Ocean to Oceanic 152 The Fourth Dalai Lama: A Descendent of Genghis Khan 186 The Fifth Dalai Lama: The Birth of Modern Tibet 206 The Sixth Dalai Lama: Tibet's Immortal Lover 260 The Seventh Dalai Lama: The Lama and the Emperor 294 The Eighth Dalai Lama: A Return to Simplicity 344 The Ninth Through Twelfth Dalai Lamas: The Quiet Years 364 The Great Thirteenth: Monk 398 The Fourteenth Dalai Lama: From Refugee to Nobel Laureate 474 Epilogue: Prophecies Transcended 524 Notes 538 Bibliographical Sources 548 lndex 557 Contents Chronology Foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama Introduction Before the First Dalai Lama The First Dalai Lama: How It All Began The Second Dalai Lama: A Legacy Established The Third Dalai Lama: From Ocean to Oceanic The Fourth Dalai Lama: A Descendent of Genghis Khan The Fifth Dalai Lama: The Birth of Modern Tibet The Sixth Dalai Lama: Tibet's Immortal Lover The Seventh Dalai Lama: The Lama and the Emperor The Eighth Dalai Lama: A Return to Simplicity The Ninth Through Twelfth Dalai Lamas: The Quiet Years The Great Thirteenth: Monk, Mystic and Statesman The Fourteenth Dalai Lama: From Refugee to Nobel Laureate Epilogue: Prophecies Transcended, Prophecies Fulfilled Notes Bibliographical Sources lndex