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 journeys, adventure narratives, anthropological field reports, and philosophical commentaries, The Way of the White Clouds is one of the twentieth century's classic spiritual biographies 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 who, as Thurman remarks, is undoubtedly one of the West's greatest minds of the twentieth century.

Way of the White Clouds, Lama Anagarika Govinda, Overlook Press, Paperback, 1966 / 2005, 400 Pages, $19.95

Lama Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985) was born Ernst Lothar Hoffman in Waldheim, Germany, the son of a German father and a Bolivian mother. In his twenties and thirties he became increasingly interested in Buddhism, first studying in Ceylon and then in India, making several visits to Tibet in the 1930s and 40s. He spent his final years living in the Bay Area of Northern California.

Introduction                                       11 
Foreword                                           21 
  PART ONE: THREE VISIONS
    The Poet's Vision                              29 
    The Guru's Vision                              34 
    The Monastery of Yi-Gah Cho-Ling               40 
    Kachenla, the Fatherly Friend and Mentor       46 
    Religious Practice and Ritual Symbolism        51 
    The Guru Appears                               58 
    Tibetan Sacred Music                           62 
    Meeting with the Guru                          66 
    Initiation                                     71 
    On the Way of the White Clouds                 77 
    The Rock Monastery                             82 
    The Chela's Vision                             86 
    An Awakening and a Glimpse into the Future     93 
  PART TWO: PILGRIM LIFE
    The Nature of the Highlands                    99 
    The Living Language of Colours                 104
    Dreams and Reminiscences in the Land of the    109
    Blue Lake
    Moving Slopes and the Riddle of the Horses'    119
    Hoofs
    Trance Walking and Lung-gom Training           127
    Nyang-to Kyi-phug: the Monastery of Immured    132
    Recluses
    Physical Exercises                             138
    Healing Powers                                 143
    The Hermit Abbot of Lachen                     150
    Miraculous Escape and Floating Lights          157
  PART THREE: DEATH AND REBIRTH
    The Guru's Passing Away                        165
    Tulku                                          170
    Rebirth                                        176
    U Khanti, the Seer of Mandalay Hill            183
    Maung Tun Kyaing                               190
    The Mind that Conquers Death                   198
    The Case of Shanti Devi                        203
    A Message from the Past                        210
  PART FOUR: SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL TIBET
    New Beginnings: Ajo Rimpoche                   219
    Interlude at Dungkar Gompa                     225
    The Two Siddhas of Tse Choling                 229
    Lengthening Shadows                            235
    Mystery-plays                                  242
    The State Oracle of Nachung                    249
    The Oracle of Dungkar Gompa                    255
    The Life Story of an Oracle-Priest             260
    Magic as Method and Practical Knowledge        265
  PART FIVE: RETURN TO WESTERN TIBET
    The Sacred Mountain                            271
    The Land of the Gods                           280
    The Last Trial                                 289
    A Bon Monastery                                299
    The Valley of the Moon Castle                  309
    Arrival at Tsaparang                           319
    Critical Days                                  327
    The Lama of Phiyang                            336
    A Race against Time and Obstacles              339
    The Discovery of the Secret Path and the       343
    Temple of the Great Mandala
    Trek over the Frozen River                     352
    The Happy Valley                               358
    Final Initiations                              366
    The Magic Smith                                372
    Farewell to Tibet                              377
  EPILOGUE
      Guru and Chela and the Journey into the      380
      Light
  APPENDICES
      1 The Kings of Lhasa                         387
      2 The Rise and Fall of the Kings of Guge     390
Index                                              395