Cave in the Snow Audiobook By Vicki Mackenzie cover art

Cave in the Snow

Tenzin Palmo's Quest for Enlightenment

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Cave in the Snow

By: Vicki Mackenzie
Narrated by: Georgina Sutton, Vicki Mackenzie, Tenzin Palmo
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About this listen

Includes a bonus track of Tenzin Palmo introducing a retreat.

This is the story of Tenzin Palmo, the daughter of a fishmonger from London's East End who became a Tibetan nun. After meditating for 12 years in a cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, she became a world-renowned spiritual leader and champion of the right of women to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

Diane Perry grew up in London's East End. At the age of 18, however, she read a book on Buddhism and realised that this might fill a long-sensed void in her life.

In 1963, at the age of 20, she went to India, where she eventually entered a monastery. Being the only woman amongst hundreds of monks, she began her battle against the prejudice that has excluded women from enlightenment for thousands of years.

In 1976, she secluded herself in a remote cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, where she stayed for 12 years between the ages of 33 and 45. In this mountain hideaway she faced unimaginable cold, wild animals, floods, snow and rockfalls, grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three feet square - she never lay down.

In 1988, she emerged from the cave with a determination to build a convent in Northern India to revive the Togdenma lineage, a long-forgotten female spiritual elite. Despite her international teaching schedule, Tenzin Palmo maintains a deep commitment to her nunnery, Dongyu Gatsal Ling, in Himachal Pradesh.

©1999 Bloomsbury Plc (P)2015 Ukemi Productions Ltd
Buddhism Gender Studies Natural Disaster Inspiring Hinduism Tibetan Buddhism
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Critic reviews

" Cave in the Snow is full of extraordinary insights. It is a desert island book - one we can't very well live without." ( Tricycle Magazine)

What listeners say about Cave in the Snow

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Outstanding and magical

loved the insights into mystical Tibetan buddhism, the honesty, the courage of this amazing woman and blown away by the immensity of her dedication and tenacity. a true inspiration and beautifully written.

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Spiritually enlightening book, a great biography of a great woman.

She is truly inspiring and motivating, she has done something many people cannot dare to achieve.

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2 people found this helpful

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Listened to this in Nepal and Bhutan...

Was excellent and probably one of fastest books I have listened to. Couldn't wait to hear what else was happening.

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Beyond belief inspiring

As a small Buddhist meditator for 20 years, I was flattened with inspiration by the book on the life of Tenzin Palmo, who spent 12 years in a cave meditating. It is a lovely, clear, fascinating book. It should be interesting for even non-Buddhists, just to see what is possible.

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The best book in the last 10 years

So inspiring, absolute treasure. Very well written, fantastic lecture. You can listen it hundred times and will always find jewels 👏❤️👏

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3 people found this helpful

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Audio version is best format for this book

I’m not sure I would've read this book so fast if not for the audio version. The writing is very plain and contains lots of attributions such as “she stated” and “she commented,” like a newspaper article. Also, for those who are unable to read books that take the supernatural seriously (and I’m one such person), it can be difficult to accept all of the Tibetan Buddhism mysticism. All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning about Tenzin Palmo’s journey from young woman in England to Buddhist nun. What makes the book so engaging, in addition to adventures like being buried in her cave under an avalanche, is its strong and unapologetic feminism. She vows to attain enlightenment in female form “no matter how many lifetimes it takes.” I especially liked when she made the Dalai Lama cry when she explained all of the sexism women must face when pursuing Tibetan Buddhism. Excerpt: “What she had promised was to become a female Buddha, and female Buddhas (like female Christs and female Mohammeds) were decidedly thin on the ground. Certainly there had been plenty of acclaimed women mystics and saints in all parts of the world, but the full flowering of human divinity had, for the past few thousand years at least, been deemed the exclusive domain of the male. The female body, for some reason, had been seen as an unfit or unworthy vessel to contain the most sacred. Now Tenzin Palmo was publicly announcing she was intending to overthrow all that.” The audio version includes two half-hour talks given by Tenzin Palmo in Israel. Grade: A

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Inspiring journey

Very inspiring path bringing hope for the heart & calm for the mind. A reminder to keep practicing.

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A Remarkable Endeavour

Who would give up so much to persue her / his dream? Well if you in fact do, than you are truly a successful person. There is no need for massive bank balances to measure success, just the courage and freedom to become yourself. For serious readers, as the story gets deeper and depressing.......It is filled with questions and perhaps many answers on the nature of the mind and it's oneness. Tenzin Palmo's every word is nothing but wisdom.

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Best Dharma explanations in chapter 14

Not only is this a wonderfully told story it is also an easy to understand explanation of key Dharma principles explained in a way that is relatable. Recommend for anyone interested in Buddhism

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Inspiring and uplifting

This book is equally for people already on the path and for those seeking guidance towards daily practices and teachings that can change one’s course in life by awakening the true self. A must read/listen for those who aspire to self-realization!

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