Lady of Realisation ─ A Spiritual Memoir

Lady of Realisation is one of the first memoirs of Tibetan Buddhist nun and western teacher Sister Karma Khechog Palmo. The book provides memorable insights of the sixteenth Karmapa and other teachers of the Kagyu tradition in the 1970s. Sister Palmo's life as an Englishwoman in India was extraordinary both as an academic, political activist, and social worker. She is remembered as one of the key figures in bringing the sixteenth Karmapa to the West. She influenced younger important teachers like Trungpa Rinpoche and Akong Rinpoche. It was my privilege to have been her student, and to study and travel with her. This memoir is a reflection of that extraordinary time of the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism in the West in the 1970s. The memoir brings with it deep, personal experiences from my own life, lived out during the brutal years of the apartheid government in South Africa. The life and work of Sister Palmo continues to inspire others on the path. She brought the ancient yogic tradition of the woman yogis of the past together with insights into contemporary life. Her invaluable teachings open a door into the practice of Buddhism in our everyday journey.