Matthieu Ricard

Tucked away between China and India in the heart of the Himalayas, Bhutan remains a uniquely distinct country. Few photographers have been granted permission to reside in this long-inaccessible kingdom, now a democracy, where life quietly unfolds to the rhythm of traditions amid the magnificent, unspoiled landscape.

This book is a moving visual journey into the heart of Buddhist spirituality and into the daily life and festivals of people in the Tibetan interior.

Few Buddhist meditation masters continue to have the influence that Dza Patrul Rinpoche, active in the nineteenth century, has to many Buddhist practitioners today. A wandering yogi, he eschewed urban areas for a life living in the wilds, caves, and mountains of Tibet.

This engaging look at how to strengthen the inner conditions that lead to true happiness “challenges our everyday notions of joy, making a convincing argument for contentment over collecting ‘good times,’ for altruism over self-centered satiation.” —Daniel Goleman, from the foreword.

How can we use every moment to progress toward enlightenment? Those with profound experience of that path have distilled their advice into powerful, seedlike instructions that get to the heart of the matter.