The book about the eight auspicious symbols, which play a central role in Tibetan Buddhism, have been considered since time immemorial as the original presents that the Vedic gods handed to the newborn Buddha. The present book throws a different light on the millennia-old history of these auspicious symbols, retracing their origins in the Stone Age and revealing their earliest manifestations on various continents.

Presents for Buddha: The Meaning of the Eight Auspicious Symbols in Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet Institute Rikon, Vajra Books, Hardcover, 248 pp, $68.00

The acclaimed Nepalese photographer, Mani Lama, has been taking remarkable pictures for more than thirty-five years. A pioneer, whose beautiful postcards of Nepal helped promote Neapl as a tourist destiantion, he has worked with and provided visual documentation for many NGO's (UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, WHO, UNMIN, GTZ, CARITAS, Save the Children USA and UK). He has travelled throughout Asia and many other parts of the world. He lives and is based in Nepal.