The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat tells the story of Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak.

Though canonized as a saint and a fully enlightened buddha, the eleventh-century Ra Lotsawa's life story presents a darker path than those taken by Siddhartha Gautama or Milarepa.

Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, gain a devoted following, and grow rich.

Despite these deeds, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped

The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat tells the story of Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak.

Though canonized as a saint and a fully enlightened buddha, the eleventh-century Ra Lotsawa's life story presents a darker path than those taken by Siddhartha Gautama or Milarepa.

Viewed by some as a murderous villain and by others as a liberator of human suffering, Ra Lotsawa used his formidable power and magical abilities to defeat his rivals, gain a devoted following, and grow rich.

Despite these deeds, his fame also rests on an illustrious career as a translator of Buddhist scriptures, through which he helped spark a renaissance of Buddhism in Tibet.

A classic account of one of the most colourful and memorable figures in Tibetan Buddhist history.