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In exile from the land of snows: the

definitive account of the Dalai Lama


and Tibet since the Chinese conquest
Second Vintage Books Edition Dalai
Lama
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PRAISE FOR JOHN F. AVEDON’S
In Exile from the Land of Snows

“What Alexander Solzhenitsyn did for the Soviet Union, John F.


Avedon does for Tibet.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Marvelous, heartrending, and heartwarming.”


—William Shawcross, author of
Counting One’s Blessings and The Queen Mother

“The detailed life stories Avedon recounts are nothing short of


stunning.”
—The Denver Post

“Utterly engaging. There are passages dealing with India that will
have you smelling the dust. This book deserves wide readership, the
author our applause.”
—The San Diego Tribune
JOHN F. AVEDON
In Exile from the Land of Snows

John F. Avedon has written for The New York Times Magazine,
Rolling Stone, Maclean’s, Parade, and other publications. He
lives in New York City.
If you cannot read this map on your e-reading device, click here to
download a PDF version: http://rhlink.com/tibetmain
SECOND VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, JANUARY 2015

Copyright © 1979, 1984, 1997, 2015 by John F. Avedon

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of
Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House company. Originally
published in hardcover in the United States in slightly different form by Alfred A.
Knopf, a division of Random House LLC, New York, in 1984, and in paperback, in
revised form, by Harper Perennial in 1997.

Vintage and colophon are trademarks of Random House LLC.

Portions of this work have previously appeared in Rolling Stone magazine.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint


previously published material:

The New York Times: An excerpt from “Exploring the Mysteries of Tibetan
Medicine,” from January 11, 1981, The New York Times Magazine by John F.
Avedon and “Tibet’s ‘Exile Generation’ ” from February 26, 1984, The New York
Times Magazine by John F. Avedon. Copyright © 1981, 1984, by The New York
Times Company. Reprinted by permission of The New York Times Company.

The Central Tibetan Authority and the International Campaign for Tibet:
“Chronology of Tibetan-Chinese Relations, 1979 to 2014” was prepared using
materials provided by the Central Tibetan Authority. Reprinted with permission of
the Central Tibetan Authority and the International Campaign for Tibet.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the Knopf edition as follows:


Avedon, John F.
In exile from the land of snows / John F. Avedon. —first edition
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Tibet (China)—History—1951 I. Title. DS786.A94 1994 951’.505—dc20 94-
9866
Vintage Books Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8041-7337-7
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-7338-4

Cover design by Mike Jones


Cover photograph © Georg Hafner/Getty Images

www.vintagebooks.com

v3.1_r2
For the People of Tibet
Contents

Cover

About the Author

Map

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Preface to the Vintage Edition

Preface

PART ONE

Before the Fall


1933–1950

2
Occupation
1950–1959

PART TWO

In Exile from the Land of Snows


1959–1960

Reconstruction
1960–1974

The Fight for Tibet


1959–1984

PART THREE

Tibetan Medicine
THE SCIENCE OF HEALING

On Pilgrimage with the Dalai Lama


Preface

TIBET’S STORY IS that of an ancient nation hurled into the twentieth


century by the loss of its sovereignty, yet given a slim chance to
regain its freedom and remake its identity. I came to write it as the
result of a personal involvement growing over a period of eleven
years. In the summer of 1973 I undertook my first trip to Asia. On
arriving in New Delhi I toured a Tibetan refugee camp and
afterwards visited Tibet House, a library and museum in which
blown-up photos of Tibet’s great monasteries, the largest in the
world, covered the walls. A week later I sat with thousands of
Tibetans around an open tent on the outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal,
watching a birthday celebration for their leader, the Dalai Lama. But
it was not until I trekked up to the geographical, if no longer
political, border of Tibet that I began to fully appreciate the
country’s present-day condition. The landscape was wild, the
adjacent peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagari loomed on either hand
and down the narrow trail came an equally formidable middle-aged
man, a long knife hanging from his belt and a heavy rifle slung over
his back. Waving like an old friend, he stopped and within a few
minutes of exchanged gestures revealed that he was a Tibetan
guerrilla, whose headquarters, located less than two hours north in
the principality of Mustang, was still waging a fierce fight for Tibet’s
freedom. Lifting his shirt, he pointed proudly to a long bayonet scar
hewn across his belly and repeatedly said “Norbulingka.” Thereafter
he enacted the devastating massacre which had befallen soldiers of
the Tibetan resistance fighting Chinese occupation troops at the
Dalai Lama’s summer palace outside of Lhasa. His barracks lay just
across the seething brown waters of the Kali Gandaki river and it
was clear from his spirit that despite Tibet’s present fortunes, its
people by no means considered the fate of their nation sealed.
Six years later Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet,
visited the United States. For much of his first American trip I
accompanied the Tibetan leader to conduct a series of interviews.
Following his departure I traveled to Asia once more, where I
engaged in an extensive tour of the Tibetan communities in India.
On a third journey, pursued over the winter of 1980–81, I continued
to work with the Dalai Lama while living in the capital of the
Tibetan diaspora and seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile,
Dharamsala.
Research for this book was conducted primarily during the latter
stay. In it, I have attempted to tell Tibet’s tale through the lives of
those who have both defined and been governed by the major
developments of recent history. To further illuminate the narrative, I
have added a section depicting some measure of Tibetan
civilization, the spiritual underpinnings of which permeate every
facet of the country’s political life. Tibet’s entry into the modern
world has been unsought, painful and prolonged, but in many ways
inspiring as well. It is my hope that the principles of faith and
forbearance that have sustained the Tibetan people through their
most difficult time will convey them to a new and self-determined
era in the not too distant future.
John F. Avedon
New York City
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Rectangular Opening to Use over Camera View
Finder

