Editeur - Casa editrice

  Asia
India
Ladakh
Himalaya
Tibet

Anno - Date de Parution

Pagine - Pages

Titolo originale

Lingua - language - langue

Edizione - Collana

Traduttore

Prefazione

Pour avoir émerveillé le monde, les photographies d’Olivier Föllmi méritaient d’être mises en valeur dans un livre d’art. Enrichi de somptueuses photographies inédites, ce livre est l’hommage de son auteur à des vallées et à un peuple qui l’ont adopté autant qu’il les a aimés durant vingt-cinq ans. Hommage à l’Himalaya offre une émotion à chaque page. Les images intemporelles de lieux magiques sont associées à des clairs-obscurs intimistes qui nous plongent dans la contemplation. Ce livre d’art photograhique nous emmène sur le chemin de vie passionnée d’un photographe qui fait désormais référence.

"In a close manner, I wished to highlight my dear himalayan photographs, and this art book is the reflection of my work with these peoples."

The past century in particular has seen far-reaching and rapid changes in many parts of the world. Naturally there is a common urge to improve standards of living, broaden education, raise levels of health and ease means of transport. However, as we progress from one way of living to another there is a risk of discarding what is tried and tested, what appears merely to be old, just to have something modern instead. In the process we may lose our sense of values. This I think may explain to some extent why there is today a fascination for places that modernisation has not yet reached, where old ways and ancient values persist.

Olivier Föllmi and his wife Danielle have dedicated many years to their friendship with people of the Himalayan region. The affection in which they hold the people, the places and the landscape there are reflected in the gentle warmth of Olivier’s photographs. His observation is acute and I feel he aptly captures not only something of the beauty of the Himalayan environment, but also the spirit of its people.

Because of the difficulties its terrain places on transport, the Himalayan region as a whole has been much slower to change than other places. The people who live here are much more governed by the seasons than elsewhere. They place a much lower premium on time than the inhabitants of our teeming modern cities. A patient unhurried approach is reflected in the character of the people of the region. And, while it is Tibetans who I know best, I have observed that the majority of the Himalayan people are similarly mild-mannered, easily contented, satisfied with whatever conditions are available and resilient in the face of hardship. The rigours of both the climate and the environment contribute to this, but another significant factor is Buddhist culture that has flourished in the Himalayas for much more than a thousand years. With its teachings on love, kindness and tolerance, its emphasis on compassion and the conduct of non-violence, and especially the theory that all things are relative, Buddhism pervades the hearts and minds of people throughout the Himalayas as a source of inner peace.

I do not wish simply to idealise old ways of life; there is also much in the modern world to be optimistic about. But the clear challenge we face, whether we belong to the developed or the developing world, is to discover how to enjoy the same degree of harmony and tranquillity we find in traditional communities, while benefiting fully from the material developments of the modern world. With his book, Tribute to the Buddhist Himalaya, Olivier Föllmi offers readers a vivid opportunity to learn more about and appreciate a way of life and the positive values that lie at its core in a part of the world that is dear to his and my heart.


Tenzin Gyatso, XIVe Dalaï Lama
July 31, 2004