Translated from Tibetan by Elio Guarisco
This namthar, or traditional Tibetan biography, welcomes the reader to the extraordinary dimension of a realized yogin. Its pages recount the inspiring milestones in the life of the revered Togden of Drugu (1853-1919), a portrayal that is at once a precious mirror of a vanished world. Glowing with inspiring facts and miraculous happenings, the chronicle is made all the more insightful by a selection of letters between the Togden and some of the greatest masters of that era.
The book begins with penetrating and easily understood instructions by Shakya Shri called Opening the Door to Liberation, and a selection of his Songs of Realization, illuminating verses that are in themselves teachings. In the appendixes, the translator puts the life work and accomplishments of the master in several useful contexts. The volume includes a preface by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and a foreword by Sey Rinpoche, lineage holder and great grandson of Shakya Shri.
In an informed and graceful translation, the book provides the reader with a rich reward, the sense of having actually encountered the master and received a direct benefit.
