This book examines how territorial, civilisational and cultural location determines one’s gaze and attitude while representing a contested space like Tibet. It analyses representations of Tibet in three novels: James Hilton’s Lost Horizon (1933), Jamyang Norbu’s The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes (1999) and Kaushik Barua’s Windhorse (2013). It shows how these novels project different types of gaze — insider, outsider and insider-outsider — and explores them within the context of some contemporary Tibetan activist writers. The book also looks at Tibetan exilic writings and virtual activities of the Tibetan activists whose programmes and rhetoric counter the age-old image of the Tibetans as passive and non-violent people. It shows how activists utilise social networking as an effective platform to counter imperialist occupation of Tibet by China. It includes interviews of eight Anglophone Tibetan writers – Tenzin Tsundue, Thubten Samphel, Tsering Namgyal Khortsa, Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, Jamyang Norbu, Tenzin Dickie, Bhuchung D. Sonam, and an Indian writer who has written on Tibet, Kaushik Barua. Interdisciplinary, accessible and engaging, this book presents one of the first studies on how Tibet has been represented in English fiction. It will be of interest to scholars and researchers of literature, media and cultural studies, politics, history and China studies.

At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Islamic Shangri-La transports readers to the heart of the Himalayas as it traces the rise of the Tibetan Muslim community from the 17th century to the present. Radically altering popular interpretations that have portrayed Tibet as isolated and monolithically Buddhist, David Atwill's vibrant account demonstrates how truly cosmopolitan Tibetan society was by highlighting the hybrid influences and internal diversity of Tibet. In its exploration of the Tibetan Muslim experience, this book presents an unparalleled perspective of Tibet's standing during the rise of post–World War II Asia.

More than half the world's population is familiar with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt when they were liberated from slavery. Religious groups and movements of liberation, from the Puritans to Mormons to the American Civil Rights Movement, have used it as a template and an inspiration in their own struggles for freedom. In Jewish tradition, the Exodus is applied to the individual life journey, with captivities, freedoms and wildernesses. This book will explore how the struggles in Genesis can be applied to our issues today—personal and cultural. "Rabbi Zaslow weaves a connective tapestry for people of faith who no longer want their religions to divide them from each other. Reimagining Exodus takes the reader on a timeless journey. It shows how the Passover story has been a roadmap for both spiritual and personal liberation for thousands of years. As the foundational story beneath Judaism and Christianity it is time to reimagine how this seminal story relates to our world and our personal lives today." — Fr. Richard Rohr, Center of Action and Contemplation "David Zaslow has taken one of the greatest stories ever told and made it even greater. This book is a tremendous gift to anyone who is taking a journey of the soul, seeking to escape internal slavery and make it to the promised place where suffering is no more." —Marianne Williamson, teacher and author of Tears to Triumph "With the mind of a scholar, the heart of a poet, and the sould of a Hasidic teacher, Rabbi David Zaslow explains the Biblical exodus as more than an epic event. This book offers readers the ancient story as a contemporary compass—one which can guide our lives toward greater meaning and purpose, regardless of the faith we follow, citizenship we hold, or the politics we practice." —Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President, Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

In the heart of the Himalayas lies a land of profound beauty and complex challenges. ‘Reimagining Our Mountains’ is a thought-provoking collection of essays that delves into the unique socio-economic and cultural tapestry of Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling. Through the lens of history, prophecy, economics, childcare, politics, and the environment, this booklet unravels the intricate balance between tradition and modernity, offering a roadmap for sustainable and inclusive development. Each essay is a mosaic piece in the larger picture of mountain life from the author’s local insights and lived experiences. ‘Reimagining Our Mountains’ confronts these challenges head-on, proposing simple, attainable solutions that resonate with the global quest for harmony. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of our planet’s precious highland regions and the communities that steward them.

