This paperback edition of a 1990 release has a new introduction. It is a rousing spiritual adventure covering a decade in the experiences of a woman trying to put her life on a new path. Raised as a Catholic, China Galland becomes a student of Zen. Trying to move beyond her addiction to alcohol, she turns for inspiration to Tara — a Buddha in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition who took a vow to be enlightened only in a woman's body.
Galland's studies of the Tibetan goddess then spur her interest in the Black Madonna. Soon she is off on a series of trips to the Far East, Europe, and the American Southwest. She meets the Dalai Lama whose message of compassion speaks to her heart. In Poland, Lech Walesa tells her of his devotion to the Madonna. And back in America, the author tries to sort out what she's seen, felt, and prayed about.
Near the end of the book, Galland quotes a Dzogchen tantra: "As a bee seeks nectar / from all kinds of flowers, / seek teachings everywhere." Her pilgrimage helps her appreciate the redeeming darkness, the tie between meditation and politics, the value of overlooked feminine qualities, and the significance of wholeness and balance in the healing of personal pain.
