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Tibet Overview: Culture
Mythology | Tibetan Buddhism | Culture books
The Tibetan civilization is one of the oldest in the world, dating back 5000 years at least. It is almost certainly much older than this.
The mythical history, according to Bon tradition, describes the Tibetan people as descendants of a Simian father and a mountain ogress. The monkey and the ogress's six sons were believed to have been the original ancestors of six Tibetan clans. The offspring inherited their father's compassion and their mother's stubborn character.
Of equal importance is the environment that has shaped the Tibetan people. Tibet is bordered to the south by the Himalayas and to the west by the Ladakh mountains and the Karakoram ranges. To the north are the Kun-Lun and Tang-La ranges. The sole gap between the magnificent mountains that isolate the plateau is to the east where three mighty rivers flow: the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Yangtse.
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Young family on a pilgrimage to
Sera monastery, Lhasa
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