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9781644118580

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“Flight of the Bön Monks is a magnificent achievement on many levels. Cole and Rice have not only preserved a vital piece of neglected history, but they present this enthralling tale—virtually unknown in the West—in the form of a riveting adventure story as thrilling as any Jack London ever wrote. I fell in love with the heroic Bön monks, the luminous religion they risked their lives to save, and the book that recounts their inspiring story.” * Sarah Bird, Texas Literary Hall of Fame inductee and author of Last Dance on the Starlight Pier * “This book presents the fascinating life stories of three Bön monks, Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Samten Karmay, and Sangye Tenzin, who later became the thirty-third abbot of Menri Monstery, the seat of the Bön religion, the oldest religion of Tibet. The book, however, is much more than stories about their courage and resilience while escaping from war-ravaged Tibet. It is also a highly valuable historical record of the survival and development of Bön in exile. Being an old religion with a small number of followers, Bön has been shrouded in mystery, legends, and misunderstanding. In China, Bön was traditionally referred to as the ‘black religion’ due to the popular belief that its followers covered their heads with black cloth. Fortunately, through careful and meticulous research, the two authors recorded a new chapter of the ancient Bön religion and present it to general readers in a smooth and catching writing style. Reading this book helped me to better understand Bön religion and enriched my knowledge of the Tibetan diaspora. I am grateful to the authors and congratulate them for a book well written and work well done.” * Jianglin Li, author of Tibet in Agony and When the Iron Bird Flies * “With six decades of going on adventures to wild places, I’m often asked if I have a favorite. The answer is easy—it’s the remote, high Changthang Plateau. Flight of the Bön Monks will take you there.” * Rick Ridgeway, author of The Big Open: On Foot Across Tibet’s Chang Tang * “Flight of the Bön Monks is a riveting tale, skillfully layered with despair, adventure, terror, and hope, but ultimately a story of human triumph. This emotionally powerful book isn’t just a chronicle of courage, it is a poignant reminder of why Tibet needs to stay in our collective conscience.” * Eliot Pattison, author of the Inspector Shan series and the Bone Rattler series * “Before Buddhism came to Tibet, the indigenous Bön culture had flourished for millennia, and much of what we know today as Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism has been directly influenced by that culture. So when the Chinese decided that it was in their best interests to eradicate religion from the Tibetan plateau, the Bön suffered every bit as grievously as the Buddhists. Flight of the Bön Monks tells the remarkable story of bravery confronted by darkness; it outlines the escape from Tibet of several of the most senior and important Bön monks and how they have courageously kept their religion alive even though they were so rudely expelled from their native land. A story for our troubled times that needs to be told and needs to be read.” * Will Johnson, author of Breathing through the Whole Body and The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain *

Author Information

Harvey Rice and Jackie Cole are a husband-and-wife team committed to bringing this story to the world. Rice is a journalist with more than 40 years of experience, working at both U.S. newspapers and international news agencies. Cole has studied Bön for more than two decades and has taken many retreats with the main characters of the book, who have given their blessings and permission to share their story. The authors live in Galveston, Texas.

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