Apparitions of the Self

The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary

Princeton University Press, 1998.
Paperback, 360 pages

Women in the Life of Jigme Lingpa

Announced as a groundbreaking investigation into what is known in Tibet as 'secret autobiography', an exceptional, rarely studied literary genre, Janet Gyatso has in fact done much more - and something that is much more exciting than the above quote from the back cover conveys.

In translating and discussing the secret autobiographies of the famous Dzogchen adept Jigme Lingpa (1729-1798), known for his Longchen Nyingtig - which he received in visions - the author has kept her eyes especially open to the women in his life who were instrumental in his (secret, i.e. sexual) initiations and to certain aspects in Jigme Lingpa's teachings that seem to be for women, and useful to them.

In doing so, Janet Gyatso has presented us with a new and fascinating look at the female figure known as dakini and/or khandroma, an archetype that is omnipresent in Tibetan theory and practice, in the human realm as much as in the visionary and/or divine.

This well researched and insightful work, illustrated in B/W, ends with a wonderfully complete bibliography of original sources as well as secondary literature; not to mention the extensive notes which often are equally fascinating as the main text.

Review: RCC
You can order right from here at one of these stores:
Amazon USA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE