Mystic Buddha Publishing House Releases BLUE SKIES BUDDHA
By: Christina Mancuso Oct. 22, 2015
This acclaimed biography of the early teaching years of Rama - Dr. Frederick Lenz (1950 - 1998) highlights the new age spiritual renaissance of the 1970s and 80s and the founding of an original, deep-rooted movement of American Buddhism. Readers take part in a free-spirited adventure as they witness a wild, sports jock teenager transform into an iconoclastic, innovative spiritual teacher. For Frederick Lenz, boundary breaking was de rigueur as witnessed and reported by the 100+ students and colleagues interviewed by author Liz Lewinson.
Meditation, the empowerment of women, and Buddhist wisdom form the core of Dr. Lenz's teachings, which he shared and honed with boundless enthusiasm. He encountered opposition, of course, but he kept his priorities straight. When he visited Nepal at age 19, he encountered an aged monk who informed him he was a lineage bearer. He was to revive and re-establish an ancient school of enlightenment. He was to find his many past life students and help them achieve joyous enlightenment in this life or at least set them securely on the path. He was to do this in the West, using Western means. In the East, centuries-old traditions maintain meditative pathways to enlightenment. In the West, facing a blank canvas, Dr. Lenz found new ways to build mental and meditative prowess through careers such as computer science, visits to American "places of power," knowledge about real gender equilibrium (not monastic), movies, music, and dance. He taught these skills to American students and observed their success.Author, speaker, technologist and long-time teacher/practitioner of meditation, Liz Lewinson first encountered a young American Buddhist teacher at a classroom at UCLA in the Spring of 1981. Rama's teachings on feminism inspired her to seek out the root causes of feminism and the power of women. Along with her study of Buddhism and meditation, Liz manages complex technology programs for global firms. During the 15 years she spent researching Blue Skies Buddha, she increasingly broadened her understanding and appreciation of Buddhism for the West.
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