The Lost Teachings of Lama Govinda offers a precious glimpse into the consciousness of an extraordinary scholar and mystic, shedding new light on Govinda’s legendary role as both a pioneer and a prophet. Born in Germany, Lama Govinda was one of the first Westerners to introduce Tibetan Buddhism as an initiate in the tradition. His famed works, The Way of the White Clouds and Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism, live on as some of the best in the field.
In this collection of essays and dialogues, Govinda delivers insights that are both timely and timeless. Ranging in issues and themes, including transpersonal psychology, drugs and meditation, Christianity, Theravada and Zen Buddhism, and the I Ching, editor Richard Power brings together Lama Govinda’s rarest material—some never before published, some long out of circulation.
Power starts off with a compelling and comprehensive introduction to Govinda’s life and work, dividing this section into three parts. These include 1) a biography of Lama Govinda, 2) a perspective on his role in bringing Dharma to the West and his legacy for the 21st Century, and 3) an exploration of the major themes and insights in four of his masterpieces: The Way of the White Cloud, Fundamentals of Tibetan Mysticism, Psycho-Cosmic Symbolism of the Stupa and Creative Meditation and Multi-Dimensional Consciousness.
Every chapter of the book is one of Govinda’s essays, each standing alone on its own strengths while also fitting together with the others to form a multi-dimensional look at practical Buddha Dharma in relation to Western psychology, mystical Christianity, Chinese Taoist philosophy, and scientific explorations in consciousness. Both beginners of Tibetan Buddhism and those interested in expanding their knowledge of the basic tenets of the tradition will find great value in this book.