Ruta Sevo's Blog: Roots of My Writing - Posts Tagged "lhasa"
A Victorian Maverick
Alexandra David-Neel first got a bug for Buddhism and travel when she was a child in France. She broke the mold for obedient daughter very early, running off on hikes and secret journeys in her teens. In her forties, with her husband’s support, she embarked to India to perfect her knowledge of languages. (He subsequently wired her money for the next twenty or thirty years.) She badly wanted to go to Lhasa, the home of Tibetan Buddhism, but Tibet was stopping all foreigners at the border. British officials watching the borders of their empire in India likewise did not want crazy ladies or any travelers causing trouble.
She snuck into Tibet in 1923 by crossing over mountain ranges in the winter, from China. She was middle-aged (55) at the time and travelled mostly on foot with a young Lama Yongden whom she claimed as her adoptive son. They were disguised as pilgrims, wearing thick wool robes, with belongings in a bag and tucked into the pocket formed in the front fold of their robes. She had learned Tibetan per suggestion to her by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama himself. Her pockets contained two cameras, gold jewelry, a compass, a pistol, a cooking pot, begging bowls, two spoons, a Tibetan necklace of bone, and gemstones to use as currency. They carried no food, depending on alms that are given to travelling monks. They made tea by starting a fire with a flint stone.
Because foreigners were absolutely forbidden to enter Tibet, Alexandra used soot from the cooking pot to darken her face and hands. This worked for months while they were actually in Tibet through terrific snow storms, high mountain passes, and tense encounters with dangerous locals. The whole journey of crossing Tibet coming out of China took three years and covered thousands of miles. Lama Yongden gave readings and performed blessings and rituals to win over farmers who could share their huts or barns, and food. After Alexandra David-Neel returned to Europe with a photograph of them in front of the Potala in 1924 as proof of success, she wrote thirty books about Tibetan Buddhism and her travels.
British officials were furious about her transgressions but she had many allies among monks and native officials. Later thousands of readers were enthralled by the secrets and stories she told. She was one of a handful of first Westerners to enter the territory and write about what she saw. Unlike the others, she had become an ordained nun and stopped at many monasteries in her travels, just like other Buddhist monks did as a way of life, to learn new teachings and practices. She lived to be 101 years old, yet another testament to her extraordinary stamina and vitality. Single-handedly (or rather, with the help of her son Lama Yongden) she was a significant conduit between Tibet and the West and the spread of Buddhism in Europe and in America.
OUTSIDE Magazine lists My Journey to Lhasa (originally published in 1927) among the top 25 best adventure/explorer tales of all time. (See http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-... ) You can get used copies of various editions. (See http://www.amazon.com/My-Journey-Lhas...)
A great biography of her whole life is Barbara Foster and Michael Foster’s The Secret Lives of Alexandra David Neel: a biography of the explorer of Tibet and its forbidden practices. http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lives-Al...
There is even a book for children: Far Beyond the Garden Gate by Don Brown. (http://www.amazon.com/Far-Beyond-Gard...)
She snuck into Tibet in 1923 by crossing over mountain ranges in the winter, from China. She was middle-aged (55) at the time and travelled mostly on foot with a young Lama Yongden whom she claimed as her adoptive son. They were disguised as pilgrims, wearing thick wool robes, with belongings in a bag and tucked into the pocket formed in the front fold of their robes. She had learned Tibetan per suggestion to her by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama himself. Her pockets contained two cameras, gold jewelry, a compass, a pistol, a cooking pot, begging bowls, two spoons, a Tibetan necklace of bone, and gemstones to use as currency. They carried no food, depending on alms that are given to travelling monks. They made tea by starting a fire with a flint stone.
Because foreigners were absolutely forbidden to enter Tibet, Alexandra used soot from the cooking pot to darken her face and hands. This worked for months while they were actually in Tibet through terrific snow storms, high mountain passes, and tense encounters with dangerous locals. The whole journey of crossing Tibet coming out of China took three years and covered thousands of miles. Lama Yongden gave readings and performed blessings and rituals to win over farmers who could share their huts or barns, and food. After Alexandra David-Neel returned to Europe with a photograph of them in front of the Potala in 1924 as proof of success, she wrote thirty books about Tibetan Buddhism and her travels.
British officials were furious about her transgressions but she had many allies among monks and native officials. Later thousands of readers were enthralled by the secrets and stories she told. She was one of a handful of first Westerners to enter the territory and write about what she saw. Unlike the others, she had become an ordained nun and stopped at many monasteries in her travels, just like other Buddhist monks did as a way of life, to learn new teachings and practices. She lived to be 101 years old, yet another testament to her extraordinary stamina and vitality. Single-handedly (or rather, with the help of her son Lama Yongden) she was a significant conduit between Tibet and the West and the spread of Buddhism in Europe and in America.
OUTSIDE Magazine lists My Journey to Lhasa (originally published in 1927) among the top 25 best adventure/explorer tales of all time. (See http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-... ) You can get used copies of various editions. (See http://www.amazon.com/My-Journey-Lhas...)
A great biography of her whole life is Barbara Foster and Michael Foster’s The Secret Lives of Alexandra David Neel: a biography of the explorer of Tibet and its forbidden practices. http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lives-Al...
There is even a book for children: Far Beyond the Garden Gate by Don Brown. (http://www.amazon.com/Far-Beyond-Gard...)
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