Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master

I’m in a book club and this was the next choice for discussion. As I turned to chapter one there was some crusted food or substance sticking the pages together. I was able to pull apart the yellow pages but was a bit suprised

I found this book very inspiring, and at times a bit exasperating. The basic story is that Nani (later known as Dipa Ma) had a very difficult life, and she turned to meditation and worked extremely hard at it, and achieved a measure of peace, even in the midst of a householder's life. (She did go on retreats but she did not live in a monastery.) And she did this when it was unusual for a woman to do it. Then she became a teacher of meditation and helped a lot of people, including some of the founders of vipassana meditation in the US.The book is based on stories that people told the author about Dipa Ma. She had recently died when the author first heard of her. The author did not fact-check the stories, so this is not a work of conventional journalism. She simply took them at face value. This is fine when it comes to the more ordinary aspects of the story, but there are times in the story where Dipa Ma develops paranormal abilities, like walking through walls and appearing at two places at the same time. This might have been a stronger book if these stories had been left out.To her credit, Dipa Ma herself apparently did not place a lot of importance on the stories of her paranormal abilities, if they in fact existed. Also, apparently her family does not like to discuss them. Nevertheless they are in this book. If this is a big problem for you, skip these parts, I guess.I'm not saying that the space-time continuum can't be ruptured. Modern physics has apparently demonstrated that time is not as linear as it seems, and who knows about space. Still. Take it with a grain of salt, but be inspired by Nani's dedication to her meditation practice.

This is the story of how one sick, poor tiny Bengali woman became a spiritual giant whose influence, through those who met and studied under her, has spread around the world. It is a most unlikely story, for Dipa Ma seems to come almost out of nowhere. Her life, like so many people living in such dire conditions, consisted of a series of tragedies--infertility (this in a terribly patriarchal society where children made the woman), the deaths of several children she bore, the death of her husband, poverty, and then declining health. It looked as if this little beetle of a woman would see an early grave.The only thing going for her was an intense aspiration to practice meditation. But even there she was stymied for decades by her husband and/or her health, until finally the first was gone and the second going. What did she have to lose? She crawled into the meditation center, but once she got going not even a dog attack (which put her in the hospital to get rabies shots) could stop her. Her concentration went off the chart, and by the end of her first retreat she attained stream entry (sotapatti). Her health did an about face, and higher paths soon followed.Dipa Ma developed at an unprecedented speed, as, later, her daughter and son did. (Clearly genetics plays a role.) Under Anagarika Munindra's guidance she developed an extensive repertoire of powers (siddhis), exhibited shaktipat, an unusual facility for jhanas and a great power of loving-kindness. Soon students--housewives, school kids, even monks--began coming to her tiny one bedroom apartment in Calcutta (the conditions she lived in never really improved) for teaching and guidance, and her fame spread. Through Munindra Westerners began beating a path to her door, among them such luminaries as Jack Engler, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. The rest, as they say, is history.The book is a brief portrait of this amazing woman. Its biographical section is actually quite scant. There are not a lot of details, no foot or endnotes, but many testimonials. Famous and unfamous alike attest to the ways this woman impressed and changed them, and many of these accounts are quite moving. Clearly she was a prodigy, a saint by any measure.Wonderful things really do come in small packages.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Dipa Ma taught such Western Buddhist teachers as Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield, all of whom talk about her in this biography. Unlike most Eastern Buddhist teachers — she was Bengali — Dipa Ma lived with her family in a crowded Calcutta apartment building rather than a monastery or other spiritual center. She was a grandmother who emphasized the ability to reach levels of enlightenment while doing housework and breastfeeding.The book itself is like one of those family biographies an aunt writes and prints off at Kinko’s to distribute at family reunions — and I don’t mean that as a slight, it’s just how the book reads. There’s a bit of background on her early days that feels like a Wikipedia synopsis followed by various themed chapters with quotes from students remembering her. There’s one chapter detailing her supernatural powers: walking through walls, flying above trees, foretelling the future, etc. The female perspective missing in so many Buddhist books was fascinating — for example, one of her supernatural feats was to duplicate her body so when she would walk down the street, there was two of her so men wouldn’t bother her. Of course I don’t believe the supernatural stuff, but as myth, I like it.Excerpt of one of her teachigns: “‘If you practice for a result, then it becomes a hindrance.’ The desire for liberation is nonetheless desire — one of the key hindrances on the spiritual path. At one stage, zeal on the path is useful, and it moves us along; at another stage, this very thing that was so helpful becomes an impediment. We need to recognize when effort has become an obstruction. To stay with what is happening without giving up — sometimes that is all that is possible.”Grade: A-