This book is the first socio-intellectual history of the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan (Zen), a new lineage of Buddhism founded by the late Chinese Buddhist cleric, Sheng Yen (1931–2009)—arguably one of the most influential Chan masters in contemporary times. The book challenges the received academic and popular image of Chan Buddhism as a meditation school that bypasses scriptural learning. Using Sheng Yen’s doctrinal classification (Chn. panjiao) chart as an example, the book shows Sheng Yen’s Chan as a synthesis of both Indian and Chinese premodern forms of Buddhism, and as the summum bonum of Han transmission of Chinese Buddhism (Chn. Hanchuan fojiao). The book demonstrates how Sheng Yen’s presentation of Chan was intimately related to the volatile social and political realities of his life—the Communist takeover of China and the subsequent industrial boom that impacted Taiwanese society. In short, this book presents a historically and culturally embodied approach to the formation of Buddhist doctrine and practice. Drawing on the works of postcolonial theories that integrate the role of the researcher into the research, the book also offers a more integrated approach between emic and etic, insider and outsider perspectives to research. Advancing the field of Buddhist studies, the book will be of interest to scholars of Buddhism in the modern period, twentieth-century religious history of China and Taiwan, Chan/Zen studies, World Religions, Asian civilizations, and Modern Biographies.

This book explores the devastating consequences and psychological ruptures of refugeehood as it evocatively recounts the life histories of dislocated Tibetans expelled from their homes since 1959. Following the genre of a story, the book offers dynamic understandings of unconscious processes and the intergenerational transmission of trauma across generations of an exiled and internally displaced people. The book analyses the paradoxical spaces which Tibetans in exile occupy as they strive to preserve their cultural and spiritual heritage, rituals, religion, and language while also dynamically remoulding themselves to adapt to their living realities. Presenting a nuanced picture, it narrates stories of refugees, political prisoners and survivors of torture along with stories of loss and angst, cultural celebrations and political demonstrations. The author in this new edition highlights and explores the art, artists, and poetry in the exiled community. The volume also looks at the significance of Buddhism and the philosophy of the Dalai Lama for the people in exile and the personal and collective will of the community to connect their lost past to a living present and an imagined future. Rooted in the psychoanalytical tradition, this book will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, scholars of literature, and arts and aesthetics. It will also appeal to those interested in Sino-Tibetan relations, Buddhist studies, South Asian Studies, cultural and peace studies, and those working with refugees, and displaced persons.

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Kashmir Studies presents emerging critical knowledge frameworks and perspectives that foreground situated histories and resistance practices to challenge colonial and postcolonial forms of governance and state building. It politicizes discourses of nationalism, patriotism, democracy, and liberalism, and it questions how these dominant globalist imaginaries and discourses serve institutionalized power, create hegemony, and normalize domination. In doing so, the handbook situates Critical Kashmir Studies scholarship within global scholarly conversations on nationalism, sovereignty, indigenous movements, human rights, and international law. The handbook is organized into the following five parts: Territories, Homelands, Borders Militarism, Humanism, Occupation Memories, Futures, Imaginations Religion, History, Politics Armed Conflict, Global War, Transnational Solidarities A comprehensive reference work documenting and consolidating the growing Critical Kashmir Studies scholarship, this handbook will be of interest to scholars of anthropology, political science, cultural studies, legal and sociolegal studies, sociology, history, critical Indigenous studies, settler colonial studies, and feminist studies.

"Collection of essays by ... experts on what the new global elite needs to know about modern India"--

This edited volume discusses mediatized religion in Asia, examining the intensity and variety of constructions and processes related to digital media and religion in Asia today. Individual chapters present case studies from various regions and religious traditions in Asia, critically discussing the data collected in light of current mediatization theories. By directing the study to the geographical, cultural and religious contexts specific to Asia, it also provides new material for the theoretical discussion of the pros and cons of the concept mediatization, among other things interrogating whether this concept is useful in non-’Western’ contexts."

Honor your loved ones and the earth by choosing practical, spiritual, and eco-friendly after-death care Natural, legal, and innovative after-death care options are transforming the paradigm of the existing funeral industry, helping families and communities recover their instinctive capacity to care for a loved one after death and do so in creative and healing ways. Reimagining Death offers stories and guidance for home funeral vigils, advance after-death care directives, green burials, and conscious dying. When we bring art and beauty, meaningful ritual, and joy to ease our loss and sorrow, we are greening the gateway of death and returning home to ourselves, to the wisdom of our bodies, and to the earth.