Frank Berliner came of age in the turbulent and exciting era of 1960s America, and met the authentic spiritual master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche just as the Western cultural door opened to receive the ancient wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism. In Falling in Love with a Buddha, Frank recalls the world of Rinpoche's life and teachings. In vivid and often humorous first-person accounts of the founding and evolution of Shambhala, he evokes the powerful and enigmatic presence of this unique teacher.
At the same time, Frank tells the moving personal story of a father and son. Their relationship is marked by great tenderness, by conflict, and by strokes of mutual insight as Frank's father encounters the inscrutable force-field of Chogyam Trungpa. As the cycles of life and death inevitably ripen, the passing of each of these men marks Frank indelibly with their abiding presences in his own life.
This book brings to life again a potent moment in cultural history, and helps us more fully appreciate this revolutionary teacher and his profound impact on the lives of his students. Finally, it deepens our understanding of a genuine, heartfelt spiritual path by revealing the intimate ways our personal awakening can touch those closest to us.