Lord of the Dance

Lord of the Dance is Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s memoir of his life in Tibet, his escape from the Chinese Communist invasion, his years as a refugee in India and Nepal, and his return visit to his homeland twenty-eight years later. His stories of his childhood capture the last sunlit moments, the 1930s and ‘40s, when the full array of the Buddhist teachings, and particularly the Tibetan Vajrayana, could be practiced freely in a rich culture that revered its spiritual adepts. Recognized at the age of three as a tulku, an incarnation of a high lama, Rinpoche’s extraordinary dreams and visions—some of them terrifying and with clairvoyant qualities—created a wealth of inner experience and transcendent generosity. But he was also a young boy whose untamed actions could be unbelievably naughty. His stories, told with humor and honesty, illustrate how his wildly divergent energies were re-directed into compassion and a wisdom that was unwavering in the harrowing escape from Tibet to India, and the years in exile that followed. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche moved to the United States in 1979 and to Brazil in 1996. In his twenty-three years in the West, Rinpoche taught thousands of people all over the world. Several became highly accomplished spiritual practitioners and teachers while many others integrated his guidance into daily life practice. This new edition includes an epilogue that lists many of his accomplishments; perhaps the greatest, however, was his ability—through teaching and example—to instill purer motivation and a deeper compassion in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to hear and encounter this exemplary being.

I have no wings, but still I fly in the sky; I have no magical power, yet like magic I journey throughout realms of illusory display, here and there, in nine directions, exploring the connections of my karma. —Written in Mürren, Switzerland by Gargyi Wangkhyug (Chagdud Tulku), whose given name means “Powerful Lord of the Dance” Lord of the Dance is Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s memoir of his life in Tibet, his escape from the Chinese Communist invasion, his years as a refugee in India and Nepal, and his return visit to his homeland twenty-eight years later. His stories of his childhood capture the last sunlit moments, the 1930s and ‘40s, when the full array of the Buddhist teachings, and particularly the Tibetan Vajrayana, could be practiced freely in a rich culture that revered its spiritual adepts. “Chagdud Tulku’s story can be read on many levels—as a colorful, often humorous adventure story; as an inner, spiritual journey; and as a teaching on how one person attains the perspective of absolute truth amid life’s uncertainty. As such it is both inspiring and encouraging, and highly relevant to anyone who seeks ultimate meaning in this time of dire prediction.”—From the Foreword by Ken Wilber "This fascinating book is in essence a powerful lesson in impermanence and extraordinary compassion. Chagdud Rinpoche writes with compelling honesty about the experiences of a man who has lived many lifetimes, even in this one lifetime. A rare treasure, this is an important book that reveals the depth and resilience of the human spirit."—Joan Halifax

His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche was born in Eastern Tibet (Kham) in 1930. Recognized at the age of four as a tulku—the incarnation of a meditation master—he received rigorous training, deepening his studies through extended retreats. He had a special affinity for the sacred arts, for Tibetan medicine, and he was renowned for his wonderful chanting voice. In 1959, he escaped the Communist occupation of Tibet and lived in exile in refugee communities of India and Nepal until relocating to the United States in 1979. At the request of his Western students, he established the Chagdud Gonpa Foundation, a thriving network of centers in the Nyingma lineages of Vajrayana Buddhism. In 1994, Rinpoche relocated to Brazil, established Chagdud Gonpa Brasil, and began construction of his main center of Khadro Ling in the southernmost state of Río Grande do Sul. By the time he passed away in 2002, Rinpoche had established more than twenty centers in Brasil, Uruguay, and Chile. Traveling and teaching constantly, radiating warmth and compassion, he became the heart lama of hundreds of students, and a profound inspiration for thousands of others. Asked why, at the age of 64, he resettled in South America rather than remaining comfortably in the United States, he answered, “I saw the faith of the Brazilians and their interest in Buddhism, and I wanted to teach them.”