In this first book of the Himalayan Notes series, Searching for Shangri-la, we meet a unique group of artists, dancers, musicians, lamas, monks and nomads who together are calling for protection of our environment, by getting back to values of culture and spirituality rather than materialism. Among them are: one of Asia's greatest composers ethnic Mongolian San Bao, legendary dancer and choreographer and ethnic Bai, Yang Liping, new age music singer Dadawa, ethnic fashion designer diva Flora Cheong-leen, rock star Kaiser Kuo, pop singer Ai Jing, together with Tibetan artist An Sang, art curator Cheng Xingdong, and a host of lamas, monks, environmentalists and nomads, all calling for a new set of values for sustainable living on a planet of diminishing resources.
Deep down inside, we all know our planet is not sustainable the way it is being run. We need a new economic approach that embraces our environment, with new measures of success – both national and personal, that seeks balance between the material and spiritual. In Himalayan Notes we journey to the heart of ourselves to ask a hard question: is there another way?
Laurence J. Brahm is an American-born global activist, author, pioneer social enterprise entrepreneur, political-economist, international mediator, and lawyer based in Beijing and Lhasa, China.
He is the founder of Himalayan Consensus, a NGO, and the African Consensus Movement, both dedicated to protecting ethnic diversity through sustainable economics. Brahm is also founder and CEO of Shambhala Serai, one of Asia’s first social enterprises.