Zaṅs-dkar nas ʼgrul bskyod Journey from Zanskar : a monk's vow to children

Summary: Tells the heroic, remarkable tale of Buddhist monks who travel to Zanskar, India where they carefully select the brightest, most capable children in meetings with the poorest of the poor families. These kids then separate from their fathers and mothers, grandparents and friends as they travel to Manali for a traditional Tibetan and Buddhist education. At the last minute, one grandmother refuses to let her beloved granddaughter leave. The monks lead the children on foot and horseback on an arduous and dangerous five day trek through mountain passes over 17,000 feet in elevation. The trek runs into crisis as the yaks and horses can't navigate the deep snow. Rather than risk anyone dying, the monks insist on turning back. Forlorn and dejected, one man snowblind, the whole party returns wearily all the way back to the starting point in Padum. Undaunted, the monks resort to a fallback plan. Renting buses and vans, the group travels on closed roads over even higher passes, first to Leh, then to Manali. There they bask in the lush greenery and warm, humid air. Tsultim, 12 stares in wonder at his first ever vision of monkeys. To further their education and accent their accomplishment, all the children are later brought to Dharamsala to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama.