Lotus Girl

My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America

By: Helen Tworkov

Narrated by: Helen Tworkov

The daughter of an artist, Helen Tworkov grew up in the heady climate of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism; yet from an early age, she questioned the value of Western cultural norms. At the age of twenty-two, she set off for Japan, then traveled through Cambodia, India, and eventually to Tibetan refugee camps in Nepal.

Set against the arresting cultural backdrop of the sixties and their legacy, this intimate self-portrait depicts Tworkov's search for a true home as she interacts with renowned artists and spiritual luminaries including the Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein, Bernie Glassman, Charles Mingus, Elizabeth Murray, and Richard Serra.

Interweaving experience, research, and revelation, Helen Tworkov explores the relationship between Buddhist wisdom and American values, presenting a wholly unique look at the developing landscape of Buddhism in the West. Lotus Girl offers insight not only into Tworkov's own search for the truth but also into the ways each of us can better understand and transform ourselves.

©2024 Helen Tworkov (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Absolutely fantastic. A life story with lessons for all.

I loved the story and the reading by the author herself. Though much of it relates to her Buddhist path, her whole life is fascinating. There were SO many tidbits and lessons I’ll cherish and hopefully practice in my life.

Tour de Force

Helen Tworkov is both a masterful writer and a gifted reader. I am sometimes disappointed when an author reads/performs her own writing when the author's spoken voice is not equal to her written one. Helen's is a delight to listen to, including those moments when she musters the voice of another in a way that does homage to it while enhancing her story. Perhaps because I am only a few years her junior, I benefitted a lot from hearing her particular trajectory through the '60's and '70's as it compared with mine, enabling me to layer on what my own Buddhist practice might have looked like had I been captured as early as she (I began only 8 years ago), and at the same time confirming a number of choices I have made intuitively on the path. I have already gifted this book to two friends.

I should say that I am now embarrassed not to have known that she founded Tricycle. The quarterly has been an invaluable resource to me since 2016 as I discern my way, and without it, I'm not sure I would even have continued. Thanks, Helen!

Smart Sincere Beautiful

I loved Helen! We could have crossed paths in those daze. Now we cross it again. Thank you. 🙏

Superb journey of the author's path to Buddhism

The author narrated the book about her relationship to Buddhism through the story of early childhood to publishing Tricycle magazines, shining lights on people who were involved with the burgeoning movement. I loved the history of the Buddhist movement in America, and the author's personal stories about her connection to the teachers and friends who were pivotal in opening the door to this path.

Amazing story

Beautiful and courageous tale of a unique personal story interwoven with the story of the world