The Rectangular Opening Allows Only That Portion of the View to be Seen
Which will Show on the Picture

Ordinary view finders on cameras, having the cut-out in the shape


of a Maltese cross, are quite confusing to some camera users. To
overcome this difficulty, I cut a piece of celluloid to the shape shown,
and in taking a picture, the proper opening is held over the view
finder so that only the view that will appear in the picture can be
seen.—Contributed by E. Everett Buchanan, Elmira, N. Y.
Clipping File Made of Envelopes

The Flaps Hold All the Envelopes Together, Producing a File of Several
Compartments

Handy pockets for holding notes, or small articles, may be made


by anyone from ordinary envelopes. The gummed flaps of the
envelopes are stuck together after spacing the envelopes to allow a
small margin at the end on which the contents of each separate
pocket may be written.—Contributed by H. Goodacre, Wolcott, Ind.
Handle for a Drinking Glass
Measure the bottom part of the glass and make a band of copper
that will neatly fit it. The ends of the copper can be riveted, but if a
neat job is desired, flatten or file the copper ends on a slant, and
braze or solder them together.

Attach to the band an upright copper piece a little longer than the
glass is high. To this upright piece a bent piece of copper to form a
handle is riveted or soldered. The glass is set in the band and the
upper end of the vertical piece is bent over the glass edge.—
Contributed by William King, Monessen, Pa.

¶A simple and handy pincushion can be made of a large cork


fastened to any support or base with a nail or screw.
Combination Camp-Kitchen Cabinet
and Table
By J. D. BOYLAN

Thebeing
combination camp-kitchen cabinet and table is the result of not
able to take the members of my family on an outing unless
they could have some home conveniences on the trip, and perhaps
the sketch and description may help solve the same problem for
others. The table will accommodate four persons comfortably, and
extra compartments may be added if desired. The cabinet, when
closed, is strong and compact, and if well made with a snug-fitting
cover, is bug-proof, and the contents will not be injured greatly, even
though drenched by rain or a mishap in a craft.
This Outfit Provides Accommodations for Four Persons, and Folds
Compactly

For coffee, tea, sugar, salt, etc., I used small screw-top glass jars.
They are set in pocket shelves at both ends. When closed, one can
sit on the box or even walk on it if necessary when in the boat, and if
an armful or two of coarse marsh grass is spread over it, the
contents will keep quite cool, even when out in the hot sun. When
open for use, the metal table top F is supported on metal straps, E,
which also act as braces and supports for the table leaf, G, on each
side of the box. This affords plenty of table surface and one can
easily get at the contents of the cabinet while cooking or eating. The
legs, D, are stored inside of the box when closed for traveling. They
are held in place under metal straps when in use, and held at their
upper ends by the metal plate and blocks, B and C. The bent metal
pieces, A, on the ends of the top, spring over the blocks at B and C,
and form the handles.
A Homemade Life Buoy
A serviceable circular life buoy may be made by sewing together
rings of canvas, filling the resulting form with ground cork, and
waterproofing the covering. Cut two disks of canvas about 30 in. in
diameter, and cut out a circular portion from the center of each,
about 12 in. in diameter. Sew the pieces together at their edges,
leaving a small opening at a point on the outer edge. Fill the cover
with cork used in packing grapes, and sew up the opening. Paint the
buoy thoroughly, with white lead, and attach hand grips of rope.
Locking Device for Latch Hook on Gate or Door

