Overview

Before Buddhism, there was Bön. This book is a fascinating journey, visually and spiritually, through western Tibet by a monk of the little-known Bön faith, who is searching for the lost, sacred Bön homeland of Zhangzhung. Including a DVD of the Pilgrimage. This spiritual adventure is the first book to document the living tradition of Bön. What makes this narrative so compelling is that the voice and perspective of Gelek, a young Bön monk, lends an intimacy and knowledge of Bön not found in religious texts. According to the Tibetan calendar, 2002 was a holy year for pilgrimages, and in the holiest month of that year, Gelek set out from his monastery in Nepal with some hardy companions and photographer Thomas Kelly to travel to Kailash, a sacred mountain in western Tibet. He was also on a quest to seek out the long-vanished kingdom of Zhangzhung. At the end of the journey, Gelek finds little that resembles the Bön kingdom. He comes upon crumbling ruins that have all but reverted to their native dust and earth. From this experience Gelek understands that the essence of his faith is built not on these shifting sands but on the bedrock of the changeless Bön teachings. This extraordinary trek is illustrated by 160 stunningly beautiful color photographs of the unknown landscapes, as well as travelers and local people. Accompanying the images is the authors' vivid description of their journey, which is especially evocative as it includes translated excerpts from Gelek's personal diary. PHOTOGRAPHER: Thomas L. Kelly, a native of Santa Fe, has lived in Nepal since 1978. Formerly a Peace Corps volunteer and CARE program officer, he has been a professional pho- tographer since 1985. His books include Abbeville's Tibet, The Hidden Himalayas, and Kathmandu: City on the Edge of the World. AUTHORS: Charles Ramble was born in Calcutta and received his doctorate from Oxford. He is fluent in numerous Tibetan dialects and is currently a lecturer in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Oxford. Carroll Dunham is an anthropologist, educator, and documentary filmmaker. She is the author of The Hidden Himalayas. The director of Sojourn Nepal, a school in Kathmandu, she lives in Nepal with her six Tibetan foster children. Gelek Jinpa is a monk at Triten Noibutse Monastary in Nepal. He recently received his Geshe Degree, the equivalent of a doctorate of theology. REVIEWS: ""A uniquely spiritual and visual journey.""-- Newsday

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