With a history of spawning world religions, the Indian subcontinent has a thirst for the spiritual that runs deep in its collective unconscious. But these traditions are under threat as the might of modernity delivers its transformative blows. With these two conflicting ways of life co-existing in a region of nearly 2 Billion, the Indian subcontinent provides and ideal backdrop for exploring the spiritual and the secular – how they interact, clash, combine. Inner Asia tell tales, offers travel recommendations and delivers reflections on four countries – India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka – culled from the author’s three years of travel-living throughout the region. The 25 stories in this travel book are told from the vantage point of some of South Asia’s most spiritual sites (as well as some commonplace, but not any less interesting, places). From pilgrimage routes in Sri Lanka to mountains monasteries in Bhutan to the banks of the Ganga in India, the reader is invited to explore and celebrate this wild and wonderful part of the world. The stories in this book are a mix of travel magazine articles, personal essays and narratives based on people living in a particular place. Most of the stories are available online on The Mindful Word. Table of Contents: Introduction INDIA SYMPHONY OF CACOPHONY Walking the streets of India LESSONS AT VARANASI Reflecting on life and death in India’s most sacred city CLEARLY COMPASSIONATE Seeing the Dalai Lama lights the way to true compassion TAKING REFUGE IN SERVICE An American doctor committed to the principles of seva-selfless service-assists Tibetan refugees in India INTERNET WOES The challenge of getting online in India BANGALORE One foot dangling in the future, one hoof rooted in the past CHECKMATE Play the game with mindfulness and equanimity BORDER WALK The tense Indo-Pak border is opening up to a brand of tourism that’s unexpectedly calm THIKSEY MONASTERY Ladakh offers respite from India’s busyness SUSTAINABILITY AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Volunteer at Sadhana Forest to learn how to live sustainably OM ARUNACHALA Tiruvannamalai-a pilgrimage place for millions KALARIPAYATTU Experience the awesome acrobatics of this ancient martial art SHIKARA HO! Hop aboard for a look at the life of Dal Lake’s boat hawkers 3 PEACOCKS & A MONKEY Meeting sattva and rajas at Ramana’s ashram SPIRITUAL WARRIORS Mahabodhi grooms tomorrow’s spiritual leaders BHUTAN THE LONG ROAD TO HAPPINESS Is Bhutan really the Shangri-La that people think it is? ACCEPTANCE AND EQUANIMITY A lesson learned from a falling mandarin TIGER’S NEST Sublimation and the essence of transformative travel SOBA RIGPA Good health is all in the mind SRI LANKA SRI PADA PILGRIMAGE Christmas on Sri Lanka’s most sacred mountain KANDYAN DANCE Sri Lanka’s captivating traditional dance form SLOW TRAVEL IN SRI LANKA Slow down your pace to experience the culture of the place NEPAL PILGRIMAGE OF PEACE Lumbini, Nepal-the site of the Buddha’s birth TRANSCENDENT BEAUTY From Pokhara to Sarangkot, Nepal VILLAGE THERAPY Learning to live at the pace of just enough in Thakurdwara