Abstract
The Tibetan plateau, characterized by high altitude, long winters of extreme cold, and sparse vegetation is arguably among the harshest of populated terrains on the planet. Nonetheless, the Tibetan nomads have survived on the plateau for hundreds of years eking out a meager living predominantly as yak herders. Conditions in many of these high altitude areas have changed significantly over the past 15 years, shifting in countless respects the lifestyle of these nomadic people from livestock herding toward greater urbanization. While many have not been directly exposed personally to the teachings of Buddhism, their faith is strong. This accounts for a view of life that in the West would perhaps be described as happy and content. Working in the region over a period of about five years I was able to gain some insight in to what lay behind their happiness in spite of the great hardships they confronted daily. This chapter describes some of what I found.
Contentment is true wealth. Success will not be found through the gratification of desire, but in the end of desire—which is contentment. Wealthy is he who enjoys what he has.
Nagarjuna, Indian philosopher, 150–200 CE (Das 1997, p. 292)
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Notes
- 1.
Interested readers can extend their understanding of the Buddhist concepts discussed in this chapter by referring to the many excellent books available. The Pabongka Rinpoche (2006) source cited here is an example of one such text. I have cited this text for many of the concepts discussed herein.
- 2.
See http://www.fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/seraje/263-life-in-sera-je-monastery.html plus also http://www.serajeymonastery.org/faculty.htm for more on this topic.
- 3.
This text is written in 24 sections with each section corresponding to a teaching day during which the referenced concepts were discussed. The reference Day can be regarded by the reader as a book chapter in the normal way.
- 4.
The honorific title ‘Rinpoche’ meaning ‘precious one (Tibetan)’ is usually given to a Lama who has intentionally taken rebirth in a human body to continue helping others. It is also a respectful title used for one’s own Lama (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 2008: 124).
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Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges Norman Leslie (Edith Cowan University) for providing permission to publish the photographs included in this chapter.
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Webb, D. (2012). Happiness on the Tibetan Plateau. In: Selin, H., Davey, G. (eds) Happiness Across Cultures. Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2700-7_3
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