Product Description

In January 2000, two Ambassador taxis twisted their way up the narrow road leading towards Dharamsala in the Himalayan foothills of northern India - the home-in-exile of the Dalai Lama. In one taxi was a fourteen-year-old boy, the 17th Karmapa, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism. The boy's arrival in Dharamsala was the culmination of an extraordinary escape which had brought him 900 miles across the Himalayas, in conditions of high danger, from the monastery in Tibet where he had lived since he was seven years old. Fascinated by this charismatic young figure, Mick Brown travelled to Dharamsala to meet him, and found himself drawn into the labyrinthine - not to say surreal - web of intrigue surrounding the 17th Karmapa's recognition and young life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #132693 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'Brown manages to make his book both informative and fast paced A fascinating read' Observer 'An extraordinary story his narrative is crisp, dramatic and scrupulously even-handed succeeds both as a riveting piece of detective work and as something far more resonant: an account of how Brown's spiritual yearnings underwent a hefty buffeting yet continue to nourish him and drive him on' Sunday Telegraph 'An astonishing saga of unholy intrigue and arcane back-stabbing Brown affords us regular glimpses of Buddhism's deeper, and abiding, humanism' Independent 'What he uncovers is like a passage from our own medieval history - a bitter war of succession complete with scheming regent, allegations of murder and a young pretender' Daily Mail

Observer
‘A fascinating read’

Daily Telegraph
‘Compelling … The Dance of 17 Lives is investigative journalism of the highest order’

Customer Reviews

thoroughly enjoyable
really enjoyed this book and i am not of a religious bent of mind. i have never been to tibet or india and didn't know anything about the religions of those parts. my ignorance did not matter as mr brown is so informative. he lets the reader decide if the heroes and heroines of the book are telling the truth. i dont know. the young boy comes across as genuine as do the advocates of his rival's claims. i would say this book is a rare find as it is a travel book, an adventure story, a guide to religion and also a murder mystery. great value to my way of thinking.

Excellent book
With so many books written on Tibet, it is hard to find a book that will provide an objective unbiased overview of history and the current situation in Tibet and Tibetan people. Mick Brown's book is exactly this. It's well written and easy to read, very informative! Suitable for those who are unacquainted with the subject, as well as for those who have been exposed to the wonderful Tibetan culture. A refreshing book in the world in which there is so much information manipulation!

Account of Political Intrigue and Spiritual Accomplishment
I could not put this book down - read it in 24 hours and then gave it to a friend who did the same! It is about the latest incarnation of the Karmapa, Orgen Trinley Dorje, head of the meditation lineage in Tibetan Buddhism. He is now on his 17th incarnation and is 19 years old. But for various reasons, another high rinpoche in the same lineage has decided that he has found another boy to be the Karmapa and so the lineage is experiencing division. Of course this creates major problems and the book goes into detail about the 'Karmapa Controversy': the people involved, the events that occured along the way and the mistakes that have been made. As it is a true story being lived out now and continuing , it makes utterly fascinating reading and gives glimpses into the lives of revered Tibetan Masters and the politics which has always been an influence in Tibetan Buddhism. Well written but not sharp investigative journalism - the author would need to be more ruthless in tackling the revered Rinpoches that she obviously respects so highly. The reader gets the impression that these Tibetan teachers are very careful what they reveal and can be a little bit flexible with the facts! It left me wishing I knew what was REALLY going on, not what we are supposed to believe.