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Dalai Lama, My Son: A Mother's Autobiography
Told in the first-person and accompanied by photographs from family archives, this autobiography follows Diki Tsering, a poor girl born in 1901, the Year of the Ox, to a peasant family, who eventually marries at age sixteen and gives birth to the future H.H. Dalai Lama. The story is told chronologically, giving readers a personal look at His Holiness as a small child. It t
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Community Reviews
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The Dalai Lama's mother's autobiography is a treasure. What an eye-opener about her life which was incredibly difficult because that's the way it was (is) for women in Tibet. She explained how she was treated, yet wasn't complaining. How fortunate for the world that her daughter started recording her mother's oral history which was finished by the Dalai Lama's nephew after his mother's unfortunate early death. If you admire the Dalai Lama you will enjoy this look into his heritage from his mothe
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The memoirs of the ordinary Tibetan housewife who became the Dalai Lama's mom. Diki Tsering was illiterate, but her niece tape-recorded interviews with her before her death in 1980 and those interviews became this book. I most enjoyed the first half, where Tsering talks about her childhood and early adulthood in Tibet before the Chinese invasion. Life in that time and place was very simple and had a lot of beauty, but a lot of harshness too. Tsering writes about the bad treatment of women in Tib
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After seeing the Dalai Lama last May, I thought this would be a great book to read, to discover more about his life. And this book didn't disappoint. Told from the mother's point of view, and it was about her early life and struggles as a woman in Tibet. She was born around 1901--she didn't know exactly when, since the woman was not thought of highly. She was more like a servant, and she had an arranged marriage. The in-laws wanted her to be married to her son when she was only 14, because they
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I knew very little about Tibet (except, you know, the China thing) beyond what I've seen in a few nature documentaries where the emphasis was on animal and plant life, not the people, before reading this book. Somewhere I had got the idea that the Dalai Lama was from poor peasant stock, so was surprised to discover that his family were actually well-to-do landowners by Tibetan standards, with many well-connected relatives.
Diki Tsering tells her own story in her own words, and tells it well. Unf ...more
Diki Tsering tells her own story in her own words, and tells it well. Unf ...more
A niece of the Dalai Lama asked her grandmother to tell the story of her life and tape-recorded it; it was transcribed and translated from Tibetan, and the result is this autobiography of the Dalai Lama's mother. The style is simple, direct, and unadorned, as one might expect of a woman raised in a peasant family - many times this is effective, but sometimes I wished for more, as in the recounting of the years leading up to his exile, with the political intrigue and Communist infiltration of Tib
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Such a fantastic insight to Tibetan Culture, history and the personal life of the Dalai Lama's mother. After reading it, I almost feel like I've been to Tibet. It's written in such a candid and telling light, like a grandmother reminiscing old stories.
The Dalai Lama's nephew continues the work of his sister in writing about their grandmother. Their grandmother provided the strength of their family. This book, gleaned from notes taken by her grandchildren, cover her life from peasant origins in Tibet to the escape and exile to India after the Chinese Communist takeover in 1959. The Dalai Lama does not take center stage in this book, thus leading me to think that the title of this book is all wrong. The subtitle A Mother's Autobiogaphy should h
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I really loved this account of the life of the Dalai Lama's mother. It's roughly written which matches nicely with the simple but detailed accounts of her life.
An interesting look into life at a time and place that is gone now.
A sweet account by the Dalai Lama's mother of her life and family.
What an interesting life Diki Tsering had. She was born a peasant girl, living the simple farm life which all changed when her fifth child was recognized at age four as the incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the highest religious and political leader in Tibet! All of a sudden this poor, illiterate girl found herself in the company of aristocracy. Even though the book is a bit choppy, you can tell it's written from taped interviews, it is still a good story.
Jan 02, 2015
Stephanie Smith
rated it
5 of 5 stars
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A fantastic book about a wonderful woman. Loved it! (:3)
Very good, very descriptive of her early life in Amdo before the birth of her children (specifically the Dalai Lama) and her move to Lhasa. It was written by her son, I believe, but basically dictated to him (she had like 10 kids). More about her than the Dalai Lama, so the title is a little deceptive as she stops giving her opinion of him once he's enthroned, but it's enlightening all the same.
Very interesting glimpse into the lifestyle of a Tibetan woman and her customs as a child and young married woman.Wow! Those stories do not disappoint! Wished she shared more about her feelings of what it is like to be the mother of the Dali Lama. Short easy to read. Last half was a little confusing since I am not very familiar with Tibetan/Chinese history.
I'm on chapter 15 of 28 chapters. So far, I've thought it was slow, mainly cultural life of the Dalai Lama's mother's upbringing. I probably need this to relate to what I will read in the near future. Chapter 15 is titled "Ocean of Wisdo," where Diki Tsering tells of the Dalai Lama's birth, etc. I think it'll read faster & I'm looking forward to finishing the book.
I borrowed this one from a friend. A quick read to learn how the Dalai Lama was born to this Tibetan woman. It's very spiritual; the Tibetan culture is rich in traditions and signs that are not logical to most western cultures. As a child, the Dalai Lama was able to pick out things "he" owned in a prior life as a former Lama.
Simplemente FANTASTICO!!! Gran relato, increible espiritu de la madre del Dalai Lama y las costumbres tan distintas en el Tibet! Gran ejemplo! Los admiro, respeto, amo. Hay mucho que entender y aprender de la gran Civilizacion Tibetana y hay que protegerla para que perdure por SIEMPRE!!! Ohm Mani Padme Hung!
Robert and I watched a documentary detailing this story, and the parents were both honored and horrified when their son was plucked from obscurity to become the Dalai Lama. Looking forward to reading his mother's version of this fascinating story.
Love this woman. Read it in an afternoon, not complicated. More about her experiences than the Dalai Lamas, which is fine.... Just little misleading title. Worth it to understand the life of an amazing matriarch.
I wanted to read this book since I was in my teens. Finally found it online.
I think it's an important book to read for everyone who wants to know the Tibetan culture better and to understand it's history.
I think it's an important book to read for everyone who wants to know the Tibetan culture better and to understand it's history.
A very interesting insight into Tibetan life and culture. I enjoyed the book, but it is not well written. Much of the information and experiences related were fascinating, but it was very disjointed.
This was really great to read after meeting The Dalai Lama in person. Whenyou meet HH you get the sense of the "everyday " person, not someone special, or better than you are. He is very real.
Not really well written,but gave me an interesting perspective of his mother's life.
The life story of the mother of the Dalai Lama. An interesting look at Tibetian culture.
An interesting view of the lives of the Dalai Lama and his mother.
Stylistically nothing to write home about but interesting content.
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