So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas

by Barbara Crossette

A 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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Buddhism, History, Religion, India, Asia

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 1995

Reviews

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Crossette is an American journalist and as such everything she writes is coloured by the concept of American imperialism. Taking this into account, if you read this book, there is a lot of interesting information. The book mainly concentrates on Bhutan, which has managed to retain its culture and nature, and compares it with other old Buddhist kingdoms such as Tibet, Laddakh, Sikkim, etc., which have been assimilated into China or India.

The writing style is easy to read and keeps you interested. As a journalist, Crossette doesn't make the mistake of dwelling too long on one thing and keeps moving on even if she is passionate about her subject. Aspects of life in Bhutan are discussed, from religious life to education policies, from environmental pollution to the royal family. The book is detailed and gives one a good grounding on Bhutanese policies, history, religion, and general life. But there are huge problems with the way Crossette takes sides.

Crossette unfailingly gushes about everything in Bhutan, and even appears to excuse the mass deportation of people of Nepali origin as 'keeping the culture of the country intact'. Now where have we heard that before when it comes to accepting refugees? Yeah, see? In 1989, Bhutan enacted a strict dress code, forcing people of Bhutanese ethnicity to wear traditional costume in public at all times. People who did not comply were fined heavily. This is today relaxed but Crossette's ambivalence about this practice rings alarm bells for me. What State should dictate clothing to their citizens, especially based on ethnicity? These are only a few things on which the author left me questioning her bias.

The Bhutanese can do absolutely no wrong. Contrary to this, Nepal and Nepalese are horrible and their culture is crap. Nepalese are out to destroy Buddhist culture according to the author. I find this pretty sad. She also appears to hate India and Indians. Though India can be a bully in the region, the country also runs several development projects in Bhutan and has offered plenty of help, especially in the 90s. China's problems with Tibet also leave no option for Bhutan but to be friendly with India. But the distaste for India by Crossette borders on Indophobia. Maybe she prefers Buddhism to Hinduism or something?

Speaking of religion, for some reason, Crossette believes that religious superstitions and the religious way of life should be preserved in Buddhist Bhutan. Because it's old-fashioned and quaint. I recommend she continue to follow the religion of her ancestors. And why work? That was not the way of American women 100 years ago. Tut-tut, Barbara. Progress does not work like that. You inevitably lose some things and gain others. Life goes on. By trying to absolutely freeze time, the result is draconian measures like dress codes with heavy fines for violating. Would dear Barb want to live with an imposition on her like that? What if she is told to dress like her great-grandmother because 'culture'? Yeah, I don't see her doing that. It isn't any different for Bhutanese, who are living, breathing people and not some exotic animals.

I am also disappointed with the amount of time Crossette spends in religious facilities and talks about Buddhism, monks, and so on. I would have preferred a wider cultural context than what she offered. Another thing that could have been improved is the role of women in Bhutanese society. Crossette mentions it is better than in India and Nepal (true fact, that) but does not elaborate much. How can you write a book on culture and restrict women's place in society to a few lines?

That said, Bhutan is a pretty progressive State when it comes to providing education, facilities, and women's rights. It is perhaps one of the few true socialist countries in the subcontinent, trying to do better for themselves.

The one thing to remember when reading this book is that it was published in 1995, so a lot of things described in it are no longer the same. But from a historical perspective, it's still useful. Despite the intense bias of the author and her concentration on certain aspects while leaving out others, this book about Bhutan is still quite comprehensive and worth a read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Histories and portraits of Sikkim, Nepal, Ladakh and Bhutan from a journalist and UN correspondent who spent years in the Himalayas. Mostly on Bhutan - she writes well of the daily life and land of the last remaining Buddhist monarchical society, and its current efforts to retain all that is good about a highly-spiritualized and feudal society and adopt developments from the modern technological world. Clearly sympathetic to the Bhutanese regime and old ways of life. I learned some of traditional Himalayan medicine and Bhutanese household economies. Contains a good list of reference books on the history of the region. I hearby make a vow to trek in the Himalayas by the time I reach 40!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read all of this but I'm calling it quits for now because I don't feel the slightest bit motivated to pick it up at this point in time.
While the subject matter is very interesting, I never really know if I'm being fed propaganda or not, but it kinda feels like it, and thus I can't ever fully trust the author or not as she goes as describes the multiple happenings, and that irritates me. If it's non-fiction I want my narrators reliable.
I guess if you care about something you'll always have an agenda, but there's other ways it can be done (eg. Tiziano Terzani).

