The Wheel of Life: The Autobiography of a Western Buddhist

The Wheel of Life is the spiritual autobiography of John Blofeld (1913-1987), a world-renowned British scholar and writer who devoted his life to the study of Eastern traditions, especially Buddhism and Taoism. With wit, honesty, and humility, Blofeld portrays his search for wisdom and his discovery of a genuine spiritual path. He describes in vivid detail his life in Peking and his travels in Tibet, Mongolia, China, India, and Burma: the worlds of remote mountain monasteries, the sacred inner chambers of sages and yogis, and the inspired lives of simple, ordinary people. The book is particularly valuable for its sensitive picture of a world that no longer exists. As Huston Smith remarks in his Foreword, "Blofeld encountered Chinese Buddhism and Taosim at a very special moment in history, the final moment before they came under Communist onslaught. To have his intimate glimpses into what they were like as still-living traditions is historically important."