Amy Schmidt
Dipa Ma
The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master
Foreword by Sharon Salzberg
Introduction by Joseph Goldstein
Afterword by Jack Kornfield

Dipa Ma Barua is a major figure in contemporary Eastern spirituality. A rare female Buddhist master, Dipa Ma chose home, work, and family over ascetic seclusion in a temple or monastery, and taught meditation and mindfulness amidst everyday busyness in her simple apartment in the heart of Calcutta.

One of the few women of her generation to devote herself so completely to the pursuit of meditation, Dipa Ma attained profound levels of insight in an astonishingly short time, and greatly influenced the practice of meditation and mindful living in the West.

Dipa Ma’s profound wisdom and compassion continue to inspire and guide an ever-growing number of spiritual seekers and practitioners of every persuasion. Weaving together her powerful words and techniques with heartwarming biographical stories and encounters shared by her family, her students in India and the West, and prominent teachers of Buddhism and meditation in America, this is the only full account of Dipa Ma’s extraordinary life and legacy.

“This book, like Dipa Ma, is simple, straightforward, and powerful.”
—Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

“Dipa Ma was the most loving person I ever met.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith

“An inspiring and beautiful book about one of our most beloved elders, a modern Buddhist saint.”
—Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

“Reading these reflections of Dipa Ma rouses the faith that being in her presence always did; a mind at peace and a heart of complete lovingness is a human possibility.”
—Sylvia Boorstein, author of It’s Easier Than You Think

“...her impact on Buddhism in America has been profound.”
— Joseph Goldstein, author of One Dharma