In January 2000, the world was introduced to the 17th Karmapa lama, a young man who had just made a dramatic escape from Tibet, where Chinese officials had installed him as a ranking Tibetan political leader. This fascinating story begins 900 years ago and reveals political intrigue and controversy among powerful spiritual leaders. Karmapa: The Politics of Reincarnation reveals how the Karmapa, one of the most important reincarnate lamas in Tibet, is chosen. Through interviews with personal associates, friends, the Dalai Lama, and the Karmapa himself, award-winning journalist Lea Terhune paints a portrait of an extraordinary young man who defied the Chinese and escaped to freedom. It is the ancient story of the Karmapa's often disputed incarnations throughout the history of Tibetan Buddhism, and of a young man who will likely play a key role in the future of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.

Karmapa, Lea Terhune, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 288 pp. $14.95

Lea Terhune is a professional writer and journalist based in India, where she has lived since 1982. Currently editor of SPAN (a magazine of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi), she has also worked as a correspondent and producer for CNN International, ABC News Radio, and Voice of America. Her work has appeared in The Far-Eastern Economic Review, Asiaweek, International Herald Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Yoga Journal, and ABCNews.com. She lives in New Delhi.

	Contents: Karmapa: The Politics of Reincarnation
	Cast of Characters	vii
	Prologue	ix
	Introduction	1
1	Against All Odds	11
2	Tibet, China, and Politics	27
3	High Mountain Crossings	43
4	The Incarnations of the Black Hat Lama	65
5	The Sixteenth Karmapa	95
6	Transitions	125
7	The Four Heart Sons	139
9	The Karmapa Returns	197
10	Strife Within	219
11	The Ploitics of Reincarnation	233
	Appendix 1: The Black Ceremony	259
	Appendix 2: Karmapa Incarnations	261
	Appendix 3: Incarnations of the Four Heart Sons	263
	Appendix 4: Karmpa's Letter to the Prime Minister of India	267
	Glossary	269
	Notes	279
	Index	301
	Acknowledgments	307