Miriam E. Cameron's work in "Karma and Happiness" is not only a direct result of her journey to Tibet, it is a summary of how to conduct our lives all while knowing we are going to die. This book will interest readers who have an interest in the relationship between the health of individuals and their ethical values. Can spiritual growth lead to emotional and physical healing?

Throughout her life, Miriam has found that no single wisdom tradition meets everyone's needs and that there is a universal desire to be happy. Good choices lead to a happier, healthier life and what goes around, comes around (karma). In this book, Miriam explores Tibet and also takes a journey into the internal world of our own happiness and suffering.

Contents:

The Relationship between Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing
Something Missing - Miriam's journey through Christianity, Judaism and Yoga
Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths, Karma and Ethics, The Sixth Wisdom Tradition
Ethical Problems - What is the right thing to do?
History of Tibet
Mindfulness - Hindu Roots and a Tibetan Refugee Camp
Suffering - Dreams, Pain, Anger, Disappointment, Anxiety, Fear
The Nature of Reality - Interdependence and mutual need
Impermanence - Equanimity and nonattachment
Personal Healing - Mind-Body Interconnectedness and Tibetan Bioethics
Buddha Nature - Nature of the mind and freedom
More Ethical Problems - Questions about Tibet
Compassion - How to Practice Universal Compassion
Healing the World - Diversity and Unity of Values

After reading Miriam's description of enlightenment (She recorded from the teachings of Dorje Rinpoche), I finally understand the concept in full. If you have any interest in Tibet or in Tibetan Buddhism this is an essential book. I have rarely found Buddhism explained quite so succinctly and illustrated quite so creatively. This is a journey into ethics, spirituality and healing with an added dose of humor. Miriam's writing is vivid and her creativity paints vivid recollections of a spiritual journey that becomes a test of physical endurance. Throughout the book I could visualize the journey like a movie.

Miriam's journey to Tibet took her to the limits of her own physical endurance all while taking her to the heights of her own spiritual journey. I loved the conversations she has recorded in detail, the insight gained from her personal experiences in Tibet and how she weaves her philosophy of life into a once-in-a-lifetime journey. She writes with authority and seeks to present a balanced view of Tibet's history. Not only does she explain the current conditions, she writes from the heart and is a seeker of truth.

I liked the concept of being like a beautiful lotus rising out of the mud. If you are looking for a collection of ideas to promote inner peace and settle outer conflicts, you will love this book. After reading this book once, I realized I wanted to read it again because it is a highly interesting story and there are so many concepts I'd love to apply to my own life.

Miriam E. Cameron, PhD, RN, is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing and is also the best-selling author of "Hello, I'm God, and I'm Here to Help You."

SAMYE

A Visual Journey to SAMYE, May 29, 2004


Samye was founded by Tantric master Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita from Indian in the eight century A.D. This monastery is built in the form of a three-dimensional mandala.

"Put in its simplest terms, a mandala is a diagram or pictorial representation of a three-dimensional universe used as an aid for Buddhist meditators."

Mikel Dunham has made many trips to Tibet and became the last student of the late thankgha master, Perma Wangyal of Dolpo. He spent years learning how to paint with mineral pigments and 22 carat gold. He then painted murals for a Tibetan temple in Sarnath, India. He was then given full access to Samye to document treasures that have never been photographed.

After a foreword by his Holiness the Dalai Lama (his actual letter has been photographed - how unique), the book is divided into six sections:

Building the Inconceivable
Approaching the Mandala
Entering the Mandala
Within the Monkhood
Above the Mandala
Precarious Preservation

Even his Holiness the Dalai Lama was not able to visit Samye and explains how he was very close to Samye when he crossed the Tsangpo river nearby in a yak skin coracle during his escape in 1959. After the occupation of Tibet, the building were damaged and irreplaceable books were destroyed.

If you have any interest in Tibetian Buddhism or have an interest in world travel, this book is sure to offer intriguing insight into the "Land of the Snow Lions." Pages 2-33 display mostly art (ancient murals) and then after page 36, the Samye compound is photographed from every conceivable angle, including a view from Mount Hepori.

There are also pictures of monks studying outside beneath the trees, monks and nuns performing daily chores and ceremonies, prayer flags draped across long ropes across the mountains, pilgrims wearing yellow khatags (ceremonial scarves), close-ups of elaborately designed doors, yak butter lamps and gorgeous pictures of the red walls with detailed paintings and patterns.

Mikel gives insight into what has happened to the art and even describes how preservation is at times as basic as filling parts of vandalized paintings with flour paste to prevent further deterioration. There are also pictures of grafitti painted across the Great Stupa Wall and beautiful rooms that have now been turned into junkyards.

If you have read books like "Karma and Happiness" by Miriam E. Cameron, you will enjoy the visual representation of her descriptions of Tibet in this photographic journey.

~The Rebecca Review

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