Although Tibet is modernizing fast, it retains a deeply spiritual culture. Even today, Tibetan valleys resound to distinctive and extraordinary calls to prayer. The Tibetan horn may be the world's most unwieldy instrument. But its sound is unique. 

 

Every morning, the nuns assemble for practice. The air is chilly, but they soon warm up. Monks and nuns comprise a substantial portion of society, largely self-contained and isolated.

 

Deep within the monastery is the spiritual engine that drives much of Tibetan culture.

 

Buddhists believe in an endless cycle of rebirth in which the actions of this life will impact on the next. The goal of Buddhism is to escape from this earthly cycle of pain and suffering by achieving a state of freedom, called Enlightenment. The enlightened guides, or spiritual teachers, are called lamas.