Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche - Paperback

by Matthieu Ricard (Author), Constance Wilkinson (Editor)

Colorful stories about and profound teachings of Patrul Rinpoche, one of the most impactful teachers and thinkers in the Tibetan tradition from the nineteenth century.

The life and teachings of the wandering yogi Patrul Rinpoche--a highly revered Buddhist master and scholar of nineteenth-century Tibet--come alive in true stories gathered and translated by the French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard over more than thirty years, based on the oral accounts of great contemporary teachers as well as written sources. Patrul's life story reveals the nature of a highly realized being as he transmits the Dharma in everything he does, teaching both simple nomads and great lamas in ways that are often unconventional and even humorous, but always with uncompromising authenticity.

Author Biography

MATTHIEU RICARD was born in France in 1946 to French philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin. He is a Buddhist monk, translator, photographer, and author of several books including Happiness, Altruism, and coauthor of The Monk and the Philosopher. He first visited India in 1967 where he met great spiritual masters from Tibet. After completing his PhD in cell genetics in 1972, he moved to the Himalayan region where he has been living for the past 40 years. PATRUL RINPOCHE, Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo (1808-1887), was a wandering renunciant who became one of the most revered spiritual teachers and authors in Tibetan history. Memory of his life-example is still very much alive today, offering an ever-fresh source of inspiration for practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.