So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the HimalayasA travelogue of Bhutan and its neighbors in the Himalayas that introduces readers to a world that has emerged from the middle ages only to find itself peering into the abyss of modernity. "For anyone with a serious interest in Buddhism, it's essential reading" (Washington Post Book World). For more than a thousand years Tibet, Sikkim, Ladakh, and Bhutan were the santuaries of Tantric Buddhism. But in the last half of this century, geopolitics has scoured the landscape of the Himalayas, and only the reclusive kingdom of Bhutan remains true to Tantric Buddhism. |
Contents
One And Then There Was One | 3 |
Two The Druk Gyalpo | 21 |
Three Becoming Buddha | 45 |
Four Before Tibet There Was Bon | 63 |
Five The Road from Lumbini | 81 |
Eclipsed by Other Gods | 91 |
No One Heard Us Cry | 103 |
Eight Buddhist Nepal | 127 |
Ten The Dragon People | 173 |
Eleven All Sentient Beings | 193 |
Twelve Aum Rinzis World | 207 |
Thirteen Two Capitals Two Eras | 225 |
Fourteen To Tashigang | 241 |
Fifteen One Sunday in Bumthang | 257 |
An Afterthought | 277 |
Acknowledgments | 285 |
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So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas Barbara Crossette Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
abbot administrator altar animals Asia Asian Aum Rinzi Bhutan Bhutanese Bonpos border British Buddha Bumthang century Chinese chogyal chorten courtyard culture Dasho deity Delhi dogs Druk Drukpa dzong dzongda foreigners Gangtok gompa guesthouse Guru Rinpoche hill Himalayan Buddhist Hindu holy Hotel hundred images Indian Jakar je khenpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck Kathmandu khenpo King Jigme Singye kingdom Ladakh land later living look medicine monastery monastic monks mountain Namgyal Nepal nese Newar Ngawang official painted Paro Pema Lingpa penlop political prayer wheels Punakha region religion religious Rigzin Dorji ritual road royal says scholars seemed Shabdrung Sherpas shrines Sikkim Sikkimese South southern spirits story Tantric Tashigang temple Thimphu Tibet Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist tion told Tongsa tourists town traditional trip Tshering Ugyen Wangchuck valley village walk walls women young