When the Iron Bird Flies

“When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.”

~ 8th century - Guru Padmasambhava

In 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama escapes the Chinese invasion of Tibet and with his departure and the exodus of many of the major teachers of all the sects of Tibetan Buddhism— Buddhadharma, as it was practiced in virtual seclusion for centuries in the Land of Snow, was suddenly thrust out into the world.

"The coming of Buddhism to the West may well prove to be the most important event of the Twentieth Century."

~ Arnold Toynbee, Historian

Fifty years later, there are Tibetan Buddhist meditation centers in every major city in the western world, two three-year retreat centers in France alone, and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, has 92,000 followers on Twitter.
When the Iron Bird Flies traces the astounding path of one of the world’s great spiritual traditions from the caves of Tibet to the mainstream of western culture and asks: In these increasingly chaotic modern times, can these age old teachings help us find genuine happiness and create a saner, more compassionate 21st century world?

"Only if outward and inner freedom are constantly and consciously pursued is there a possibility of spiritual development and perfection and thus of improving man’s outward and inner life."

~ Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years