Dalai Lama, My Son: A Mother's Story

I liked the detailed storytelling of a life so different than mine. The life of a young woman in Tibet growing into unexpected responsibility and courage raising the Dalai Lama and maintaining a lifelong loving and protective relationship to her son. Very gripping throughout. Not a boring moment in the vast mountains of Tibet.

A serious, yet interesting audio book about the story of the Dalai Lama as told from his mother's perspective. Only 4 cassettes long, this unabridged version of the book drew me into the unique culture of Tibet in the early 20th century. The music was peaceful as well as the voice of the reader. In addition, I recommend the breath-taking video "Kandu"; also about the upbringing of the Dalai Lama.

This is a magnificent autobigraphy. Also, a very upsetting one. The "Tibet in Exile" website claims that Tibet had women's rights. This book by the Dalai Lama's mother claims otherwise. In Amdo, which is Eastern Tibet, they had a custom that seemed to work for adultery. But not for women. The family of the woman who was the offender were required to kill her. Dike Tsering goes into more detail. Also, if a man died leaving his wife alone, she was required not to marry for three years. Then the family would conduct "secret negotiations" for profit. This caused many Tibetan women to commit suicide. The book also displays the tremendous impact of astrology. How you got married, who you married, and so forth. The astrologer was consulted on all matters of importance in the family. And there were ghosts. One ghost was resposible for the deaths of four of her children. In Lhasa, there were tremendous class distinctions! And Diki Tsering displays them simply as horrible snobs. This applys to the aristocrats who lived off their "bonded laborers". And wouldn't even call them by name. They also acted like Diki Tsering was nothing but "a farm hand". The two regents who controlled Tibet while the Dalai Lama was growing up were Reting Rinpoche and Taktra Rinpoche. Reting was the first regent, until he was supposedly assasinated by Taktra Rinpoche. The author also believes, as did the people of Tibet, that Taktra Rinpoche poinsoned her husband, the father of the Dalai Lama, because he was friends with Reting Rinpoche. Nevertheless, Reting Rinpoche was not without violence. A Tsipan Lungshar led a movemovement for reform. Reting Rinpoche had his eyes goughed out as punishment. I find the testimony of Diki Tsering very good. She is really strong and seems to speak with great truth. I believe her about the ghosts and the astrology. But about the other issues, and as a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, I am more depressed than usual! But I do feel that this is a must read for people who do want to save Tibet. We have to know our "weakspots" so that they don't come back later to haunt us. And I don't mean ghosts! Please buy and read the book. Thank you very much.

This book I skimmed through in a few hours. I was suprised at its simplicity. Through this miraculous, simple, earthy MOTHER came a miracle. This story and it is a STORY has many levels. Simple, basic GOOD people live all over the world and give birth...

Real Buddhism died when the Chinese dictators invaded, raped and killed Tibet. This book about the life of Diki Tsering, the mother of the Dalai Lama is the last voice you will hear from the Buddhist world. Diki Tsering's values, words and thoughts are the same as those expressed by people during the Gupta Dynasty in India, the T'ang and Sung Dynasties in China, and in Japan until 1850, when Perry invaded Japan. It is therefore a valuable book worthy of intense study.

Dalai Lama, My Son is the autobiography of his late mother, Diki Tsering. It is a fascinating story told with unpretentious dignity to her granddaughter and edited with reverence and respect by her grandson. We learn firsthand what it was like to be a mother, daughter, bride, wife, and daughter-in-law in the traditional world of Tibet at the beginning of this century. Diki Tsering began life as a commoner, and while her husband's family was not poor, her role as a wife was arduous. After the recognition of her son, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, she became a public figure of the highest order in her society, but she maintained her values and perspective. Diki Tsering disclosed things about her children's personalities that only a mother would know, and added humanity to her description of momentous and terrible events by giving us homely details like the foods they ate during their climactic state visit to China, the appearance of the wives of Chinese government officials, and the disguises she helped to sew for their escape into India. Readers of other books by or about the Dalai Lama and his family (Freedom in Exile, Seven Years in Tibet, Kundun, etc.) will appreciate seeing this saga through the eyes of his mother. Everyone will enjoy the physical beauty of the book itself, with it's dramatic cover, elegant layout, and historical photographs.