A note from Helena Norberg-Hodge
When I first arrived in Ladakh in 1975, I felt as though I had discovered paradise. Never before had I experienced a culture so beautiful and harmonious, nor had I ever encountered people who seemed so deeply at peace with themselves. In Ladakh at that time, I saw how self-reliant, land-based village economies supported a web of interdependent relationships between individuals, and between people and the natural world. These long-lasting, resilient connections were the foundation for a deep sense of security, self-respect and humility, which in turn translated into a remarkable openness, tolerance and spiritual wisdom, and irrepressible joie de vivre...