The Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine

Book Review

The Snow Leopard
by Peter Matthiessen
The Harvill Press
London, 1996.
Reviewed by P. Ravi Shankar, M.D. (ravi.dr.shankar@gmail.com).

Nepal is one of the most remarkable countries on Earth. The country is sandwiched between two Asian giants, China and India. In most dimensions, the country is unremarkable, but in one height there is no parallel. The land rises from the flood plains of the ‘terai’ at around 150 to 200 meters to Mt. Everest at 8848 m, the highest point on Earth.

The snow leopard is one of the most elusive of the big cats. The high, remote, snow covered highlands which it inhabits and its magnificent camouflage which makes it blend into the surroundings makes sightings rare.

In 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen accompanied the geologist, George Schaller, on a long trek to the remote Dolpo district of Nepal. The Snow Leopard is the account of his remarkable journey. The book is one of my favorite reads.

The book can be read at two levels. At the superficial level, the book is a well written travelogue; at a deeper level, the book is a philosophical discourse about life. Peter Matthiessen reflects on a number of issues during the long journey. Being a frequent trekker in the magnificent Nepal Himalaya I can vouch for the efficacy of treks as a clearing and sorting house for life’s problems. Deforestation and erosion in the hills is a pet theme of the author. He writes, “In the Himalaya as elsewhere there is a great dying, one infinitely sadder than the Pleistocene extinctions, for man now has the knowledge and the need to save these remnants of his past.”

The author was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism and the Zen worldview underlies the book. The author has managed to intertwine philosophical ruminations with the factual descriptions of the journey. ‘Gnaskor’ or pilgrimage in Tibetan has been evoked to explain the way of the expedition which moves on without haste and without gainful destination. Modern industrial and post industrial societies are time conscious and goal oriented. Traveling has become covering so many tourist sights and attractions within a given time frame. Often the journey turns out to be more enjoyable than the destination! This is now returning to favor in many regions of the world!

Zen instructs its adherents to appreciate the present without the baggage of the past and the future. As a child grows up he/she begins to shut himself/herself off from the surroundings. The various ethnic groups like the Gurungs, the Brahmins, the Chhetris, the Tibetans and the people of Dolpo are described with compassion and empathy.

Dolpa is a place with a strong Tibetan influence and the author keeps going back to the fascinating history of Tibet. Tibet was a land with a strong spirituality and the references to Tibet in the book may serve to introduce spirituality to medical students and can serve as the basis for further reflection. Tibet was one of the few lands which had harnessed the forces of Nature and had used them for spiritual purposes. The prayer wheels driven by water sending the prayer ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ in all four directions is an example.

The book contains many descriptions of death which is a topic which crops up often in the medical humanities. An example follows: “The old man has been ravened from within. That blind and greedy stare of his, that caved-in look, and the mouth working, reveal who now inhabits him, who now stares out. I nod to death in passing, aware of the sound of my own feet upon my path.”

The subsistence economies of the villages have been described lovingly. In the last thirty years, the cash economy has been slowly making inroads in to the villages of Nepal. Western postindustrial societies have evolved from village cultures. A culture of villages and settlements may be the early state of humankind. Urban students might find that the book offers a peep into a very different kind of life and may be one more in tune with nature. “Green village compounds, set about with giant banyans and old stone pools and walls, are cropped to lawn by water buffalo and cattle; the fresh water and soft shade give them the harmony of parks.”

The nature of the Mind, the relationship between the Mind and the body, enlightenment, relief of suffering, lack of ‘desire’ and the unsentimental embrace of all existence are recurring themes in the book. These are also important issues for the humanities.

At present, Nepal is beginning to recover from a decade long, violent conflict which has caused tremendous suffering and affected all aspects of life. Despite all the problems, the Nepalese are a happy people. Matthiessen writes, “These simple and uneducated men comport themselves with the wise calm of monks, and their well being is in no way inseparable from their religion.” Happiness is a universal human pursuit and should be an important issue for the humanities.

The book repeatedly touches on anthropology. The link between the Tibetans, the Bhotias (people of Tibetan extraction) and the American Indians is interesting. In fact this link has been noticed by many workers. There is a strong similarity between the Gurungs and Magars who inhabit the hills surrounding Pokhara and the Americxan Indian tribes of Peru and Ecuador.

The book describes the time spent by the author with D, his companion very powerfully and empathically. I quote, “She was frightened and depressed, and wished desperately to know that the love I felt for her was not just pity.” D was suffering from cancer and was sedated with opioids. Preparing for death and meeting death with equanimity are again important issues which medical students and doctors should be aware of.

The Tibetan book of the dead has been referred to repeatedly. Matthiessen writes, “Instructions for passage through the Bardo are contained in the Tibetan “Book of the Dead” which I carry with me, a guide for the living, actually, since it teaches that a man’s last thoughts will determine the quality of his reincarnation. Each moment should be lived considering that it may be the last one, thinking good thoughts and carrying out good actions. A wonderful thought!
Simplicity of life is important for happiness. Over the years, man has expended considerable efforts on making life more comfortable. The side effect has been a huge increase in the complexity of daily life. This complexity may be a contributing factor for many of the diseases of modern civilization. ‘Simplify, simplify’ can be a powerful message for the Medical Humanities for doctors and humankind!

Expect nothing and take each day as it comes is a theme running throughout the book. This theme which forms the basis of treks in the hills can also be extrapolated to daily living. This simple but difficult aphorism can lead to a huge improvement in mental well being.

The eastern thinking is described in detail. Circular time, dream travel, telepathy and the intertwining of religion and daily life are described. The various theories of the origin of the Universe are also considered. The Vedic view of the Universe is remarkably similar to the relativistic view developed by Einstein. The porters accompanying the expedition are sketched out in remarkable detail with a loving pen.

The author brings out the single minded devotion of George Schaller, his traveling companion towards his work. He lovingly calls him GS. As the party reach nearer and nearer to the Crystal Mountain the villages encountered on the way progressively become more Tibetan. Dolpo is a magical land and has been the setting for the movie ‘Caravan’ in recent years. The author’s description makes one almost feel the dry desert landscape, the roaring wind and the dark blue sky. The power of words transports you to Tibet and the Tibet like lands in Nepal.

The Rara Lake, the largest in Nepal and the Shey monastery beyond the Kanjiroba Himal and the lama of Shey are all described in detail. With its description of the Buddha, Zen Buddhism, Tibetan culture, Bon Po (the old religion of Tibet) and eastern thought the book will make for interesting reading for all teachers and students of the medical humanities. The book is thought provoking and came be used to introduce a number of medical humanities topics and to provoke debate. I have detailed a few of these topics here. To know more, read this fascinating book!

About the Reviewer

P. Ravi Shankar is affiliated with the Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.

Published: June 14, 2007