Renunciation and Longing: The Life of a Twentieth-Century Himalayan Buddhist Saint

Abstract

A Pitkin’s choice of Khunu Lama (1895–1977) as the subject of a monograph might surprise scholars and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism alike. When she asked the Dalai Lama to expound upon the rinpoche’s influence, he replied, “None at all ... Among our Tibetan people, he did not teach very much” (78). And yet, Pitkin uses Khunu Lama’s perceived lack of influence to theorize her titular terms, renunciation and longing, in a sophisticated discussion that will benefit scholars of Tibet, Buddhism, and Religious Studies.