The Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bonpo regard the sacred Mount Kailash as the heart of the world. One full circumambulation around the thirty-two mile trail around the mountain is said to erase the sins of a lifetime. Pilgrims on this kora will leave cherished personal items behind like a piece of clothing, a braid of… Read more »
Our book TIBET: Culture on the Edge was just released this week!! I must say I’m thrilled with how it turned out. The idea for a second book on Tibet came quite by accident. ( My first book Tibetan Portrait was published 16 years ago.) In 2009 I had traveled to Lhasa to document the… Read more »
The typical way I work when producing a book is to choose an issue I feel strongly about then finding an organization (usually an NGO) that is aligned with the same interests and partner with them to collect the content necessary for the book. The partnership is not only valuable in helping to cover the… Read more »
Evidence of the Tibetan daily devotional practice — a practice intended to expand their compassion to include all “sentient beings” and remind them of our “interconnectedness” – is seen everywhere. Every morning Tibetan Buddhists walk clockwise around various objects of veneration such as monasteries, stupas or sacred mountains. I’ve watched hundreds of devotee’s make their… Read more »
As a follow up to my November post. Nine year old Yeshi studying math at boarding school for nomadic children near Dawu in Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. In 2007 China made an unprecedented commitment to education by mandating that all children attend school through grade 9. Rural children can now have their compulsory… Read more »
Chinese tourist and the dancing waters at the Potola Palace. Five and a half million tourists visited Tibet in 2009! This was a 150% increase from the year before. Tibet is currently the number one tourist destination for the Chinese. Certainly the clear mountain air and spectacular scenery offer relief from the air pollution that… Read more »
Last month thousands of Tibetan students took to the streets to protest the Chinese Government’s decision to make all elementary and high school education in the official Chinese language, Mandarin. China has recently mandated that all children go through grade 9 and has plans to increase it to grade 12 soon. If Tibetan Nomads fail… Read more »
Lumbum meditating in the cave where Guru Rimpoche once meditated. I am frequently asked how I go about finding a guide on the trips I take. A good guide is critical to the work I do. Of course I need someone who speaks fairly good English, but the most important quality I’m looking for is… Read more »
There has been a lot of controversy about the rate of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau—especially concerning the predictions about the disappearance of glaciers. Because of unseasonable rain and fast melting glaciers the rivers overflow onto the fields requiring the farmers to harvest their crops underwater. I have spent the last 2 years interviewing farmers… Read more »
Mt. Kailash, Tibet I just finished my first Kora (walk around) Mt. Kailash in Western Tibet. The 52 km trek that crosses one pass at 18,600 ft has served as a spiritual quest for thousands of Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and the pre-Buddhist Bon Po of Tibet. Serter, 39—Has been a porter on the Kailash since… Read more »
