Do you ever find yourself dreaming of something that seems impossible to attain ? How do you find the clarity to choose between realistic goals and fantasies not worth pursuing ? Today, I’m bringing to you the memoir of one of those fantasies. A project so unrealistic, so wild and unheard of before, that made history and astounded the whole world. A woman like no other, a life worth reading, Alexandra David-Néel and her most famous book, Le voyage d’une parisienne à Lhassa, translated as My journey to Lhassa.
Je m’appelle… A Brief Biography : Louise Eugenie Alexandrine Marie David was born in Paris on the 24th of October 1868, in an austere family of quite older parents. She lives a childhood enchanted by the stories of Jules Verne, and dreams of escaping her family. Before the age of 15, she becomes interested in ascetic practices, and further on joins various secret societies, as well as anarchist and feminist groups. At the age of 21 she converts to Buddhism and starts learning Sanskrit and Tibetan. It is the beggining of her career as an orientalist. A not-so-fortunate marriage with Philippe Néel, becomes an epistolary love story, as she leaves for India in 1911 promising to get back in nineteen months. She will return to him 14 years later. Her Asian tour is described in detail in her various books, but what made her famous was the courage to start a journey through one of the most inhospitable landscapes in the world, in order to reach a city forbidden to foreigners. She traveled to the Forbidden-City of Lhassa, disguised as a beggar, and lived there for two months, documenting a culture that was unknown to the Western World.
The story in one phrase : One of the most fascinating memoirs that I read, the journey of a European woman, through the rugged Himalayas, to reach her dream : the elusive Lhassa, capital of Tibet, where no European had set foot ever before.
How does it make me feel : How does it make me feel ? Free… incredibly free… to travel, to study, to simply observe. This memoir gives me an appetite for knowledge like no other. And through knowledge, it makes me feel incredibly lucky to be living in such a diverse world.
Top 3 details
A lesson in mindful travel. It always baffles me when I ask a friend “So how was your trip to ? Malaysia or Mexico or some far away exotic place” and the answer is something like “oh it’s beautiful. the food was great”. And that’s it. What I love about Alexandra David-Néel’s travel memoirs, is that she was observing everything. If you pay close attention to the way she tells the story, you get a glimpse of her mental structure, and the way she practiced the art of travelling. She describes nature and landscape as much as she gives details of cultural habits, local food, specific communication skills and of course, spiritual practices. She was perfectly aware that by documenting all of this, she brought back in the Western world, information never heard of before. So even if my own travels, in today’s world, are slightly less ground-breaking, I learned a lot from her way of looking at a new place. Travel with curiosity, tune your antennas to sense the local vibes, how is it different than your every day life ? how can you improve your living, now that you know more about the world ?
The strenght of a woman. I won’t go into feminist details, as I believe her life work speaks for itself. But what I specifically liked in this book, was the message of mental and physical strenght, for a woman of a certain social standard, in the beginning of the 20th century. Judging by the way she expressed herself, in writing or in the various recordings of her voice, you would believe her to be a scholar, travelling in priviledged conditions, while taking the time to reflect and construct an in-depth analysis of what she encounters. And while her other books speak of such travels, received by Maharadjahs and royalty, living in relative luxury while observing, My journey to Lhassa speaks of endurance, of mere survival and the lessons learned on the way. Yes, a woman can cross the mountains and sleep in the woods and push the limits of her body, supported by a strong mind and a powerful goal. If she did it in 1924, just imagine what women can do today. Believe !
Inner and outer journeys. For the initiated person today, certain elements of buddhist philosophy have become well known, even mainstream for some. But at the time she experienced this adventure, Europeans had mostly a Christian understanding of spirituality, deeply connected to the community and the ritual promoted by the church. Her way of absorbing as much information as she could , from very diverse sources and different countries, and then living a recluded life trying to actually apply all she had learned, is a powerful lesson even today. She had a very intellectual way of describing buddhism, but did not remain at the mind level. Instead, she explored the ways of the soul and of the spirit, and brought back to us a transcription of all that. Inspiring, especially for those who feel that meditation is not for them…
Life Lesson : Alexandra David-Néel was a restless child, as she very well admits right in the introduction : Ever since I was five years old, a tiny precocious child of Paris, I wished to move out of the narrow limits in which, like all children of my age, I was then kept. I craved to go beyond the garden gate, to follow the road that passed it by, and to set out for the Unknown. But, strangely enough, this Unknown fancied by my baby mind always turned out to be a solitary spot where I could sit alone, with no one near, and as the road toward it was closed to me I sought solitude behind any bush, any mound of sand, that I could find in the garden, or wherever else my nurse took me.With time, her curiosity did not disappear, instead she added layers of knowledge by studying both philosophies and languages meant to open the doors of a new world. At the end of a lifetime of 100 years, she had preserved that same rebellious spirit, as she had applied for a new passport just months before her death. But rebels, we see every day. What made her so unique ? Adding passion to rebellion. She had a cause, she knew why she took risks, and with a well structured mind of an academic, she transformed her passion into an invaluable insight. This is the Life Lesson I choose to remember.
