Tibet

The "Tibetan Question," the nature of Tibet's political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers.

Containing ballads of martial heroism, tales of tragic lovers and visions of the nature of the world, Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of Northeast Tibet: Texts in Mongghul, Chinese, and English is a rich repository of songs collected amongst the Mongghul of the Seven Valleys, on the northeast Tibetan Plateau in western China. These songs represent the apogee of Mongghul oral literature, and they provide valuable insights into the lives of Mongghul people—their hopes, dreams, and worries.

Karmapa, the black hat hierarch of Tibet, has been honoured as a living buddha in his 16 successive incarnations. The Karmapa life stories tell of the spread of mystic spirituality in the regions of Tibet, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim and also incorporate the ancient transmission from India. The life stories of the Karmapas are being told here for the first time in English and cover 800 years. The Karmapa lamas established monasteries in Tibet and other countries, and they were famous as artists and sculptors, whose unique style known as Karma-Khadri, is the most highly considered art school in Tibet. The 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje has written an introductory message expressing the hope that people of all nations will read the book.

Caught in a violent storm and blown far off their intended course, five American airmen - flying the dangerous Himalayan supply route known as "The Hump" - were forced to bail out just seconds before their plane ran out of fuel.