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The Life and Work of Auleshi: Sherpa Buddhist Art and Adept.

By Buddhism Now on 8 September 2024 • ( 0 )

We might call this a book of love from the writers and Vajra Publications.

Auleshi in the valley above his hermitage in 1975. Photo: Hugh R, Downs

The Sherpa Buddhist monk Ngawang Lekshé, also known as Auleshi (1913–1983), occupies a unique place in the history of twentieth-century Nepalese Buddhism. An accomplished artist and yogi who spent much of his life in retreat, he eschewed the trappings of a ‘Buddhist master’ and instead taught through his art and, above all, his personal example. In doing so, he embodied the ideal of transmitting the Dharma without uttering a single word.

The Life and Work of Auleshi’ includes a brief history of Buddhism among the Sherpas, a biography of Auleshi (1913–1983) in both Tibetan and an annotated English translation, as well as a selection of reproductions of his paintings and drawings.

It also includes translations of Buddhist teachings, including ‘Advice to the Yogis of Solu-Khumbu‘, which contains valuable Dharma. Here’s a snippet:

If you really wish to escape the worldly ocean
To reach the dry shore of liberation beyond,
The boat of lasting joy is the qualified spiritual guide
On whom you must respectfully, inerrantly rely.

Avoid procrastination and indolence,
Be quick to prune your thoughts and clothe yourself in the Dharma.

Friends and relatives, land and monastery, money and wealth
Become obstacles to true Dharma don’t count on them!
But be content, hold your own leash,
Cut through entanglements, stay alone in retreat!

I didn’t know much about Sherpas before reading this book.

One memory I have was of an old black-and-white film showing some Westerners, dressed in all their climbing kit, going up a mountain in the Himalayas accompanied by a couple of Sherpas. The Sherpas, with huge backpacks, were jumping from rock to rock wearing what looked like flip-flops. This book has widened my knowledge considerably. Thanks.

The Life and Work of Auleshi : Sherpa Buddhist Art and Adept

For followers of Tibetan Buddhism, this book offers valuable insights into a lesser-known strand of the tradition. It reveals a fascinating world where the spiritual and the artistic converge at the roof of the world.

Authors: Ngawang Tengye, Hugh R. Downs, Matthew T. Kapstein with translations by Tib Shelf
ISBN: 9789937624350
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vajra Publications Inc.

On occasion, when the time is right to help someone,
Undertake it altruistically to achieve it as best you can.

From: Advice to the Yogis of Solu-Khumbu