This book simply took my breath away. I discovered the book when I was reading a book called "Himalaya". Intrigued, I decided to buy it.

There was a world of famous explorers, and then there is a world of explorers who were incredible in many ways. Lama Angarika Govinda falls into the latter category. This is travel at an extremely difficult level. It is a travel that is both external, and internal. He forces you to look into yourself, while taking you on a journey through a world that is probably disappearing fast.

This is probably the last image of a Tibet that existed, and is definitely not there anymore. The exploration of Buddhism, and of the worlds of Tibet is incredible.

Its a picture of a world that has, sadly disappeared. Of a culture that is now being ground underfoot.

This is an incredible book. ( )

Fascinating memoir of Tibet just prior to the Chinese invasion written by a European born Buddhist scholar. While text has a few slow spots and is somewhat disorganized, the poetic description of the Kailas kora and the insights into Tibetan monastic culture more than make up for any weaknesses. ( )

"The Way of the White Clouds" is the remarkable narrative of a pilgrimage. Lama Anagarika Govinda (a Westerner by birth) was among the last person to journey through Tibet before its invasion by China.

"The Way of the White Clouds" is the remarkable narrative of a pilgrimage. Lama Anagarika Govinda (a Westerner by birth) was among the last person to journey through Tibet before its invasion by China.

"A devoted Buddhist and a spokesman for Tibetan culture, Lama Anagarika Govinda was one of the last foreigners to journey through Tibet before the Chinese invasion of 1950. Govinda's luminous and candid account is a spectacular and gloriously poetic story of exploration and discovery, and a sensitive and lucid interpretation of Tibetan traditions. Comprised of elements from several genres - spiritual journals, adventure narratives, anthropological field reports, and philosophical commentaries, The Way of the White Clouds is one of the twentieth century's classic spiritual autobiographies and an invaluable document about a place and a way of thinking that are virtually defined by their mysteries." Robert Thurman's perceptive new introduction to the volume places Govinda's writings in historical context and expands understanding of Tibet, Buddhism, and the life of a remarkable man.