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 …
After four issues in the ethereal realm of the spirit-mediums, this month’s Flight of the Khyung combs the ground for insight into the ordinary lives of drokpas (Tibetan herders). We examine the cultural ecology of a pastoral encampment in Upper …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
From Menyak and Trehor on the eastern fringes of the Tibetan Plateau to its very heart at Lhasa, this month’s Flight of the Khyung arcs across the roof of the world. There is always more to see and more to …
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 …
More adventures unfold in Tibet as the Flight of the Khyung returns you to Asia’s holiest peak, Mount Kailas. This month’s newsletter looks at vital issues affecting the sacred mountain and their implications for a sound, sustainable future. Climb aboard …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Wild Yaks and Other Things on the Horizon
On the fifth of this month I returned to Lhasa, having completed 50 days in the field on the Wild Yak Lands Expedition (WYLE). As those who read the May issue of Flight …
Primal Callings
Those regular readers of my newsletter will know that this issue is one month late. I have a fairly good excuse in that I was away in the wilds of Upper Tibet with little or no internet connectivity. Now …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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, …