T. Lobsang Rampa has a huge reputation, especially among New Age adherents who steadfastly believe that the former British plumber was an Enlightened Master of the mystical and spiritual realm and equipped with a keen insight into countless truths hidden from the rest of us mere mortals. Rampa is also a very controversial figure, even today. Along with the throng who hold him dear, there are others who say he is the worst kind of fraud, one who duped innocent readers into following his madness and vanity.
But with the recent reprinting by Inner Light Publications of "Living With The Lama: 25 Years With Lobsang Rampa," one is blissfully free from such divisive debates and permitted to simply enjoy Rampa at his most playful. The book is written in the "first person," if you will, by an aging Siamese cat named Fifi Greywhiskers. Rampa is not the first to tell his story from the perspective of one of God's creatures from the animal kingdom, but he has nevertheless created something here that is totally original and unlike anything else you are likely to read in the ever-burgeoning field of books dealing with spiritual exploration and growth.
Fifi's life begins as one of severe hardship. She is brought into the home of a Parisian woman, the wife of a French diplomat, who purchases Fifi mainly as a status symbol in hopes of increasing her prestige among the upper crust of French society. She treats Fifi badly, however, providing her with only a starvation diet and keeping her locked in a dark outhouse with no companionship of any kind. When Fifi reaches childbearing age, she is impregnated by a Siamese tomcat carefully selected for breeding purposes, but loses some of her litter because she is so maltreated and malnourished.
After suffering for many years in Paris and other locales (her mistress' husband being a diplomat who is transferred from place to place), Fifi finally breaks free from her misery when she is adjudged to be too ill for travel by Irish customs officials, and her harsh mistress is forced to surrender her to avoid legal complications. By this time, Fifi has become blind from years of neglect.
Fifi is passed briefly from one temporary Irish owner to the next, at last arriving in the home of Rampa, who can understand the language of cats telepathically and who treats her as though she were another human being brought into his household. Most of the book is taken up with the daily adventures of Rampa, his wife, and a young woman Fifi names "Buttercup," as well as another Siamese cat named Miss Ku. It is Miss Ku who helps a blind and still feeble Fifi find her way around all the furniture and also provides a running commentary on the lives of Rampa and the other human residents that complements Fifi's own storytelling.
It's hard to explain just why all this works so well. The reader cannot help but be charmed by the convivial family atmosphere, and sometimes the sheer cuteness of things goes off the charts. For instance, Rampa continually has the family cats "supervising" the humans' activities, like helping with household chores and driving the family car. The cats are portrayed as being sort of like children who want to join in even the grownups' most mundane affairs and who serve mankind in ways not seen by everyday pet owners.
Rampa's usual paranormal elements are here as well. At one point in the story, Fifi learns to astral body travel and is thus freed, at least temporarily, from her blindness in the temporal world. She also taps into a collective pool of telepathic communication with other animals, even those hundreds of miles away. And of course she and Rampa converse telepathically like two intimate friends without any undue mental strain.
(My guess is that the "25 Years" mentioned in the title refers to "cat years," since the book only covers a couple of "people years" in the life of Rampa's family.)
There is much to enjoy in "Living With The Lama," though it may not be the cup of tea of everyone who reads Rampa for more serious philosophical content. Still, for those interested in a window into the day-to-day family life of the great Tibetan adept, circa the late 1950s, this book will more than satisfy with its tale of compassion and redemption told from a decidedly feline perspective.
