The Book of Tibetan Elders

"When the iron eagle flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered over the earth and the dharma will go to the land of the red man" - Tibetan prophecy of Padmasmbhava (eighth century ).

In the course of Time the things that are destined to happen happens. The prophesy fulfilled in 1950 with the Chinese invasion of Tibet. It marked end of an ancient-wisdom culture. The red-robed people of the east lost their land and scattered over the earth. In 1991 writer Sandy Johnson was assigned, by her editor, to wrote a book that records the life stories and wisdom from the existing spiritual masters of Tibet. She traveled to India, Tibet, Europe and America to meet Tibetan elders - the ones who are the embodiment of the ancient wisdom, power and practices. In this book the reader gets a glimpse of that lost world that strived to attain the highest state- the buddhahood and it's current struggle to preserve it's valuable traditions.

From the book:
"I hear that people in the outside world live comfortable lives with tables and chairs and carpets in their homes, and have everything needed to be happy sugar and rice and all that. I have only tsampa and tukpa (soup) to eat, but I am happy; I have no teeth in my mouth anyway. I see you in your fine clothes, and I am in rags. Yet I hear there is much unhappiness in the outside world. Can you tell me why that is ?"

"No I can't", I admitted. "Do you have some thoughts about why that is so?".

She shrugged. "Maybe your fine clothes and all your furniture and riches take up too much of your time and leave you no time for prayer. May be your riches have taken more away from you than they have given. But I don't know about these things..." She yawned, bringing the conversation to a close.