Sasha Wakefield intertwines the life and legacy of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594–1651) with her own personal spiritual journey as she explores Bhutan’s rich history. The seventeenth century was a pivotal time for the tiny but culturally vibrant kingdom of Bhutan—marked especially by the life of the influential political and spiritual leader Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594–1651), including his remarkable past lives. Sasha Wakefield traces the life and profound spiritual accomplishment of this master in the context of her own spiritual journey from Australia to Bhutan. While unveiling the cultural and spiritual landscape of Bhutan, Wakefield delves into the fundamental Buddhist concepts of reincarnation, karma, bodhisattvas, buddhas, and enlightenment to underscore the significance of Zhabdrung’s spiritual attainment, including reaching the tenth bhumi, or level, of a bodhisattva, and deliberately choosing his own rebirth. During Zhabdrung’s time as early nation-builder of the kingdom and state of Bhutan, he faced adversity and attacks from adversaries but responded with meditation, diplomacy, and unwavering commitment to serve the people of Bhutan. Wakefield shows the nature of ritual and ceremony that are inherent in the history of the Bhutanese state, weaving in the verse texts of liturgies and praises for the offering ceremonies and consecrations that were central to establishing the Drukpa Kargyu Buddhist lineage in Bhutan and establishing Bhutan as a sovereign land.
Unbecoming Citizens Culture Nationhood and the Flight of Refugees from Bhutan
MICHAEL JAMES HUTT
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Buttertea at Sunrise A Year in the Bhutan Himalaya
BRITTA DAS
RUPA PUBLICATIONS INDIA PVT. LTD.
Lands of the Thunderbolt Sikhim Chumbi and Bhutan
EARL RANALDSHAY
PILGRIMS PUBLISHING VARANASI
POLITICAL MISSIONS TO BOOTAN
ASHLEY EDEN
Bhotan and the Story of the Doar War
DAVID FIELD RENNIE
Parliamentary Democracy in Bhutan A Journey from Tradiion to Modernity
SEBASTIAN SARISH
ADROIT PUBLISHERS
Drapham Dzong Archaeological Excavation of a Himalayan Fortress In Central Bhutan
WERNER MEYER
NIYOGI BOOKS
ETHNIC CLEANSING IN BHUTAN A STIGMA TO 21TH CENTURY
HARI PRASAD ADHIKARI
MAKALU PUBLICATION HOUSE
BUDDHISM CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN BHUTAN
SEIJI KUMAGAI
VAJRA BOOKS/VAJRA PUBLICATIONS INC. PVT. LTD.
SOURCES FOR THE HISTORY OF BHUTAN
MICHAEL ARIS
WIENFELD AND NICOLSON
Fill up your details to notify you when this book will be available