Reminiscences of a "Gonpa Thief" or Wanderings in Lower Dolpo. An Account of a Journey in 1995; With an Appendix: The Reluctantly-Rising Corpses of Dolpo: Ro-Langs and the Oral Tradition of the Tibetan Bon-pos.
York Beach, ME: The Black Jackal Press, 2016. First Edition Thus (Revised). Softcover. Octavo: trade paperback (9 x 6 inches). 106pp + 20pp colour illustrations. Glossy pictorial wrappers. From the publisher: "In 1995 Keith Richmond and Mingma Norbu Sherpa trekked through the lower reaches of the remote Himalayan district of Dolpo. There they undertook research into the Tibetan Bon religion, which has long been practiced in the area, and recorded examples of the local folk-stories about ro-langs, the Tibetan equivalent of zombies. Their travels took them through some of the most challenging, rugged, and spectacular parts of a region that has gained international recognition as one of the few remaining habitats of the magnificent snow-leopard. In the course of their journey they were shown much kindness by the villagers, monks and shamans whom they encountered, but also found themselves pressed into service as medics, briefly mistaken for temple thieves, and - on one less than pleasant occasion - were accused of being spies and attacked. "Wanderings in Lower Dolpo" is Keith Richmond's light-hearted account of their adventures and misadventures in this extraordinary part of the world, written shortly before it was changed forever by commercial tourism and the advent of the internet and satellite telephones. Originally published as a hard-cover limited edition, it is here published for the first time in soft-cover. The book concludes with a previously unpublished essay, "The Reluctantly-Rising Corpses of Dolpo," in which the author reproduces a number of ro-lang stories from the oral traditions of Dolpo, and examines them in the broader context of Tibetan folk-lore and belief. New book. Fine condition. Item #56886
ISBN: 9780933429444
Price: $15.00