Dragon Thunder: My Life with Chogyam Trungpa - Paperback

by Carolyn Gimian (Author), Diana J. Mukpo (Author)

"It was not always easy to be the guru's wife," writes Diana Mukpo. "But I must say, it was rarely boring." At the age of sixteen, Diana Mukpo left school and broke with her upper-class English family to marry Chögyam Trungpa, a young Tibetan lama who would go on to become a major figure in the transmission of Buddhism to the West. In a memoir that is at turns magical, troubling, humorous, and totally out of the ordinary, Diana takes us into her intimate life with one of the most influential and dynamic Buddhist teachers of our time.

Diana led an extraordinary and unusual life as the "first lady" of a burgeoning Buddhist community in the American 1970s and '80s. She gave birth to four sons, three of whom were recognized as reincarnations of high Tibetan lamas. It is not a simple matter to be a modern Western woman married to a Tibetan Buddhist master, let alone to a public figure who is sought out and adored by thousands of eager students. Surprising events and colorful people fill the narrative as Diana seeks to understand the dynamic, puzzling, and larger-than-life man she married--and to find a place for herself in his unusual world.

Rich in ambiguity, Dragon Thunder is the story of an uncommon marriage and also a stirring evocation of the poignancy of life and of relationships--from a woman who has lived boldly and with originality.

Author Biography

Diana Mukpo, the wife of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, was born in 1953 in England. Mrs. Mukpo moved to the United States in 1970, where she remained with Trungpa Rinpoche until his death in 1987. Diana has had a lifelong passion for horsemanship. She is among a handful of women ever trained in dressage at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. In addition to pursuing her own career and raising their five children, Diana often accompanied Trungpa Rinpoche and taught with him at seminars and retreats. She is the author of Dragon Thunder: My Life with Chögyam Trungpa. Since Rinpoche's death, Diana has continued to teach, presenting both her personal experiences with Trungpa Rinpoche, as well as sharing her knowledge of the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings.