Buddhist Himalayas /anglais - Softcover

RICARD/FOLLMI

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500511012 ISBN 13: 9780500511015

Publisher: THAMES HUDSON, 2002

Synopsis

The Buddhist Himalayas is a stunning collection of photographs of the majestic landscape and Buddhist people of the Himalayas. The authors' unique intimacy with their subject is immediately apparent in these awe-inspiring images, presenting as they do a harmonious mosaic of the unmatched richness of the civilization at the Roof of the World. The pictures are accompanied throughout by contributions from nineteen eminent specialists on the region, who reflect on the political and spiritual personalities of the Himalayan world. The book comprises four sections - 'Birth', 'Life', 'Death' and 'Rebirth' - sections that reflect not only the cycle of our existence, but also the history of the Himalayas. These elements combine to make this the definitive work of reference on the Buddhist Himalayas in the 21st century.

About this title

About the Author

Olivier and Danielle Follmi are both renowned French photographers; they have both spent many 25 years sharing the lives of the Himalayan villagers and nomads. Matthieu Ricard has lived in the Himalayas for over thirty years.

From Publishers Weekly

"Terma," a Tibetan word meaning "revealed treasures," applies to teachings hidden by ancient masters under rocks or in the earth to be found by future generations; it also applies to this massive volume of photographs and text. The Föllmis have spent 25 years living, working and travelling in the Himalayas with peasants, nomads, monks and spiritual masters; Ricard, a monk himself, has photographed life in Tibet and Nepal for 30 years and is the French translator for the Dalai Lama. Their giant, glossy photographs (often in two-page spreads) capture the vividness of Tibet's landscape and people in beautiful detail. The accompanying essays cover basic Buddhist concepts, schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan astrology and medicine as well as profiles of village, monastic and nomadic life. (The topic of meditation, however-a core practice of Buddhism-strangely warrants only a brief description in the glossary.) Chilling accounts of the Chinese invasion and occupation and its results (1,200,000 slaughtered, over 6,000 temples destroyed) convey the bleakness of the situation: this is a culture on the verge of extinction. Captions to the 185 color photographs come at the end of the book, and although going back and forth from photo to explanatory text can be bothersome, the stunningly rich images make the effort worthwhile. For anyone interested in Buddhism and the history and culture of Tibet, this book is a worthy object of meditation.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: THAMES HUDSON
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500511012
• ISBN 13: 9780500511015
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 424