In the summer of 2006, Dan Hirshberg and his wife, Eve Kagan, were part of a team that led eight high school students on an educational journey through Tibet. After exploring Lhasa for three weeks, the second half of the trip began in Xining, the capital of Amdo/ Qinghai, and descended through Tibet’s eastern steppe into Kham/Sichuan. The climax of this rugged journey, punctuated by overnight buses and the kind hospitality of nomadic families, was a visit to Dzogchen Monastery. After several weeks of immersion in the Disneyland-like reconstruction of Lhasa, the genuine religious rebirth occurring at Dzogchen gave hope that the Dharma may persevere and thrive in Tibet once again.

View the photos here