I am not a Buddhist and do not agree with/believe in everything in this book, but have given it five stars as it is extremely useful, and a beautiful and touching account of a remarkable woman.I love this book, but in the interests of balance, let me start with the potential negatives: - as someone else has said, this is not a biography so much as a hagiography. Keep in mind when reading it that it is written by a fan (for want of a better word), and the material (interviews, quotes etc.) is exclusively positive. - it states as fact various supernatural claims (her ability to visit other realms etc.) I'm skeptical personally, but it is neatly contained in one chapter, and in my opinion does not detract from the otherwise very down to earth biography and teachings.It is well written, her life story is simply told and other people's encounters with her and quotes about her are interesting.Where it really takes off for me though is in the last chapter or two, where we get the very direct, practical advice. I had expected a life story, but this is also a guide to basic meditation, from someone who lived it. Moreover, it is a guide to meditation and spiritual practice in the world, in day to day life. It feels a lot less daunting to follow her simple directions for starting vipassana (insight) and metta (lovingkindness) meditation, than some of the longer more rigorous books out there. I did not expect this in this book, so it came as a very pleasant surprise!In conclusion: if you are looking for skeptical and unbiased critiques of Buddhist beliefs and supernatural claims, this is NOT the book for you. If you are looking for an inspiring life and simple but effective teachings, go ahead and buy this.

Have to say this is an excellent book if you're interested in or practising Meditation. Dipa Ma was a Vipassana Practitioner who passed knowledge onto Jack Kornfield and other notorietys of The New Age Movement which appeared throughout the Seventies in America. This is an excellent and extremely interesting book and Dipa Ma was obviously a fascinating character. Whether you believe what is written about her is another story but although short as a Paperback, it is long enough to get anyone equally fascinated in The Dipa Ma Legacy and inspire Vipassana Meditation.

I found reading this book such a positive experience that, although you could easily read it straight through, I found myself saving the next chapter until tomorrow as a gift to my future self!Dipa Ma was an extraordinary example among Buddhist teachers - a realised woman master and at the same time an 'ordinary' housewife and single mother. She was both supremely gentle and loving and fiercely uncompromising in her pursuit of liberation. Her students included Western seekers who went on to become famous teachers in their own right, such as Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg.This book gives you a real sense of who she was through the eyes and hearts of those who knew her. It demystifies meditation and enlightenment and makes them seem within the reach of anyone, even you! Buy this book if you are having trouble sitting every day, if you know a female practitioner who could use a good role model, or you just fancy a joyous read.

Recommend for anyone interested in understanding more about the life and practice of Dipa Ma. This book really brings her to life with details about the difficulties she had to overcome in her own life, her wisdom and insights. This book also covers narrative from people who knew her well. If you are a 'householder' who meditates and are looking for inspiration and encouragement, this book is perfect.... :)

This is a beautiful little book.I've read lots of books in buddhism and meditation, and so far I can savely say that most of them aren't worth it.However I've gathered a little bunch of them that I regard as treasures, and I will keep them close to me for a long time. Along with Daniel Ingram's book, this IS one of them.It encourages you to practice, and to practice well. And most importantly shows that our goals is REAL and attainable, and that it is not something for semigod-like people or only for monks. If you work at it you'll get it, thats the message I get from it.Plus, it is written very well and it is easy to read. It has very nice pictures and lends itself to be read in a couple of nights.