Enthronement

Even the most casual contact with the culture, politics, or religion of Tibet and the surrounding region brings outsiders face to face with the institution of reincarnate spiritual masters. Past masters are identified as small children installed in their predecessor's monastery in a ceremony called "enthronement" and educated to continue the work of their former incarnation. This custom has provided a principal source of spiritual renewal for Himalayan Buddhists for the past thousand years. The introduction places the subject of reincarnate meditation masters within two major contexts: the activity of bodhisattvas, and in modern Tibetan society, where the reappearance of past masters is both natural and profoundly moving.

Tai Situpa Rinpoche, a contemporary reincarnate master and a leader of the Kagyu lineage, describes the process of finding other reincarnate masters. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, an outstanding writer and meditation master, offers a traditional view of the enthronement of reincarnate masters."A sort of: What You Always Wanted to Know About Reincarnation but Were Afraid to Ask."—Publishers Weekly

"With extraordinary intelligence and devotion, Ngawang Zangpo has produced a book which offers real insight into the profound mystery of the recognition and enthronement."—The View

"A fascinating book. Introduces the reader in a comprehensible way to the theoretical and practical implications of the tulku system."—Tibet Journal

"Zangpo combines well-placed historical anecdotes with quotations from masters and his own personal experience to give the reader a strong foundation in the process of recognition and enthronement."—Northwest Dharma NewsJamgön Kongtrül (1813–1899) was a versatile and prolific scholar. He has been characterized as a "Tibetan Leonardo" because of his significant contributions to religion, education, medicine, and politics.