"Pitkin explores to great effect . . . [how] the elusive Khunu Lama (1895–1977), who exemplified the ideal of the itinerant beggar renunciant, serves as a prism through which to refract and delineate the tension between two compelling but often competing ideals: the bodhisattva commitment to serve all beings and the renunciant’s resolve to flee the grasp of worldly life.”

Buddhadharma

"Pitkin deftly weaves together biography, oral history, interviews, and critical
theory to tell the life story of a Buddhist ascetic called Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen. Throughout, she unravels some of the tensions between what it means to pursue a spiritual life that rejects the trappings of worldly life (food,
fame, etc.) while also living in the world. This book is a major contribution to the fields of Tibetan-Himalayan studies, Buddhist studies, and religious studies."
 

Journal of Asian Studies

«“The sophisticated discussion that Pitkin provides is thought-provoking, perhaps even paradigm-shifting.”»

Journal of Global Buddhism

"A masterful treatment."

New Books Network

"Renunciation and Longing is an original, thought-provoking, and deeply insightful analysis of a raft of issues important to Tibetan Buddhists—an important contribution to our understanding of Tibetan Buddhism, both in theory and in practice, both in its traditional articulation and in its modern delineations."

Roger Jackson, Carleton College

«“Pitkin replaces the caricature of emotionless Buddhists with a lively story of disciples so devoted in their faith that they are marked by intense longing for the teacher. Connecting the original story of the Buddha to that of a twentieth-century lama, she weaves a complex tapestry of the affective world of Buddhist renunciates that will richly repay readers’ attention."»

Gray Tuttle, Columbia University

«“Through the life of the elusive hermit Khunu Lama, Pitkin crafts a rich tapestry of Buddhist networks across Himalaya—from Kham to Kinnau. Situated in the historical exigencies of the twentieth-century, Renunciation and Longing illuminates loss and disruption as an integral part of devotion and lineage continuity.”»

Holly Gayley, University of Colorado Boulder