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Tibet, Tibet

In Tibet, Tibet author Patrick French (2003) provides us with a firsthand account of his studies on and travels throughout Tibet. French (2003) explains that the typical image of Tibet in the Western world is one that evokes a Lost Horizon of a benign, pacifist culture of Buddhists tucked away on a mountain side and determined in their struggle for liberation from China. Under occupation for more than a half century, there are a variety of myths maintained about Tibet by outsiders, particularly those in the West. These include a view of Tibetans as good and the Chinese as bad; the infallibility of the Dalai Lama; and a view of Tibetans as a saintly and spiritual people locked in an unending struggle for self-determinism. FrenchÆs (2003) purpose of Tibet, Tibet is to explore Tibet firsthand in order to observe the real Tibet that lies behind the fatade of myth. He tells us his journey and purpose of the book are designed ôto link the Tibet of the mind to a modern, physical reality,ö (31).

In exploring Tibet on an individual level, French dispels many myths about the land, its people, its culture, and the Dalai Lama. French argues that the pastoral, saintly images of Tibetan monasteries and prayer wheels conjured up in myths about Tibet do exist, but so does a completely different contemporary Tibet that reflects the mundane impact of Chinese occupation for a half century. Lhasa has become nothing more than a city defined by cheapo pizzas and blue jeans, while Hollywood continues to bastardize Buddhism and Tibet in search of a new spiritual mantra. Fake T-shirts, inexpensive jeans, and MTV aspirants characterize modern Tibetan cities more than prayer wheels, monasteries and devoted monks. At one point, French (2003) describes a visit to a monastery that shows the modern reality of Tibet is a far cry from romanticized views typically perpetuated by outsiders, ôAt TashilhunpoàI found an atmosphere of fear. The monks seeme...

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Tibet, Tibet. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 07:12, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1710590.html