A Hundred Thousand White Stones An Ordinary Tibetan's Extraordinary Journey |
|
Author:
| Dolma, Kunsung |
As told to:
| Denno, Evan |
ISBN: | 978-1-61429-071-1 |
Publication Date: | Jul 2013 |
Publisher: | Wisdom Publications
|
Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $17.95 |
Book Description:
|
In
A Hundred Thousand White Stones, Kunsang Dolma tells the story of her life as a Tibetan refugee in words from her heart. She tells the real story, the brutally honest story of her experiences, recounting harsh realities with candor and a typically Tibetan eye for humor in every tragedy. From her origins in Tibet, the story follows Kunsang across the Himalayan mountains into India, then to the United States with her American husband. Despite the often...
More DescriptionInA Hundred Thousand White Stones, Kunsang Dolma tells the story of her life as a Tibetan refugee in words from her heart. She tells the real story, the brutally honest story of her experiences, recounting harsh realities with candor and a typically Tibetan eye for humor in every tragedy. From her origins in Tibet, the story follows Kunsang across the Himalayan mountains into India, then to the United States with her American husband.
Despite the often difficult circumstances of her life in Tibet, life in exile leaves Kunsang with a sense of loss and regret. The joys of discovering political freedom and improved material conditions compete with a feeling of emptiness from being disconnected from her family and culture. She finds to her own surprise that she felt happier in Tibet than anywhere else, and longs to be reunited with her family.
Following twelve years apart from her family, Kunsang receives a visa for a temporary visit back to Tibet. As if she has returned from the dead, her reunion with family brings up intense emotions as well as the scrutiny of Chinese plain-clothes police. During the visit, a exercise prescribed by a lama for one of her brothers brings together the whole family for the collection of one hundred thousand white stones. Collecting the stones helps to resolve her brother's emotional turmoil and alienation from the family, mirroring Kunsang's own journey. At the end of the visit, the prospect of leaving her family behind again put Kunsang in a difficult dilemma.