MEMOIR
Dr. Life Vase
Dr. Life Vase
An Autobiographical Response to the Age of Anxiety
Life among Tibetan Buddhist masters,
those creating new art, and people transforming medicine and childbirth
Robert Bruce Newman
Contents
Birth and Childhood in a Big Bomb Target 8
Early Sex Education 10
Growing Up with Unprecedented Dangers 11
My First Comic Act 11
Spontaneous Acts of Healing Care 12
The Incomprehensible Medal and the Dolphins 12
Me and Charlie the Killer 13
Livening up Dead Quiet 14
The Young Artist at Work 17
Education Can Be Fun 18
Drama with my Science Teacher 19
At the White House 20
Running for Office 21
Poets in Dangerous Times 22
The Start of the Long Way into Sex 23
Slow Hand and Mom and Marie 24
Go West Young Man 26
Presidential Pandemonium 27
Smelly Revenge 28
The Near Death of the Father of the Atomic Bomb 30
Why Pat didn’t want to be Miss Brooklyn 31
The Poet Trapped in the Military Command 32
Nuclear Missiles and the Turning Point 33
Healing in Europe 35
The Exciting Discovery of American Art in Paris 36
Tim Leary and the Pink Power Pills 37
Harvard and the Magic Mushrooms 38
Taking the Potent Pills Home 39
Looking into the Magic Mirror 40
Saving William Burroughs 41
A City Killer Docks in Boston Harbor 41
The Pills Become Poison 42
Death and Life in the International Art World 43
The Living Theater and Nuclear Theater 45
Lenny the Loon 46
The Cool Blue Sun 47
The Priest and the Ape 47
Brion Gyson and the Ingenious Lamp 48
Shock in the Deer Park 49
Soft Shock in the Woods 51
Stupidity and the Near Death Experience 52
Saving Russ from his Gun 52
Breaking Through 53
Gain Ground 56
Rooms with Electric Mirrors 58
Power Throne 60
Woodstock at Gain Ground 64
The Sky-Mirror Sundial and the Galaxy 65
Comedy and Black Flies in the Shrine Room 67
Opening Great Walls 68
A Solar Torch for the Statue of Liberty 69
American Light Research 70
Liberty Enlightening the World 71
The Fate of the Solar Torch 72
Me and the Mob 73
Mystery and Fun in the Dark Tibetan Museum 75
Going West, Going Deep 77
Adventures in Wonderland 78
The Legendary Lohan Statues 81
Alan Ginsburg and Robert Newman 83
Tony C and the Life in the Brush 85
The Electric Young Tibetan Master 87
New Bells Ring 88
The Allure of Solar Power 90
Mirror Mandala 93
Quick Speech at a Nuclear Power Plant 95
Praise for the Meditation Posture 95
The Dudjom Treasures 96
The Escape from Tibet 97
New York Solar City 99
Emm Cee Squared: Renewable Power Development 99
The Magic Dagger and the Energy Body 102
Dudjom Rinpoche’s own Life Vase 103
Teaching the Master how to Tell a Joke 105
The Sound of One Hand Clapping 105
Driving the Doctor Lama 106
The Doctor and the Life in the Deer 107
A Monumental Death 109
The Life of a Master of Masters 111
Sacred Dance and the Oracle’s Robe 112
Dudjom Rinpoche Prevents a Death in my Family 113
Dudjom Rinpoche and the Prevention of Nuclear War 115
Driving Dudjom Rinpoche 116
The Death of a Rainbow Body Buddha 118
A Time for Miracles 120
A Precious Wish-Fulfilling Buddha 121
My Night with a Tibetan Woman of my Dreams 122
A Revered Nepalese doctor 124
A Horrible Event in Trungpa Rinpoche’s Sangha 127
A Tragedy in the Dudjom Sangha 128
The Famous Shark Fin Soup 131
Death in a Silent and Screaming Hospice 132
Burial in a Deep Long Island Cemetery 134
A New Model of the Human Body 135
A Stunning Reappearance 135
Medigrace 137
Fresh Buddha 137
Medigrace and my Return to the Orient 138
The Blazing Fierce Chatral Rinpoche 140
The Challenge of the Monkeys at Swiambu 142
Asking for Divination Again 145
Medigrace Program Development 149
Infinite World Gives and Takes Away 150
Golf Ball Revelation 151
A Famous Yogi of Powers 152
Medigrace and the Vase of Life 156
Red Tara and the Blessing of the Vase of Life 157
New Medicine 158
A Magical Thanksgiving 159
Five Reincarnations? 162
Medigrace Moves to Ashland 163
Medigrace Comes Alive 163
Meeting the Primal Nurse 164
The Birth of Calm Birth 165
Dance and Laughter at a West Coast Throne 166
The First Calm Births 168
Drama at the Medical Education Center 170
The Life Vase and the Womb 171
Medigrace Goes to Hollywood 172
More Scenes with the Bad Actor Incarnation 173
Calm Birth at the University of Michigan Medical School 174
Living Theater at the Childbirth World Congress 175
A Star Gives Birth 176
Calm Healing; Methods for a New Era of Medicine 179
Sacred Movement for Childbirth 180
My Powerful Buddha Garden Statue 181
Outrageous Funeral or a New Kind of Service 182
Calm Birth in New York! 183
Hospital Home 185
Farewell Estelle 185
Calm Birth Returns to Ashland 187
How to Startle a Great Beast and Survive 188
Doctor Dance 188
Ari, an Enlightened Child 189
Gentle Deer In the Fields of Death `191
The Doctor and the Guns 192
Woody and Me 193
Somewhere in the Great Field of American Graffiti 194
Rhapsody in Black 197
Creative Force 199
My Friend Doctor Dossey 201
My Friend the Wizard of Wit 202
Into the New 209
Life among Tibetan Buddhist masters,
those creating new art, and people transforming medicine and childbirth
Robert Bruce Newman
Contents
Birth and Childhood in a Big Bomb Target 8
Early Sex Education 10
Growing Up with Unprecedented Dangers 11
My First Comic Act 11
Spontaneous Acts of Healing Care 12
The Incomprehensible Medal and the Dolphins 12
Me and Charlie the Killer 13
Livening up Dead Quiet 14
The Young Artist at Work 17
Education Can Be Fun 18
Drama with my Science Teacher 19
At the White House 20
Running for Office 21
Poets in Dangerous Times 22
The Start of the Long Way into Sex 23
Slow Hand and Mom and Marie 24
Go West Young Man 26
Presidential Pandemonium 27
Smelly Revenge 28
The Near Death of the Father of the Atomic Bomb 30
Why Pat didn’t want to be Miss Brooklyn 31
The Poet Trapped in the Military Command 32
Nuclear Missiles and the Turning Point 33
Healing in Europe 35
The Exciting Discovery of American Art in Paris 36
Tim Leary and the Pink Power Pills 37
Harvard and the Magic Mushrooms 38
Taking the Potent Pills Home 39
Looking into the Magic Mirror 40
Saving William Burroughs 41
A City Killer Docks in Boston Harbor 41
The Pills Become Poison 42
Death and Life in the International Art World 43
The Living Theater and Nuclear Theater 45
Lenny the Loon 46
The Cool Blue Sun 47
The Priest and the Ape 47
Brion Gyson and the Ingenious Lamp 48
Shock in the Deer Park 49
Soft Shock in the Woods 51
Stupidity and the Near Death Experience 52
Saving Russ from his Gun 52
Breaking Through 53
Gain Ground 56
Rooms with Electric Mirrors 58
Power Throne 60
Woodstock at Gain Ground 64
The Sky-Mirror Sundial and the Galaxy 65
Comedy and Black Flies in the Shrine Room 67
Opening Great Walls 68
A Solar Torch for the Statue of Liberty 69
American Light Research 70
Liberty Enlightening the World 71
The Fate of the Solar Torch 72
Me and the Mob 73
Mystery and Fun in the Dark Tibetan Museum 75
Going West, Going Deep 77
Adventures in Wonderland 78
The Legendary Lohan Statues 81
Alan Ginsburg and Robert Newman 83
Tony C and the Life in the Brush 85
The Electric Young Tibetan Master 87
New Bells Ring 88
The Allure of Solar Power 90
Mirror Mandala 93
Quick Speech at a Nuclear Power Plant 95
Praise for the Meditation Posture 95
The Dudjom Treasures 96
The Escape from Tibet 97
New York Solar City 99
Emm Cee Squared: Renewable Power Development 99
The Magic Dagger and the Energy Body 102
Dudjom Rinpoche’s own Life Vase 103
Teaching the Master how to Tell a Joke 105
The Sound of One Hand Clapping 105
Driving the Doctor Lama 106
The Doctor and the Life in the Deer 107
A Monumental Death 109
The Life of a Master of Masters 111
Sacred Dance and the Oracle’s Robe 112
Dudjom Rinpoche Prevents a Death in my Family 113
Dudjom Rinpoche and the Prevention of Nuclear War 115
Driving Dudjom Rinpoche 116
The Death of a Rainbow Body Buddha 118
A Time for Miracles 120
A Precious Wish-Fulfilling Buddha 121
My Night with a Tibetan Woman of my Dreams 122
A Revered Nepalese doctor 124
A Horrible Event in Trungpa Rinpoche’s Sangha 127
A Tragedy in the Dudjom Sangha 128
The Famous Shark Fin Soup 131
Death in a Silent and Screaming Hospice 132
Burial in a Deep Long Island Cemetery 134
A New Model of the Human Body 135
A Stunning Reappearance 135
Medigrace 137
Fresh Buddha 137
Medigrace and my Return to the Orient 138
The Blazing Fierce Chatral Rinpoche 140
The Challenge of the Monkeys at Swiambu 142
Asking for Divination Again 145
Medigrace Program Development 149
Infinite World Gives and Takes Away 150
Golf Ball Revelation 151
A Famous Yogi of Powers 152
Medigrace and the Vase of Life 156
Red Tara and the Blessing of the Vase of Life 157
New Medicine 158
A Magical Thanksgiving 159
Five Reincarnations? 162
Medigrace Moves to Ashland 163
Medigrace Comes Alive 163
Meeting the Primal Nurse 164
The Birth of Calm Birth 165
Dance and Laughter at a West Coast Throne 166
The First Calm Births 168
Drama at the Medical Education Center 170
The Life Vase and the Womb 171
Medigrace Goes to Hollywood 172
More Scenes with the Bad Actor Incarnation 173
Calm Birth at the University of Michigan Medical School 174
Living Theater at the Childbirth World Congress 175
A Star Gives Birth 176
Calm Healing; Methods for a New Era of Medicine 179
Sacred Movement for Childbirth 180
My Powerful Buddha Garden Statue 181
Outrageous Funeral or a New Kind of Service 182
Calm Birth in New York! 183
Hospital Home 185
Farewell Estelle 185
Calm Birth Returns to Ashland 187
How to Startle a Great Beast and Survive 188
Doctor Dance 188
Ari, an Enlightened Child 189
Gentle Deer In the Fields of Death `191
The Doctor and the Guns 192
Woody and Me 193
Somewhere in the Great Field of American Graffiti 194
Rhapsody in Black 197
Creative Force 199
My Friend Doctor Dossey 201
My Friend the Wizard of Wit 202
Into the New 209