'It will be clear that the deepest sources of inspiration are not the big monasteries or the great monastic colleges and universities (like Sera, Drepung, and Ganden, the greatest seats of learning in Tibet), but the humble hermitages, tucked away in the folds and cracks of mighty mountains, or in lonely valleys and in inaccessible canyons, or perched on high cliffs like eagles’ nests, or scattered over the solitudes of remote highlands and along the shores of placid lakes, far away from the tracks of caravans and the noise of trading camps and market towns.
'It was in these hermitages that saints and ascetics of Tibet found their inspiration, and it is to these hermitages that those who want to tread the path of wisdom and liberation return again and again. It is for this reason that every monastery possesses a number of isolated cubicles for meditation, as well as mountain retreats (‘ri-khrod,’ pron. ‘ritö’) and hermitages.
'The greatest hermit of Tibet was the poet-saint and yogi Milarepa (Mi-la-ras-pa), who spent the larger part of his life in caves and in the most inaccessible mountain fastnesses—and up to the present day his followers (in the Kargyüpta Order) lay greater stress on silence and meditation than on book knowledge and learned discussions. His life is perhaps the best example for the profound influence that even the most unworldly hermit may exert upon the world at large. His contributions to the cultural and religious life of Tibet are unrivaled in their originality and spontaneity, their beauty and their sense of dedication.'
- Lama Anagarika Govinda, in 'The Way of the White Clouds.'
'It was in these hermitages that saints and ascetics of Tibet found their inspiration, and it is to these hermitages that those who want to tread the path of wisdom and liberation return again and again. It is for this reason that every monastery possesses a number of isolated cubicles for meditation, as well as mountain retreats (‘ri-khrod,’ pron. ‘ritö’) and hermitages.
'The greatest hermit of Tibet was the poet-saint and yogi Milarepa (Mi-la-ras-pa), who spent the larger part of his life in caves and in the most inaccessible mountain fastnesses—and up to the present day his followers (in the Kargyüpta Order) lay greater stress on silence and meditation than on book knowledge and learned discussions. His life is perhaps the best example for the profound influence that even the most unworldly hermit may exert upon the world at large. His contributions to the cultural and religious life of Tibet are unrivaled in their originality and spontaneity, their beauty and their sense of dedication.'
- Lama Anagarika Govinda, in 'The Way of the White Clouds.'