The Dalai Lama: An Extraordinary Life

Norman, who collaborated with the Dalai Lama on Freedom in Exile, debuts with this significant exploration of the life work of Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader. Norman situates the Dalai Lama, first and foremost, as a powerful leader within the context of Tibetan history and culture. To this end, he begins with the prophecies of the Dalai Lama’s predecessor, and embeds the Lama’s life within his larger role as a spiritual guru. Norman runs through the major events of the Dalai Lama’s life: his birth in 1935 as Lhamo Thondup, recognition as the Dalai Lama four years later, his upbringing in the palaces of Lhasa, the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and his subsequent life in exile—always portraying his subject sympathetically, but also never shying away from controversies, such as accusations that the Dalai Lama infringed upon religious liberty by restricting worship of the protector deity Dorje Shugden. Because of the strong emphasis on religious context, Norman often shirks providing scrutiny of the contemporary political situation in Tibet, but this remains a thorough catalogue of the Dalai Lama’s thinking and worldview. Despite Norman’s disclaimer that he writes as a non-Buddhist outsider looking in, anyone interested in the Dalai Lama’s spiritual influence will enjoy this insider biography. [em](Feb.) [/em]