Favourite Quote :
Les choses de la nature paraissent posséder un langage spécial, intelligible, semble-t-il, à ceux qui ont vécu longtemps proches d’elles, attentifs et solitaires ou, peut-être, plus simplement , ces derniers déchiffrent-ils leurs propres pensées et leurs secrets pressentiments sur les énigmatiques physionomies des monts, des bois et des eaux. Le majestueux Kha Karpo dressant haut dans le ciel clair la masse de ses glaciers bleuis par la pleine lune, m’apparut, ce soir-là, non comme le farouche gardien d’une barrière infranchissable, mais plutôt tel qu’une déité vénérable et bienveillante debout au seuil des solitudes mystiques, prête à accueillir et à protéger la voyageuse, quelque peu téméraire, que son amour du Thibet y ramenait.
Nature has a language of its own, or maybe those who have lived long in solitude read in it their own unconscious inner feelings and mysterious foreknowledge. The majestic Kha Karpo, towering in a clear sky lit by a full moon, did not appear to me that evening as the menacing guardian of an impassible frontier. It looked more like a worshipful but affable Deity, standing at the threshold of a mystic land, ready to welcome and protect the adventurous lover of Thibet.
Why you should read it : If you like to travel or only dream of it, this travel journal will fill your need of adventure with real and well documented stories of a woman who dared to dream.
The Ritual
A country that evokes many different pictures to each of us, Tibet is certainly a land we often misread through snippets of information we got here and there. I don’t know if I will ever set foot in a tibetan monastery or a traditional household, but Alexandra David-Néel’s book certainly gives me an occasion to imagine what a journey like that would be like. So between the chapters, I find pleasure in playing around…
Tibetan Bowls
While looking around the house, the first thing I notice that seems to be in tune with the subject is my singing bowl. And what a lovely opportunity to find out, once and for all, the history of this very popular object nowadays. Often called a Tibetan singing bowl, the technical term would be standing bell, as it is an inverted or resting bell. Often played by striking, there are some that produce a sustained musical note when played by rotating a mallet around the outside rim. Some say there is nothing Tibetan about it, others find its origin in 16th century BC China, and trace its use in religious rituals from Japan to India, mainly in Buddhism but also in Taoism. The practice of the singing bowls as opposed to striking them, is relatively new, and is mostly used in sound therapy in the western world. The claims of magical powers might leave you doubtfull, but what has been studied by neuroscientists is the nature of the sound waves produced by the bowls. As it turns out, the structure of the wave is almoast identical to the alpha waves our brain produces when in deep relaxation or meditation. So you don’t have to find them magical, but listen to a sound bath every once in a while, just like you listen to any other type of music, and with a little imagination, you might just feel you’re in a buddhist monastery, high up in the mountains, away from all your worries…
Tibetan Butter Tea
Let’s go on with the dream. So you’re in a buddhist monastery in the Himalayas. How did you get there ? It must have been difficult, walking in the mountains, guided by the sherpas, you can smell the rarefied air, and you can almoast hear the sound of the snow under your boots. When you arrive, local hospitality dictates you enjoy a cup of tea with the monks.Now there is nothing much that can prepare you for a tibetan cup of Po Cha. They make a tea that must sustain your body in the rough conditions, so think of it as a chicken soup more than a five o’clock tea. The dairy is usually yak based, but many tibetans living abroad use cow’s products to make their traditional beverage.Start off with 4 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of black tea. Bring to a boil and let is simmer for a few minutes, depending on how strong you like it.Then strain it and add one cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of butter. And don’t forget the pinch of salt. Anywhere up to half a teaspoon.Now it’s time to blend. Traditionnaly, a special churn is used to make the mixture frothy, but you can use a blender or a hand mixer like I did. The most important thing is to keep mixing until the butter is well incorporated and does not sit at the surface.A tea that confuses you at first, but I can honestly say that it was the perfect drink while reading Alexandra David Néel’s travel journal. Here is the first mention she makes of it :Hastily I revived the fire. Yongden brought water from the stream, and we prepared the Thibetan tea, with butter and salt, in the simple manner of poor travellers who cannot enjoy the luxury of a churn to mix it.
Turquoise
Some gemstones, just like Tibet, seem familiar even though we have little knowledge of them. Presenting… the turquoise.Adored for centuries, Turquoise rocks have been carved and set into everything from royal thrones and daggers to jewelry and cups. Use of Turquoise dates as far back as 5500 B.C., when it was believed to prevent accidents and cure diseases of the head and the heart. One legend suggests that throwing a piece of Turquoise into a river will bring rain.In ancient times in China and Tibet, turquoise was used as amulets, and shamans worshipped and believed in its protective and spiritual properties. There is a legend connected with this stone, in which Buddha destroyed a monster with the help of a magical turquoise, so it is a semiprecious stone widely used by Buddhists.For healers, turquoise is a purification stone. It dispels negative energy and can be worn to protect against outside influences or pollutants in the atmosphere. It has the power to reconcile all hostile, to pacify quarrels, to establish peace in everything. A stone sent from the Sky, as the Tibetans believe, and that holds in its colour the profound harmony of a shaman’s gaze. Holding it in your hand, while reading about the journey of a Lama, you feel connected, for a moment, with something eternal, that was, that is, and that shall always be.
A few simple gestures, turned into rituals by our intention. To be present with the book, to connect our senses to a new world and give ourselves permission to experience something different. This was my Tibet – inspired ritual, between Alexandra David-Néel and my own imagination. I hope you have enjoyed this mountain air and the freedom it brings.
Until next time, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
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