Blazing Splendor - by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Book Synopsis

Blazing Splendor paints an intimate portrait of the lost culture of Old Tibet and of a remarkable man who inspired thousands. A memoir in the form of tales told by Rinpoche toward the end of his life, the book spans his lifetime -- a lifetime rich in adventures of both spirit and body. His reminiscences weave a rich tapestry of family history and also describe the lives of some of the most realized and genuine practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.

Review Quotes

"Compassion, wisdom, devotion and the innermost nature of mind--you will read about all of these in this book. These stories and memories imply that spiritual realization is really possible. This is not simply ancient history, a phenomenon that happened in the past in India or in Tibet. Thanks to masters like Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche this living tradition of wisdom and spiritual awakening of the Buddha continues right now in the present and is readily available to people everywhere."
-Sogyal Rinpoche, author of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying"

"Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was among Tibetan Buddhism's greatest teachers of the 20th century. His memoir, "Blazing Splendor", invites us to join him as he looks back over a life that put him at the center of an unparalleled spiritual abundance. Through his unblinking eyes we meet remarkable contemplative adepts. And through the lens of his awakened awareness, we see the world from a fresh, eye-opening perspective. It is a sweeping account that shares with readers a world where miracles, mystery and deep insight are the order of the day-a world as reflected through the open, lucid quality of Tulku Urgyen's mind."
- Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence"

" Compassion, wisdom, devotion and the innermost nature of mind-- you will read about all of these in this book. These stories and memories imply that spiritual realization is really possible. This is not simply ancient history, a phenomenon that happened in the past in India or in Tibet. Thanks to masters like Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche this living tradition of wisdom and spiritual awakening of the Buddha continues right now in the present and is readily available to people everywhere."
-Sogyal Rinpoche, author of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying"
" Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was among Tibetan Buddhism's greatest teachers of the 20th century. His memoir, "Blazing Splendor," invites us to join him as he looks back over a life that put him at the center of an unparalleled spiritual abundance. Through his unblinking eyes we meet remarkable contemplative adepts. And through the lens of his awakened awareness, we see the world from a fresh, eye-opening perspective. It is a sweeping account that shares with readers a world where miracles, mystery and deep insight are the order of the day-a world as reflected through the open, lucid quality of Tulku Urgyen's mind."
- Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence"

About the Author

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, deceased
Contributor residences (city, state or country if outside the US or Canada):
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920-1996) is recognized as one of the greatest 20th-century masters of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the first to bring the essential teachings of Buddhism beyond Tibet. Born into an illustrious family, he took as the core of his own practice the indivisibility of the three great traditions: the Dzogchen view of primordial purity and perfection, the Mahamudra view of mental non-doing, and the Middle Way view of holding no mental constructs. After fleeing Tibet shortly before the Dalai Lama, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche devoted the rest of his life to trying to keep the spirit of the classical Tibetan spiritual system alive. Blazing Splendor is a translation of the name he was given by the head of the Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism, the name referring to the qualities of a realized master. He was a teacher without peer, who transformed the lives of those who came to him from the world over, among them Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Tara Bennett-Goleman, and Lama Surya Das.
Erik Pema Kunsang, who lives in Katmandu, Nepal, is one of the world's most gifted English interpreters of Tibetan. Since first trafveling to Nepal from his native Denmark at the age of 20, he has studied with and translated for more than 60 Tibetan masters. He is the compiler of a 3,000-page Tibetan dictionary of spiritual terms, "The Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dictionary of Buddhist Culture.
Marcia Binder Schmidt, who lives in Katmandu, Nepal, and the U.S., was a long-time, close attendant to Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Previous publications include the compliation "Dzogchen Essentials," a comprehensive and accessible collection of essential Dzogchen instructions that combine study and practice.
Sogyal Rinpoche is the author of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" He lives primarily in France but travels extensively, giving lectures.
Daniel Goleman is the author of "Emotional Intelligence" He lives in Massachusetts, U.S.