Cave in the Snow

Vicki Mackenzie

This is an incredible book for anyone struggling to maintain his or her spiritual discipline in a materialistic world. And it is particularly meaningful for women, who struggle with the normal issues and a few added ones due to their gender. Very inspirational, full of insights and clarity.

This is the story of Tenzin Palmo, a spiritually heroic woman, born in London, who in her early twenties journeys to India. There, she recognizes her reincarnated guru, the 7th Khamtrul Rinpoche, and begins her journey as one of the first Western Buddhist nuns. As a renunciant, she spends 12 years in a Himalayan cave, fine tuning her spiritual discipline, and her spiritual evolution. When she returns to the "world", she vows to achieve enlightenment in a female body, no matter how many reincarnations. This is an extraordinary statement, considering the monks say a daily prayer requesting not to be reborn in a female body, which they consider unclean. Most Buddhist monks feel it is inconceivable to achieve enlightenment in a female body.

Her spiritual wisdom is clear and practical. For example, her thoughts on anger: "Anger is simply anger, we use it to justify our own negative states. We all have a huge reservoir of anger in us and whatever we direct it to only adds oil to the fire. If we approach something with an angry mind, what happens is that it leads to antagonism and defensiveness in the other side. The Buddha said hatred is not overcome by hatred, but only by love." (p.199)

Some of her words on retreat, wisdom, and bliss: "…realizations are quite bare…They are not accompanied by lights and music. We're trying to see things as they really are. A realization is non–conceptual. It's not a product of the thinking process or the emotions—unlike visions which come from that level. A realization is the white transparent light at the centre of the prism, not the rainbow colours around it…There are states of incredible bliss. Bliss is the fuel of retreat…You can't do any long–term practice seriously unless there is inner joy, because the joy and enthusiasm is what carries you along…The only problem with bliss is that because it arouses such enormous pleasure, beyond anything on a wordly level…people cling to it and really want it and then it becomes another obstacle…bliss in itself is useless…It's only when it is used as a state of mind for understanding Emptiness—when that blissful mind is able to look at its own nature. Otherwise it is just another subject of Samsara…The blissful mind is a very subtle mind and that kind of mind looking at Emptiness is a very different thing from the gross mind looking at emptiness. And that is why one cultivates bliss." (pp.112–113)

There is also a discussion at the end of the book on the special problems women have on the Buddhist path, trying to balance spiritual discipline and family. And lastly, Tenzin Palmo's quest to establish a Buddhist nunnery where females will have an equal opportunity to learn the spiritual practices and be in an environment supportive of those goals was the basis for her fundraising talks throughout the world.

Review by Margie Zalk.