The Illuminated Life of the Great Yolmowa

Yolmowa Tenzin Norbu - renowned as a tantric adept, teacher, author, and painter - was one of the most fascinating figures of seventeenth-century Tibet, a century of towering Buddhist masters. He is particularly famous for his autobiography. Writing in a direct and candid style marked by profound insight and maverick humor, he explores the challenges of embodying the Buddha's teachings. He accompanied his autobiography with his own full-color illustrations. These extraordinary images are the only known example of a Tibetan visual autobiography. Yolmowa's autobiography is translated here for the first time. Opening with an informative essay on his life and times, this volume brings to life all forty-four of the remarkable autobiographical illustrations, beautifully presented here with explanatory essays providing detailed analyses of each. Scholars will be rewarded with a full translation of the autobiography, along with an extensive bibliography and index. Benjamin Bogin is assistant professor of Buddhist studies in the Theology Department at Georgetown University.