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Journey from Tibet

Asang, a meditation instructor at Evanston’s Heartwood Center, escaped from Tibet through the Himalayas to India shortly after his sister and her baby died during childbirth.

In the fall of 2000, Asang went to Lhasa to find a guide who could help him get out of Tibet and seek an education. A group of 32 men, women and children set out on this treacherous journey that took about 30 days.

Asang and his fellow refugees could only travel at night as they walked through Tibet and China to avoid being shot at by day. There are no photos from that time of their ordeal.

Very little food was available. Asang had only a bit of butter and tsampa, a Tibetan food staple made from barley. By the time the group made it to the summit in the Himalayas on the Nepal side, they were near starving, but elated. Now they could travel during the day and felt sure they would reach their destination safely.

Once they reached a populated area, a Tibetan reception was held for them in Nepal. Asang sold his clothes to raise money for his trip to school in India. Someone gave him a pair of shoes to get to Dharmasala.

He soon made his way to India where he studied at the Dalai Lama’s school for Tibetan refugees. He met Nancy, an acupuncturist, during her trips there to study and to provide healthcare services for Nomad women. They married in 2006 and the couple has expanded Heartwood’s mission to promote women’s health to include helping women like Asang’s sister from suffering a similar fate.