Khenpo Sangye Tenzin and the Career of Serlo Shedrup Zungdrel Ling Gonpa, that evolved into one of the Most Important Monasteries Among the Sherpas of NE Nepal

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Introduction At present, Buddhist culture and society among the Sherpas of Nepal's northeastern Solu Khumbu region is at a critical junction in their history in which the key issues of economic well-being and cultural identity urgently need to be resolved while the Nepalese nation-state continues to be weak. Their more than half a century long encounter with modernity and the forces of globalization through their successful involvement in the trekking and mountaineering industry has, indeed, brought considerable wealth predominantly to certain "big men". But at the same time these worldly gains resulted in a dramatic general loss of culture and alienation that has been affecting the entire society and is due to secularization as embodied by the norms and values of "consumerism" of modern Western industrial society brought through the forces of globalization. Moreover, a strong contributing factor to their present predicament is a still growing wave of out-migration from both their "homeland" Solu-Khumbu and the Kathmandu Valley community mainly to New York and to California and Oregon where they have begun to establish well-organized diasporic communities.

Today, however, many Sherpas show a strong interest in both the cultural heritage in which their identity and unity is rooted, and the complex task of its preservation in the globalised world of the 21st century. In striking contrast to the common disinterest that was once prevalent in many of their parents and grandparents, particularly today the educated Sherpas of the younger generation show a great concern as to this task. This novel positive attitude is a reflection of a rising awareness among them concerning the current condition of Sherpa Buddhist culture and society. In consequence, they have begun to reflect upon and appreciate their rich cultural heritage and its associated norms and values; the present dangers they have to face and cope with in this respect; and the methods and tools for its successful preservation and strengthening. However, as will be discussed at length. Himalayan Buddhism's present flourishing among the Sherpas is only understandable in the context of the current formidable renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism's rNying ma pa School in exile. In this book several main contemporary issues which are actually closely interconnected are highlighted, analysed, and discussed in detail. Each issue has its distinct bearing upon the current circumstances of the Sherpas.

**Contents and Sample Pages**