The Lamas of Tibet: The Ancient Wisdom of Nalanda

This unique work brings together seventy portraits of the great Lamas (teachers) of Tibet. The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual and temporal leader, exiled in India since China invaded his country in 1959, has personally indicated the Lamas to be photographed for the book. He wrote the compelling foreword, and believes that this volume will have an important historical value: as keepers of ancient Buddhist wisdom passed on through oral tradition, the Lamas depicted here are the guardians of the vast knowledge of Tibetan culture. The photographs have never been published before, and the sober black-and-white images convey the extraordinary personalities of these teachers, focusing exclusively on the human and the spiritual, rather than the overtly religious. As a result, the portraits make genuine contact with the profound gaze of these great masters. Photographer Melina Mulas embarked on this project in 1991, and has traveled the world to meet and photograph the Lamas. The Department of Religion and C