Fosco Maraini visited Tibet in 1937 and again in 1948. This book is the synthesis of two journeys with substantial new material bringing the text fully up to date in the light of the bruising realities of the Chinese occupation and the destruction of much of Tibet's cultural heritage, particularly during the violence of the cultural revolution.
The book penetrates the secrets that make Tibetan Buddhism not on the sheet anchor for the nation's sense of identity, but indeed a religion and philosophy as intriguing as it is paradoxical. The author's encounters with the people of Tibet, from princesses to peasants, is a true meeting of minds.
