In the Shadow of the Buddha
Written by Matteo Pistono
BQ 978.188 A3 2011
This book is well written and brings the reader to a world stage that is hardly addressed because lack of knowledge about the subject of Buddhism. The author went on a pilgrimage to Tibet, and found atrocities committed by the Chinese government that included secret documents, interviews of torture victims, and many others. The author himself smuggled out photos of prisons and tried to make influential people see what was going on behind the facade of sanctuary China seemed to put off at the time. Brought to a language that Westerners can understand, Pistono cleverly induces our thoughts, and forces us to form our own opinions on matters that we may not know a lot about, while all creatively wrapping the issues up in an almost personal story that is filled with tension, suspense, and a narrator who seems to draw us in with the deliberate placement of every word penned in the book.
My favorite part is when Pistono quotes a poem from Khenpo-
"Whatever arises, in pure awareness, unaltered and unconfined, Look into the mind that is settled by itself, resting naturally. If you recognize the minds natural clarity, utterly free and unbound, You will instantly traverse all stages of the path, seizing the stronghold of enlightenment"
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