Overview

Tibet was once home to approximately 5,000 Buddhist monasteries. But in 1959 nearly all of them were destroyed by the Chinese military, and the practice of Buddhism was outlawed. In March of that same year, Chinese tanks bombarded the 540-year old Sera Jeh Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, destroying ancient texts and invaluable artifacts that had been collected over time. Countless monks were killed and thousands of orthers fled. Clad only in thin robes and light footwear, the monks traversed perilous Himalayan passes during harsh winter conditions as they escaped to neighboring India. The Sera Jeh Monastery, reestablished near Mysore, India, now houses 5,000 Buddhist monks living in exile - including survivors of the destruction of the Tibetan monastery. With a powerful foreword by Robert Thurman, Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk captures the intimate moods and simple rhythms of this Buddhist community that has steadfasily carried on the legacy of the original Sera Jeh. Sheila Rock's moving portraits are a celebration of the everyday simplicity and subtle heauty of the ascetic life. More than a hundred duotone photographs document the compassionate expressions, emotional openness, and aura of serenity inspited by lives of renunciation and seclusion.

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9780231128902

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Reviews

An absolutely stunning collection of black-and-white photographs that document the lives of the Sera Jey monks of Tibet. -- Asian Week Sera is a moving collection of black-and-white photographs by Sheila Rock showing the monks of Sera Jey Monastery near Mysore, India... She has made an eloquent statement with her photographs of the monks at work, worship, and play... The simplicity of Sera is intimate and very appealing. -- R. K. Dickson, The Bloombsbury Review Sera: The Way of the Monk is an exceptional union of words and images... Together Thurman and Rock communicate the rich, vibrant life of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery -- a learning community where everyone is a seeker. -- Shambhala Sun Sheila Rock, a profesional photographer[,] presents moving portraits of the monks and their community that carries on the legacy of the original Sera Monastery. -- Tibet Foundation Newsletter The book features a series of portraits done in the same spirit as the horse photos, looking beyond the physical characteristics of the subjects in order to penetrate and record their essential spirit. -- B& W In more than 100 dramatic duotone photographs, Sheila Rock tells the story of Tibetan Buddhist life at Sera Jay Monastery in Mysore, India. Readers will find this 10-by-11-inch book about Buddhist monastic life enlightening and stereotype-shattering. Rock's perceptive eye yields vivid images... Sera will intrigue and delight. -- New Age Retailer An expertly written forward by Robert Thurman is a captivating introduction to the book... [and] these carefully composed images have the power to illuminate, explore and question the controversial relationship between the Tibetan people and the West, and strengthen the view that photography is a powerful medium with which to stir opinion. -- Rupert Cornford, Free Tibet ...these illustrations of their simple life, offers a powerful testament to the strength and resilence of a persecuted people. -- Louise Wilde, Light, The College of Psychic Studies Rock discovers beauty in the simple...Her lens seems to capture another kind of light--the luminous glow from within. -- Black & White Magazine These remarkable photographs by Sheila Rock... will entrance every lover of the religious world in all its vigor and diversity. -- Robert Ellwood, Nova Religio

Author Information

Sheila Rock is a professional photographer living in London. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and has been accepted into the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London She began photographing the Sera Jeh monks in 1998.

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