Tibet Archaeology

and all things Tibetan

Category - Tibetan cultural history

June 2010

In the annual migration across the Great Himalayan divide, the Flight of the Khyung reaches the Tibetan Plateau. This month’s issue comes to you from Lhasa, the holy city of Buddhism in the center of Tibet. From the state of …

February 2010

Ringing in the Year of the Iron Tiger
Flight of the Khyung sends you best wishes for the Tibetan Year of the Iron Tiger! Iron Tiger years are traditionally believed to be a time of decisive action, hard choices and unstoppable …

January 2010

The Flight of the Khyung wishes you all a very happy New Year! This month the horned eagle trails the sun as its path rises higher in the northern hemisphere. The so-called Farmers’ New Year or bSod-nams Lo-gsar of the …

December 2009

To generate or not to generate carbon emissions
This month, Flight of the Khyung tracks the gods of Tibet as they make their presence felt here on earth. It is getting cold up here in the Himalaya. Either you use …

November 2009

The ‘God’ Men and Women of Upper Tibet
Tracking the sun as it bends low in the northern hemisphere Flight of the Khyung goes on yet another adventure in Tibet. This month’s issue focuses on the spirit-mediums or shamans of …

October 2009

Soaring high on the wings of the khyung, the human mind has no bounds but space itself, that limitless void extending in every direction. In this month’s Flight of the Khyung, I begin with an essay on a subject dear …

August 2009

Finally, here it is: the latest issue of Flight of the Khyung! My travels in eastern Tibet delayed publication by more than two weeks. It has been three years since this newsletter was first published, a forum for pressing Himalayan …

June 2009

Greetings from Lhasa, or the ‘Divine Earth’! It is my pleasure to once again bring you Flight of the Khyung from Tibet. Travel and translation have occupied much of the last month for me. I have made the geographic transition …

May 2009

New Photo Gallery Featured
In this month’s Flight of the Khyung I would like to call your attention to the new photo gallery here on my website. The new gallery has a much larger array of photos and is laid out …

April 2009

Ode to the Birds of Spring
The vernal equinox has come and the days are lengthening here in the Himalaya. A few rain showers have eased the effect of a dry winter, and the birds sing with fuller voices. As I …

March 2009

Happy Earth Ox Year to you all! May this brand new Tibetan year be a blessed and salutary one. This month Flight of the Khyung resumes travel to yet other Himalayan domains. Please join me in the exploration of Lahoul …

January 2009

New Year’s Greetings
Happy New Year! May 2009 bring much joy to all of you, a time for attainment and illumination. One could despair of the current world economic troubles, but new opportunities in the way we structure our societies are …

October 2008

After a sojourn of two months in Mongolia, the Flight of the Khyung returns home to the uppermost reaches of Tibet. I am back at my desk writing on a sunny morning with the Himalaya as the backdrop. It is …

June 2008

Welcome to another issue of Flight of the Khyung, the monthly newsletter that flies highest to bring you a wide range of Himalayan issues of both historical and contemporary significance. There is no shortage of interesting and colorful subjects to …

March 2008

An Early Himalayan Spring
Spring seems to be dawning quickly in the Outer Himalaya. Due to the general scarcity of snow and rain, temperatures are steadily rising, and new plants and insects make their debut everyday. Of course this could …

January 2008

Happy New Year!
Another month and year has rolled by. May 2008 bring much happiness to the lives of my readers and great success to all their good endeavors! While I attempt to issue this newsletter at the beginning of each …

November 2007

My Fellow Explorers
The adventure continues! And it always will. The very act of living is the true adventure – if one takes the time to explore the deepest recesses of consciousness, let alone the backyard! What really is the nature …

September 2007

Kathmandu Valley Sojourn
Originally, I thought I would be leaving Nepal for India on August 24, but that has proven unrealistic. The production of my new book, Zhang Zhung: Foundations of Civilization in Tibet, will require me being here at …

August 2007

Flight of the Khyung
It has been one year since inaugurating Flight of the Khyung. With information about my work and travel in the Himalaya and Tibet, and essays focusing on issues of special interest to me, I hope that you …

April 2007

Flight of the Khyung
Hunting and Gathering Information
Welcome to the Nepal Mandal! My wanderings around the Himalaya for 2007 have begun. One of this year’s travel destinations is the northern Changthang, a land of wild yaks, antelopes, brown bears, and wolves. …

March 2007

Sitting and Running
The expedition season is set to start. Soon I shall turn my attention to logistical organization, negotiations, and the challenges and joys of living on the road. I am still very much spurred on by the prospect of …

December 2006

Diverging Views, the Seminar on Tibetan History
Recently, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, hosted a two day academic conference, the Seminar on Tibetan History. A scholar from the Bon monastery in Dolanji and I were graciously invited to …

November 2006

Menri Monastery Road Trip
At the end of October, I made an excursion to Menri Monastery, the chief Bon religious center in exile. It’s a long drive but well worth the time and effort. I happily passed three days at Menri, …

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