The Lamp That Enlightens Narrow Minds- The Life and Times of a Realized Tibetan Master, Khyentse Ch kyi Wangchug presents an engaging account of the life of Khyentse Ch kyi Wangchug, a realized Tibetan tulku (reincarnated lama or teacher). The book’s historical references provide a detailed portrait of Tibet on the verge of invasion and occupation by Chinese forces in the decades leading up to 1959 when Chinese repression led the Dalai Lama to take refuge in India.

Narrated by Wangchug’s nephew, author and international Tibetan teacher Ch gyal Namkhai Norbu, this inspired biography describes the extraordinary events of Wangchug’s life during this momentous period in Tibetan history. Born in 1909 in a valley south of Derge, an ancient center of Tibetan culture, Wangchug was recognized at an early age as a reincarnation of a tulku and thus received Buddhist teachings from the greatest masters of the epoch. A privileged observer of his uncle’s life, Norbu reveals the complexity of Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy and the conflicts caused not only by Chinese forces, but also by people close to Wangchug who had become members of factions motivated by bigotry and personal greed. Despite the difficulties he encountered, Wangchug maintained a state of equanimity and dedicated himself to a life of peace and compassion for all sentient beings. Ultimately tortured and imprisoned by the Chinese, he and two other realized Tibetan teachers passed away at the same moment while meditating.