An Epic Overland Journey from Lhasa, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal

Barbara Weibel at Geu La Pass in Tibet with Mount Everest and the Himalayan Range in the background

I’d given up on ever traveling overland from Nepal to Tibet. Three times I had tried and failed. The first tour I booked in Kathmandu, a number of years ago, was cancelled when the Chinese government suddenly closed the border. My second try a couple of years later was much the same. When monks began … Read more

PHOTO: Auspicious Buddhist Symbols on the Roof of Phuntsoling Monastery in Tibet

Auspicious Buddhist Symbols on the Roof of Phuntsoling Monastery in Tibet

On day seven of my overland journey through Tibet, we turned off the main highway and followed a narrow lane to the remote Phuntsoling Monastery. This little-known monastery was built in 1615 by great master Jonang Taranatha. He espoused the concept of Shentong, a hard-to-grasp ideology based on the idea that the Buddha-mind is ultimately … Read more

PHOTO: Gyantse Dzong, an Ancient Tibetan Fortress in Southern Tibet

Gyantse Dzong (Gyantse Fortress) perches atop a stony outcropping just outside the town of Gyantse in southern Tibet

For nearly 800 years, the walls of Gyantse Dzong (Gyantse Fortress) have scrabbled down a barren outcropping of stone just outside the town of Gyantse. Built as the seat of government for this county in southern Tibet, it originally held the office of the county magistrate, a scripture hall, Buddhist worship hall, and sundry storehouses. … Read more