PRELOVED A Stranger in Tibet - Scott Berry

This is a secondhand book, it has been read. The condition is very good.

The fascinating biography of the Japanese Zen monk Kawaguchi Ekai who, in 1900 crossed from Nepal into Tibet. He was already the first Japanese person to visit Nepal and now became the first to enter Tibet.
He had set off from Japan determined to discover the Tibetan translations of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, but with only the vaguest idea of how to achieve his goal.
After two and a half years of hard work and planning, he spoke Tibetan fluently and had adapted so completely that he was able to travel in disguise.
He walked alone through Tibet. During this time he was constantly oppressed by the cultural impossibility of bathing, and had to fight off numerous assaults on his prized vow of celibacy. A frail and under-nourished vegetarian, Kawaguchi was frequently lost and at times suspected of being a British spy.
The idiosyncratic explorer overcame robbery, starvation and an appalling sense of direction to finally meet the Dalai Lama, and become a successful doctor.

A must read for those interested in Buddhism, Tibet, culture and travel.