“It was not always easy to be the guru’s wife,” writes Diana Mukpo.“But I must say, it was rarely boring.” At the age of sixteen, DianaMukpo left school and broke with her upper-class English family tomarry Chögyam Trungpa, a young Tibetan lama who would go on to become amajor figure in the transmission of Buddhism to the West. In a memoirthat is at turns magical, troubling, humorous, and totally out of theordinary, Diana takes us into her intimate life with one of the mostinfluential and dynamic Buddhist teachers of our time.
Dianaled an extraordinary and unusual life as the "first lady" of aburgeoning Buddhist community in the American 1970s and '80s. She gavebirth to four sons, three of whom were recognized as reincarnations ofhigh Tibetan lamas. It is not a simple matter to be a modern Westernwoman married to a Tibetan Buddhist master, let alone to a publicfigure who is sought out and adored by thousands of eager students.Surprising events and colorful people fill the narrative as Diana seeksto understand the dynamic, puzzling, and larger-than-life man she married—and to find a place for herself in his unusual world.
Rich in ambiguity, Dragon Thunderis the story of an uncommon marriage and also a stirring evocation ofthe poignancy of life and of relationships—from a woman who has livedboldly and with originality.
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