In the Shadow of the Buddha

6:00–7:00 p.m. Himalayan Happy Hour and book signing
7:00 p.m. Reading with author Matteo Pistono followed by book signing
Books available at the Shop @ RMA at $25.95 (Members receive a 10% discount)
Buy a book before 7:00 p.m. and receive free admission to the museum’s galleries!
“This story of Matteo Pistono’s quest to visit places in Tibet associated with Tertön Sogyal, the adept who was a companion of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, is revealing not only of the Tertön’s life but also of circumstances in contemporary Tibet.” –The Dalai Lama
“From Wyoming to Himalayan meditation caves to Capitol Hill, Pistono’s account of his quest for spiritual illumination and political justice is heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. Pistono, raised with the belief that social activism is a core responsibility, began traveling to Tibet in 1999, motivated, in part, by his fascination with Tertön Sogyal, a nineteenth-century mystic and ‘Tibet’s great champion and protector.’ Pistono follows in Tertön Sogyal’s footsteps while telling the mystic’s astonishing story, from his father’s insistence that he join a band of highway robbers to serving as teacher to the XIII Dalai Lama and guiding Tibet through political turmoil and the intrusion of British forces. Traveling as both a journalist and a Buddhist pilgrim, Pistono also found himself at the crossroads of spirituality and politics when he was asked to serve as a human-rights courier, carrying to the West hard evidence of China’s systematic brutality in occupied Tibet. Pistono tells chilling cloak-and-dagger tales and offers mesmerizing descriptions of haunting landscapes and miracle-performing lamas. But what shimmers most in this riveting and mysterious chronicle, which includes a foreword by Tibet activist Richard Gere, is the courage of those dedicated to ‘the Dalai Lama’s vision for real autonomy and religious freedom in Tibet through nonviolent means.'” –Donna Seaman
“What a fabulous saga! A mystical tale of defending the land of the Buddha Dharma at the turn of the twentieth century interwoven with the life and death struggle now going on at the turn of the twenty-first. This moving account is written beautifully from the heart, and it lifts the heart to read it. It is both unearthly and powerfully real. I recommend it with the strongest enthusiasm.” –Robert Thurman, author of Inner Revolution and Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within
Free