Tim McGirk has reported from numerous hotspots where religion lies at the core of conflict. McGirk taveled to Tibet and Dharamsala, India, home of the Dalai Lama, where he became fascinated by the Tibetans' struggle to keep their Buddhist faith and identity alive in exile. McGirk is currently Managing Editor of the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
McGirk is reporting on "Reincarnation in Exile," and how the ancient Tibetan Buddhist practice of having lamas continue their teachings throughout many lifetimes is starting to unravel. These reincarnate lamas, or "Rinpoches" as they are called, were forced to leave their secluded lives in Himalayan monasteries by the Chinese invasion. Scattered into India, Europe, the U.S. and Asia, these religious adepts have come into collision with modern society -- and all of its temptations and materialism.
TIME: ALL-AMERICAN LAMA: HOW AN 11TH CENTURY MYSTIC WAS REBORN IN PHILADELPHIA
THE BELIEVER: REINCARNATION IN EXILE
NPR: WEST'S ALLURE DULLS MONKHOOD'S LUSTER FOR SOME BUDDHISTS
The Knight Luce Fellowship for Reporting in Global Religion is sponsored by the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USC, and funded by a grant from the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs.
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