Includes bibliographical references (p. 386-391) and index.

The travails of the Great Thirteenth -- A mystic and a seer : the regency established -- A child is born -- The view from the place of the roaring tiger : Tibet's nameless religion -- "Lonely and somewhat unhappy" : a hostage in all but name -- Homecoming : Lhasa, 1940 -- Boyhood : two cane-handled horsewhips -- Trouble in Shangri-La : devilry and intrigue on the roof of the world -- The perfection of wisdom : the higher education of a Tibetan Buddhist monk -- "Shit on their picnic!" : China invades, 1949-50 -- Into the dragon's lair : the Dalai Lama in China, July 1954-July 1955 -- The land of the gods : India, November 1956-March 1957 -- "Don't sell the Dalai Lama for silver dollars!" : Lhasa, 1957-1959 -- On the back of a Dzo : the flight to freedom -- Opening the eye of new awareness : Allen Ginsberg and the Beats -- "We cannot compel you" : cultural revolution in Tibet, harsh realities in India -- "Something beyond the comprehension of the Tibetan people" : The yellow book and the glorious goddess -- From Rangzen to Umaylam : independence and the middle way approach -- Cutting off the serpent's head : reaction and repression in Tibet -- "An oath-breaking spirit born of perverse prayers" : the murder of Lobsang Gyatso -- Tibet in flames : the Beijing Olympics and their aftermath -- The magical play of illustion.

"The first definitive biography of the Dalai Lama--a story by turns inspiring and shocking--from an acclaimed Tibetan scholar with exceptional access to his subject"--$cProvided by publisher.