Third Eye

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating and Enlightening read
Review: I have read this book many times over the years and it's one of those books that's just as good every time you read it. My father originally introduced me to Rampa's books in the early 80's and I've read every one of them. (My Dad has all the old original copies of them all) I was swept up in Rampa's world for years but actually, in the face of overwhelming evidence, now believe that he wasn't what he said he was. It's much more likely that Rampa was a very learned and wise man who learnt what he did from a western esoteric order such as the Theosophical Society or the Rosicrucian Order - both orders which are held in the highest esteem, mind you. Nonetheless, Rampa has put together an incredible and enthralling story that captivates the reader from page one. Whether he is Tibetan Lama or not is really of no consequence; he has done his job, added some enlightenment to the world, and started many people off on a spiritual journey that has lasted their entire lives and made the world a better place for it. A book that should be read by all. (As a footnote: Rampa did pass away in 1980)

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I read this about 3 years ago. AZnd i really liked it. I love reading about other cultures and their beleifs and metepsychics. It was very entertaing. If you have any intrest in Mind exploration then I recromend it to you

Rating:
Summary: It's a book, so read it as a book
Review: If you are beginning to take that first step on the Path or even have rounded the first corner, Rampa's books are absolutely indispensable. Every year I encounter some other obscure fact about science, ancient history, Vedic literature, and metaphysics that corroborates Rampa's teachings. This is not for the casual reader. This is for someone who has broken free of the socialized demeanor and is a full individual with no fear of the Truth. One may progress by leaps and bounds by digesting his works. And now that the world knows more about Tibet than they did when he wrote his books and one has the Internet at his disposal, one may substantiate at least his claims about Tibet to one's own satisfaction.

Rating:
Summary: Blows your mind away
Review: Listen, you have read all the other reviews, some good, some very good and some well, let's say they call Dr Tuesday Lobsang Rampa a hoax, a plumber from Devon England. Well he maybe a plumber from Devon he is, but if he is then how come some plumber can write about someone in a far off country in 1959 when the Chinese were invading the country and still know about what was surely then quite a hearsay way of living?

I would just like to say that when my wife and I first met in a nightclub in the early seventies, we spent all night discussing the book I had just read which was then the Doctor from Lhasa.

My eldest son said to me one day that he wanted to read a book, he had never ever shown an interest in reading at the time. I gave him a copy of the Third Eye. What a difference I saw in him when he had completed this book. He then went on too read all the other books by Dr T Lobsang Rampa. He even started using my computer for the first time to track down copies of the books that were missing from my collection. He is now in India studying Budism and will soon be travelling to Nepal to take a course on the Tibetian langauge. His ambition is to teach English in Tibet, were he visted on his 21st birthday. This is all down to the fact he also read the THIRD EYE.

Rating:
Summary: The Third Eye
Review: Look, I don't know if Rampa is a lama, his reincarnation or a plumber. And I couldn't care less. I love this book. I bought it in Italy when I was probably 15 and I have been reading it every few years ever since. When I came in the US at 38, I bought the English version. It is clean, it is romantic, it tells about a world we can only dream about nowadays. I study Tai Chi and Chi Gung, aside of my Aikido core-studies, and never find that my knowledge detracts anything from the beauty of this book.

Rating:
Summary: It's a book, so read it as a book
Review: Many of the previous reviews that I've read deal with Lobsang Rampa not being who he claims to be - a view that I share - but I don't think that facts from the author's real life should influence a review of his works, which should be kept within the literary realm. That said, I read The Third Eye when I was about 13; and it was through this book that I "learned" about the Tibetan culture, its recent history and fate, no matter the factual inaccuracies present. It was also an interesting approach to a certain kind of eastern mysticism distilled through the emerging western new age of those days.
I was young and gullible then, but now I'm not young anymore :-) Years later, when I eventually picked it up again, I did find it entertaining and interesting, but this time I saw it as a merely well imagined work of fiction. The writing is fluid and straightforward, and the story is engaging. The many vivid descriptions of daily life and habits in a world that has been made to vanish through brute force will possibly raise your curiosity about Tibet and its people, and for that alone it would have been worthwhile to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Do you believe? Doesn't matter...fascinating either way!
Review: This author wrote a total of 19 affordable paperbacks on the topics of Tibet and the forgotten mystic abilities of mankind. You may have heard the stories about the author, that he was a "hoax", not who he claimed to be. Read the books! He openly discusses all of these accusations, and often states that because his story is so unusual, he is often disbelieved. Then, once you tire of the whole controversy regarding the author, you will still be left with a wealth of down-to-earth information about topics considered "out of this world". If you are seriously interested in the possibilites of reincarnation, astral travel, meditation, etc. but you don't want to read a bunch of New Age jibber-jabber, read The Third Eye and any other book by T. Lobsang Rampa. The author's writing style is warm and humourous, interweaving the lessons with stories from his facinating life experience. I have read and re-read all 19 of his books so I am obviously a fan...but I was skeptical at first. You will be too, because the story is unlike any you've ever heard. Never mind, whether you consider his work fact or fiction, Rampa's books are page-turners one and all. (Note: those who mentioned their wish to contact the author...unfortunately, this is not possible because he passed away in 1981.)

Rating:
Summary: Truth or Fiction? Who Cares!!
Review: This book has about as much to do with Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism as any book you might pick up on flying saucers. Read it if you want but don't kid yourself into thinking there is one truth in it.

Rating:
Summary: I love these books
Review: This is a very short review. I read "Third Eye", "The Saffron Robe", and a number of other Rampa books when I was 11-12 (35 years ago.) I've been a Buddhist ever since: I read his explanation of the Four Great Truths* and right then and there knew.

Yes, Cyril Hoskin never went to Tibet; read the parts about Tibet as Victorian theosophist fantasy, like reading "Lost Horizon". Yes, his stories about the spiritual practices of Lamaist/Tantric Buddhism are mostly fantasy: read them as such, like reading "Lord of the Rings".

Doesn't matter. The stories are fun, and the heart of Buddhism is in them.

* Four Great Truths: (1) Our day to day life is full of suffering and frustration; (2) suffering and frustration arises because we try to cling to a fixed universe that suits us, rather than accepting the transitory nature of things; (3) by learning not to cling, we overcome this suffering; (4) the Buddha's collection of skillful practices is a way to learn not to cling.

Rating:
Summary: Many readers, now in their 40's & 50's...still moved
Review: Was this book a universal coming of age for many of us who are now in our 40's and 50's? Many have commented that they read this when they were 10-15 yrs old, and it made an incredible impression on them. This experience is mentioned on many of the websites dealing with Rampa, to include skeptic blogs, etc. Even if it is fantasy, isn't it interesting that it made such an impression on so many of us at such an early age? I was probably 12 yrs old when I read his books, as my older brother and Mom were very into the occult, and it seemed very natural to me. I remember after reading the books, seeing auras, which I accepted as normal at that age. I'm no longer seeing auras, and I am not into new age subjects, but I must give cudos to a book that could/can continue to affect me 40 yrs later. Hoax? Spiritual hijack? Who cares...it made me a more spiritual person, made me respect the souls of others more, and continues to stay with me MANY years later. I'd say it's a classic.