The troublesome opening of a latch hook on a gate or door,


permitting intruders to enter or possibly injuring the door in the wind,
can be easily overcome by fitting a small catch over the hook, as
indicated in the sketch. The U-shaped locking device is cut from a
piece of tin, and fastened on the screw over which the hook is set.
When locked, it is pushed back over the head of the hook, and
cannot be easily jarred out of place.
A Vanishing-Cuff Parlor Trick
A trick which is interesting and amusing for the entertainment of
the home audience, is performed with a derby hat and a gentleman’s
cuff. The effect is produced as follows: The performer takes the
derby from his head and shows that it is empty. He removes one of
his cuffs and drops it into the hat. He tips the hat over so that the
spectators can see the inside, and the hat appears empty. He then
shakes his arm, and the white cuff reappears, whereupon he places
the hat back on his head. The explanation is simple: The white cuff,
dropped into the hat, contains a false cuff link, and the inside of the
cuff is painted black. A thread holds the cuff in shape until the latter
is dropped into the hat, when the thread is broken without the
spectators being aware of it. The cuff just fits into the hat, and its
ends are deftly snapped beneath the hatband, the hat thus
appearing empty. The duplicate cuff is kept on the forearm of the
performer, and with a shake, slides into place.—Merritt Hale,
Hartford, Conn.

¶A little fresh developer added occasionally to old developing


solutions will bring them up in speed and intensity.
Inexpensive Table Lamp Made of Electrical-
Fixture Parts
A small table lamp that is light and easily portable, can be made at
a cost of less than $1 from electrical-fixture parts, either old or
purchased at a supply store for the job. The base is a bracket, with
its brass canopy inverted, as shown. The upright is a ¹⁄₈-in. brass
pipe, and it is fitted to a standard socket. The shade holder can be
made complete from a strip of tin and two wires; or adapted from a
commercial shade holder used for candlesticks. Various types of
shades, homemade if desired, can be used.
Wire Holders Keep Cabinet Doors Open

Doors of cabinets often have an annoying tendency to swing shut


when articles are being removed from the shelves. To overcome this
trouble with a kitchen cabinet, I fitted brackets of No. 9 gauge wire
into the sides of the cabinet, the wire being bent to the shape shown
in the sketch. When the doors are to be held open, the wires are slid
forward from their original position, as indicated by the dotted lines,
and set in front of the doors. Before the doors are closed, the wires
are quickly snapped back into place.—A. S. Thomas, Amherstburg,
Ont., Canada.
“Switchboard” Protects Milker from Cow’s Tail

The Legend Put On the “Switchboard” by the Boys Shows How They Value It
A simple and effective device for guarding a person milking a cow
from being hit in the face by the cow’s tail is made of a board, about
10 in. wide and 5 ft. long. This is hung by two wire hooks from a long
wire running lengthwise of the stable just over the front edge of the
gutter. It is moved along with the milker and effectually protects his
face while milking. The device was made by a Wisconsin farmer
after nearly losing the sight of an eye in being hit by a cow’s tail. He
tried tying the tails of the cows while milking them, but found by
actual test that some cows dropped down as much as 25 per cent in
milk production when their tails were tied. The “switchboard” gives
the cows the necessary freedom.—D. S. B., Wisconsin Live Stock
Breeders’ Association.
Reflected-Light Illumination with Homemade
Arrangement
“Friend wife” does not complain any longer because of poor light
over the kitchen stove. The windows in the kitchen were so disposed
that the light was partly shut off from the stove by the person
standing before it. I solved the difficulty in this way: A small window
was cut directly back of the stove, in a partition between the kitchen
and an adjoining storeroom, locating it just a few inches above the
top of the stove. A mirror was placed, after some experimenting, so
that the light from an outside window in the storeroom was reflected
through the small window in the partition and onto the top of the
stove. Plenty of light was thus afforded. Various adaptations of this
arrangement may be worked out.—F. E. Brimmer, Dalton, N. Y.
Bedroom Shade and Curtains Arranged for
Thorough Ventilation

This Arrangement of Curtains and Shade Permits Through Ventilation in the


Sleeping Room

Curtains, shades, and similar fixtures, often interfere with the


proper ventilation of sleeping rooms. By arranging these features as
shown in the sketch, the ventilation is not interfered with, and the
shades and curtains give the same service as with the usual
arrangement. The curtains are hung singly on hinged bars, which
may be homemade or those used as towel bars. Details of the
supports, at A and B, are shown in the sketch. Two pairs of fixtures
are provided for the shade, permitting it to be lowered at night, with
free circulation of the air at the top and bottom. The shade is quickly
raised, and the curtains swung into their closed position.—J. E.
McCoy, Philadelphia, Pa.

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