Born in Nepal – Susan Hoivik

For millennia, people throughout the world have told stories – to entertain, to inform… and also to try to make sense of the universe around them. Every religion has developed its own set of ‘stories’ – myths, legends, parables – accompanied by a system of rituals, symbols and various traditions. Just as religious systems evolve and develop, so do their stories and traditions. The Buddhist stories told in Thailand, or in Korea, or among Zen Buddhists, often differ from those told in India, or in Nepal, or Tibet. Also within the same country there will be variations, as exemplified by the many syncretic Hindu-Buddhist Newari legends of the Kathmandu Valley as compared with the Tibetan Buddhist tales of the High Himalayas.
This miscellany focuses on one aspect of the vast array of stories, legends, rituals, traditions and symbols that have developed within the world religion known as Buddhism: namely, those dealing with Nepal. After all, it was in Lumbini, in southern Nepal, that the historical Lord Buddha was born over 2,500 years ago. This volume is meant as a general introduction for all those visitors to Nepal who wish to learn more about its rich and living Buddhist heritage.
The author, Susan Höivik, has lived, studied and worked in Nepal for many years. She holds degrees from the University of Oslo, Columbia University and Leeds University, and is currently working for Eco Himal – Society for Ecological Co-operation Alps-Himalaya, under whose auspices this book is published.