Tibet: An Accidental Pilgrimage - Ivan Cooper
7pm Friday 4 April - Headingley Library
Sally Bavage writes:
 |
| Ivan Cooper |
Heinrich Harrer’s seminal book Seven Years in Tibet was an
exotic influence on the young Ivan.
Heinrich was an Austrian mountaineer and climber who found himself
interned in British India at the outbreak of WW2 and spent years as a
prisoner. Finally escaping to
Tibet, he then remained there for seven years; a tale both of derring-do and
extraordinary social, political and cultural observations.
An inspired Ivan spent two decades living and working in
Asia, principally Taiwan and Korea, with spells in China and, of course,
Tibet. A forbidden city, smiling
monks, Buddhism, a rich and ancient culture – the differences and the
attractions were many. He learnt
to speak Tibetan and travelled widely, sometimes with a sword-wearing guide. Had he ever used it? “Only when a man insulted my mother,” showing him the
nick on the blade. He shared a
tongue but was separated by culture.
Ivan reads us excerpts from his vivid account of his Tibetan
times, covering a range of aspects of life in a landscape that is both
beautiful and squalid, a culture that is primitive and spiritual, life which is
simple and philosophical, a society which is hospitable and brutal.
His own journey is both physical and spiritual: he studied
Buddhism from an agnostic perspective in order to better understand a guiding
force that gives meaning to many of Tibet’s people, especially those in a rural
environment that has more of the medieval than the modern about it. Imagine a village without electricity,
water, telephone, public services such as sewage or toilets, police, town
planning. Put in wooden huts
arranged haphazardly round the inevitable monastery, surround them by garbage heaps and pariah dogs. You have something approaching the
shanty town in which he stayed.
Happily.
Prayer flags and prayer wheels, ice-skating, snowballing
monks clutching mobile phones, deities and disasters, temple gods and Mao Tse
Tung - this book has them all. A
description of a ‘sky burial’ is riveting, at once vivid, gruesome, compelling
and yet somehow natural. Yes, it
has disembowelling and vultures, an aerial tug of war over a length of
intestine, a mortuary platform and grim tools – cleavers, razor-toothed saw and
stone bone-crushing mallets included – but a clean ending. We are all just flesh, skin and bone,
and eventually all gone, leaving just faded photographs and memories.
Ivan neither rejects his western heritage nor denies the attractions
of a more centralised eastern philosophy.
He can translate the word ‘democracy’ but the meaning does not cross the
political divide. Like the travel writer Colin Thubron in To a Mountain in
Tibet, he recognises the contributions each make to our understanding of
freedom and society.
Ivan returned after his sojourn in the wilder spaces of our
world, and his imagination, with a
wife and young baby. His
distraction with the new demands on him cushioned him from too much
introspection about an extraordinary journey and gave him some time to
chronicle his adventures in a book that proves he is a master of the genre of travel
writing. Do read it.
Audience Comments
Audience Comments
1. I am so glad I came to this event which was informative and very
well presented. To have the opportunity of meeting and listening to someone who
has had such an interesting life and has plainly retained the courage of his
convictions is a privilege. Thank you Leeds.
2. I am not a fan of travel writing. However I thought that the talk
was well structured, the slideshow was linked in well and the Q&Q session
was very informative. Good venue too.
3. An excellent presentation. Fascinating readings, a real window onto
life in remotest parts of Tibet. Well read by Ivan – great choice of photos and
very generous Q&A session.
4. I enjoyed the talk. Anecdotes interesting. Talk came to life with
slideshow at the end. Question and answer session very good. Only then did I
get a sense of his journey.
5. I had heard Ivan speak at Café Philosophique last year and bought
his book after reading the flyer there. I came this evening to hear more about
his travels, and enjoyed hearing him read from the book, and seeing many more
illustrations through slides. A fascinating story.
6. I find the readings entertaining and enlightening and found the
discussion afterwards thought provoking.
7. As a Tai Chi teacher and a practitioner of meditation it is very
interesting and inspiring to listen to all the wonderful atmospheric
descriptions and details of this amazing culture. I loved looking at all the
characterful faces and the striking colours of the artwork, architecture,
clothes, landscape and of course the Tibetan flags!
8. An excellent event – Ivan was a very engaging and clear. A full
house – obviously well advertised and organised.
9. Fascinating insights into a way of life that is still substantially
unknown. Interesting personal observations and the ambiguities his experiences
evoked. Thank you.
10. A good presentation from an original ‘source’ presenting a
thoughtful view of an occupied country.
11. Interesting readings with vivid descriptions. He read with a good
clear voice. The pictures shown on screen illustrated the book excerpts he read
alongside some of them. The question session was good. He answered them in
detail. Nice touches of humour. His passion for the subject shone through.
12. Very interesting talk and slideshow. The Q&A session was very
enlightening and was probably the best part of the evening.
13. Very interesting insight onto Ivan’s travels and his experience of
Tibet. Looking forward to reading the book and very competently delivered by
the author.
14. It was a really interesting talk, very enjoyable. The Q&A
session went on too long for me and I was getting restless. The photos were
amazing. Thank you very much.
15. A fascinating insight into a troubled country. The speaker was
fluent – his writing style is vivid and lively. Question time was dealt with
fully. Some tricky questions received wise answers. A good evening – food for
thought.
16. I enjoyed the reading. This was the only event I was able to get to this
year. (I just move here this year). Next year I will most definitely make an
effort to go to more. I have heard so many good things.
17. Very interesting from start to finish. The sky burial description
very vivid and thought provoking. I will enjoy the book.
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