The Dance of 17 Lives is a 2004 book by UK journalist and author Mick Brown

Mick Brown (journalist)

Mick Brown is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph...

. It is the story of an exiled Tibetan teenager, the Karmapa

Karmapa

The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....

, who has been hailed as one of the greatest spiritual leaders of modern times.

Karmapa controversy

Considerable controversy surrounded the enthronement of the 17th Karmapa, as there was not just one contender for the throne of the 16th, but two. Both contenders were represented by rival factions who were out to get their candidate recognised as the true incarnation of the 16th Karmapa. The alternative to Urgyen Trinley Dorje

Urgyen Trinley Dorje

Ogyen Trinley Dorje , also written Urgyen Trinley Dorje , is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism...

 was Thaye Dorje

Thaye Dorje

Trinley Thaye Dorje is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism...

, who was supported by the authoritative voice of Shamar Rinpoche.

While this book may not appeal to scholars of Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...

 or Tibetan culture

Tibetan culture

Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...

, its value lies in demystifying this culture for a general readership. Brown demonstrates how spiritual and secular power are intimately related in the world of Tibetan Buddhism, with many monks and lamas jostling for the power that comes with spiritual authority.