So, I leave now to fight another day.

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main reason why I liked reading through the book is that while the author used a first-person perspective in relaying her experiences in Bhutan and its denizens, the voice becomes like the reader's, as if it turns one into the person meeting it humble citizens, engaging with daily life while creating a balanced take on how modernisation threatens its cultural value and colourful traditions. This is one of those travelogues that highlight the subjects and the places more than the adventures of the author--who admits in part, that this work is a vehicle to showcase the "vanishing" Himalayan kingdoms.

[Stephanie Guyer-Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed like Barbara really just wanted to write about Bhutan, but felt she needed to justify that by doing a sweeping compare and contrast with other Buddhist kingdoms.

[Tim Chamberlain · Rating 2 out of 5]

As travelogues go this one is very "journalistic" in style. That said, not such a bad read altogether (a little dated, but still interesting).

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dispassionate account of a unique country I’m delighted to have experienced

[Madhuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect companion for traveling through the Himalyan Buddhist states. There is much introspection on the nature and fate of these places and on the fate of Tantric Buddhism, which lies under threat from more well-spread and widely followed religions.
However, it is also a lovely travelogue on Bhutan and delves deeply into it's tradition, history and contemporary way of life. The author has traveled through various regions of the country and found the most defining features of each. Since Buddhism is a central part of the culture, it finds an important place in the narrative, but political, social and economical perspectives have not been forgotten. Reading it while traveling this fantasy land, I found the book an elegant expression of what the country does to a visitor.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best book on modern Bhutan that I've read so far. It does jump around in time in terms of the author's travels and spends little time on Sikkim, Ladakh, and Mustang despite the title. Some people are critical of this book for being pro-regime, but actually I think this is the least pro-regime book I've read on Bhutan so far. It's not precisely anti-regime, but it's not as in love with the system as other authors are, even if it dismisses the Nepalese rebels who by the time this book was written were in exile. That's not to say it doesn't have interesting points on the subject, but the book is mostly interested in Buddhist culture and the Nepalese issue concerns Hindu culture, so I'm not surprised she didn't spend more time on it.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just visited Bhutan, I found this book very intriguing. The book was written in 1995 and much has changed for this wonderful Bhuddhist country since then. She writes realistically about Bhutan as opposed to many of the books that describe an idyllic Bhutan. Unfortunately no place is perfect and Bhutan is no exception. I am interested in continuing to follow their struggle to maintain their independence and their Buddhist values in an ever changing world.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this twice - both times I went to Bhutan. A fascinating dive into Bhutanese culture and history and great resource when preparing to travel there. Gave it five stars because I did love it, though both times I struggled to finish it. Not sure if that's because my trip ended or because the final chapters were less compelling.

[Eric Kysela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good memoir of the travels of an American journalist in the Himalaya Mountains

This is a great book for those with a special in asian religion and history. The author brings to life the sights and sounds of Bhutan, Ladakh and Sikkim.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant journalistisk beretning, hovedsakelig om Bhutan, men også om de andre buddhistiske og delvis buddhistiske kongedømmene i regionen (Sikkim, Nepal og litt om Tibet, litt farget av ar boka er skrevet for 20 år siden.

[Johnp]

Great reading on Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and Ladakh. They're so close together but have shared such different fates. The author is former NYT and UN rep.

[Sonam · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book and it reflects terrific facts...

[Allisonlcarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bhutan: I want to go to there.