Ascent of the Thunder Dragon: The Surprising Spiritual Life and Legacy of Bhutan's Founder

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Sasha Wakefield Samten Dorji

Ascent of the Thunder Dragon

Name: Ascent of the Thunder Dragon
Price: 44.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781645474326

The Surprising Spiritual Life and Legacy of Bhutan's Founder

Sasha Wakefield, Samten Dorji

$44.99

Paperback

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English

Shambhala Publications Inc
13 January 2026

Biography: general

Sasha Wakefield intertwines the life and legacy of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) with her own personal spiritual journey as she explores Bhutan's rich history.

Sasha Wakefield intertwines the life and legacy of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) with her own personal spiritual journey as she explores Bhutan's rich history.

The seventeenth century was a pivotal time for the tiny but culturally vibrant kingdom of Bhutan-marked especially by the life of the influential political and spiritual leader Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651), including his remarkable past lives. Sasha Wakefield traces the life and profound spiritual accomplishment of this master in the context of her own spiritual journey from Australia to Bhutan. While unveiling the cultural and spiritual landscape of Bhutan, Wakefield delves into the fundamental Buddhist concepts of reincarnation, karma, bodhisattvas, buddhas, and enlightenment to underscore the significance of Zhabdrung's spiritual attainment, including reaching the tenth bhumi, or level, of a bodhisattva, and deliberately choosing his own rebirth.

During Zhabdrung's time as early nation-builder of the kingdom and state of Bhutan, he faced adversity and attacks from adversaries but responded with meditation, diplomacy, and unwavering commitment to serve the people of Bhutan. Wakefield shows the nature of ritual and ceremony that are inherent in the history of the Bhutanese state, weaving in the verse texts of liturgies and praises for the offering ceremonies and consecrations that were central to establishing the Drukpa Kargyu Buddhist lineage in Bhutan and establishing Bhutan as a sovereign land.

By: Sasha Wakefield
Foreword by: Samten Dorji
Imprint: Shambhala Publications Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 369g
ISBN: 9781645474326
ISBN 10: 1645474321
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 13 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

SASHA WAKEFIELD is an Australian with a long-standing connection to Bhutan, where she has lived for extended periods over the past nineteen years, contributing to the preservation of its spiritual and cultural traditions. She is a direct disciple of one of Bhutan's most revered lamas-the reincarnation of the sixty-second Je Khenpo and former Tsugla Lopen of the Central Monastic Body.