Running Toward Mystery

The Adventure of an Unconventional Life

By: Tenzin Priyadarshi, Zara Houshmand

Narrated by: Tenzin Priyadarshi

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A revered Buddhist monk tells the bracing and beautiful story of a singular life compelled to contemplation, sharing lessons about the power of mentorship and an open mind

"A necessary and captivating narrative of spiritual courage and truth seeking far beyond the veil of our contemporary delusions." (Sting)

Born in India to a prominent Hindu Brahmin family, the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi was only six years old when he began having visions of a mysterious mountain peak, and of men with shaved heads wearing robes the color of sunset. "It was as vivid as if I were watching a scene from life," he writes. And so at the age of 10, he ran away from boarding school to find this place - taking a train to the end of the line and then riding a bus to wherever it went.

Strangely enough, he ended up at a Buddhist monastery that was the place in his dreams. His frantic parents and relatives set out to find him and, after two weeks, located him and brought him home. But he continued to have visions and feel a strong pull to a spiritual life in a tradition that he had never heard of as a child. Today, he is a revered monk and teacher as well as President and CEO of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he works to build bridges among communities and religions.

Running Toward Mystery is the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi's profound account of his lifelong journey as a seeker. At its heart is a story of striving for enlightenment, the vital importance of mentors in that search, and of the many remarkable teachers he met along the way, among them the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Mother Teresa.

"Teachers come and go on their own schedule," Priyadarshi writes. "I clearly wasn't in charge of the timetable and it wasn't my place to specify how a teacher should teach." And arrive they did, at the right time, in the right way, to impart the lessons that shaped a life of seeking, devotion, and deep human connection across all barriers.

Running Toward Mystery is the bracing and beautiful story of a singular life compelled to contemplation, and a riveting narrative of just how exciting that journey can be.

©2020 Tenzin Priyadarshi, Zara Houshmand (P)2020 Random House Audio

Love that read by author

I am thankful Tenzin dedicated time to share this story. Many thanks to those who provided the support and motivation for him to do so. I give love and gratitude to his parents and teachers.

The Mystery and Humanity

Expounds on the great mystery that is just beyond our grasp. But, maybe more importantly, on our shared humanity and what it means to be truly human.

Best Buddhist Audiobook Ever

Simply blown away! This is exploding with sincerity and the unabashed sharing of wisdom that can only be uncovered through a deep trek along the spiritual path. This book has the power of inspiration, the prompting to instill motivation to practice, and full of precious reminders of the absolute joy of it all. It consistently speaks to the mysteriousness of life while simultaneously guiding our own listening for answers. It’s narrated by the author, no doubt a bodhisattva, who puts care into every word, none wasted, and each in unison pointing directly at the moon. Wow.

A must listen to

As this is read by the author it took a little getting use to his subtle accent but after a chapter I began to really enjoy his presentation. The material covered in the book is so profound on many levels I listened to the book twice. When I say profound I do not mean complicated. On the contrary the utter simplicity was refreshing and unexpected. The only thing that sometimes got in the way was I felt I could tell that the wording got too flowery which I attributed to perhaps an editor trying to sound clever.

Wonderful!

I rarely write reviews. This is a true gem. Will not disappoint. Hated it to end.

Beautifully written personal account of following one’s deepest spiritual longing

This dynamic and thought-provoking book is read by the author, which adds a wonderful dimension to the experiencing its stories and themes.
From following his intuition and visions as a young boy and knowing early on that he wanted to be a monk, Tenzin Priyadarshi remained true to his inner compass and open to what he encountered while spending time as a school-age boy in various Buddhist monasteries and sacred spaces in India and Nepal. His life intertwines with the likes of Mother Theresa, Desmond Tutu, Thomas Keating and the Dalai Lama, to name a few, and chapters of the book highlight themes of joy, discipline and discipleship, environmentalism, integrity, compassion and more.
An inspirational read combined with great storytelling— sure to keep you interested to the end and back again for a second listen.