Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America
by Helen Tworkov
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Description
"From the woman who helped introduce Buddhism to the West and founded Tricycle magazine comes a brilliant memoir of forging one's own path that Pico Iyer calls "unflinching" and "indispensable." The daughter of an artist, Helen Tworkov grew up in the heady climate of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism; yet from an early age, she questioned the value of Western cultural norms. Her life was forever changed when she saw the iconic photo of Thich Quang Duc, the Vietnamese monk who, show more seated in meditation, set himself on fire to protest his government's crackdown on the Buddhist clergy. Tworkov realized that radically different states of mind truly existed and were worth exploring. At the age of twenty-two, she set off for Japan, then traveled through Cambodia, India, and eventually to Tibetan refugee camps in Nepal. Set against the arresting cultural backdrop of the sixties and their legacy, this intimate self-portrait depicts Tworkov's search for a true home as she interacts with renowned artists and spiritual luminaries including the Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein, Bernie Glassman, Charles Mingus, Elizabeth Murray and Richard Serra. Interweaving experience, research, and revelation, Helen Tworkov explores the relationship between Buddhist wisdom and American values, presenting a wholly unique look at the developing landscape of Buddhism in the West. Lotus Girl offers insight not only into Tworkov's own search for the truth, but into the ways each of us can better understand and transform ourselves"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is one of those books where you relate to parts and skim past others that aren't interesting to you. For me, the beginning was strong where she was raised and ventured out into the world to find herself with fascinating trips, meeting new friends and sometimes taking drugs. She shared her thoughts on Buddhism and other religions over time.
To write about your personal life for publication takes a great deal of deep thinking and encouragement. It's an achievement I admire. While much of what she had to say went over my head, the book was well written and I'm sure others will get more out of it than I did.
To write about your personal life for publication takes a great deal of deep thinking and encouragement. It's an achievement I admire. While much of what she had to say went over my head, the book was well written and I'm sure others will get more out of it than I did.
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Buddhism
27 works; 1 member
Author Information
13+ Works 162 Members
Classifications
- Genres
- Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Travel, Sexuality and Gender Studies
- DDC/MDS
- 294.3092 — Religion Other religions Buddhism/Hinduism Buddhism Buddhism - general Biography and Buddhism by place Biography
- LCC
- BQ990 .W67 .A3 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Buddhism Buddhism Biography Individual Other
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 27
- Popularity
- 1,007,268
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
