In Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint, Annabella Pitkin deftly weaves together biography, oral history, interviews, and critical theory to tell the life story of a Buddhist ascetic called Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen (1895–1977). Throughout, she unravels some of the tensions between what it means to pursue a spiritual life that rejects the trappings of worldly life (food, fame, etc.) while also living in the world. This book is a major contribution to the fields of Tibetan-Himalayan studies, Buddhist studies, and religious studies for two reasons: (1) it offers innovative analyses and fresh perspectives on the intersections among literary-narrative studies, the concept of renunciation, and the role of religion in modernity; and (2) it brings together a variety of textual and oral sources on the life of Khunu Lama, a highly accomplished yogi and reluctant teacher of Tibetan Buddhism from the Kinnaur region of Himachal...
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Book Review|
August 01 2023
Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint
Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint
. By Annabella Pitkin. Chicago
: University of Chicago Press
, 2022
. xxviii, 286
pp. ISBN: 9780226816913.
Nicole Willock
Journal of Asian Studies (2023) 82 (3): 463–466.
Citation
Nicole Willock; Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint. Journal of Asian Studies 1 August 2023; 82 (3): 463–466. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00219118-10849592
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