VIRTUAL TIBET: FROM THE HIMALAYAS TO HOLLYWOOD

This book,despite some things I find in possible error on topics etc. that I shall discuss another time, this book is very interesting, hilarious, and informative and covers nearly all the 'Tibetan' enthusiasts and 'cultural imperialists' in the history of Western contact with Tibet and some of the surrounding areas.....Like the writer, I tend to prefer the older writers who wove a fantastic,yet intriguing and appealing, tapestry that has unraveled itself since the Chinese Takeover, which demonstrates the 'love-hate' relationship between those two peoples(which need some discussion to see exactly who these people really are apart from the 'one-size fits both' focus given to them by the popular imaginations... Tibet has long been on my list of places to visit whether or not anything 'occult', 'weird' or 'esoteric' still exist there without a 'communist' flavoring added or a 'peoples' icing' covering it..... I suspect that deep down in,if one can dig deeply enough, or perhaps I should say, can climb high enough, there is still something to be found, although much of the ancient things have traveled more and more to the West.... Tibetan enthusiasts of all sorts exist....and one can well understand and perhaps sympathize with them and the insights of the author on this level and scale are well worth reading about to get a better perspective...I shall return to this work and possible others that I have on my shelf....Yes, I have met some tibetans and some 'would-be' Tibetans of various Buddhist leanings but not enough to embrace entirely what they may have to teach or not teach, practice or not practice, and the same can be said by me of other groups well-known from martial arts to yoga....that is, beyond the initial presentations and discussions,etc. shared at times.....and appreciated.....but my personal 'salvation' if there is any such thing, seems to me to have to allow me to work it out through my own efforts and suffering and not vicariously or by mere belief or imaginative assumption...as tempting as such is for most persons....