There are six million Tibetans living in Tibet. Buddhism is

an integral part of their daily lives, for both monks and lay

Tibetans, who take arduous journeys in pilgrimage to holy

sites to express their spirituality and devotion. Award-winning

photographer, Steve McCurry, has followed their trials and

captured their dedication.

Tibet has suffered extreme political turmoil

and upheaval over the last fifty or so years.

It was occupied in 1950, when Red Guards

destroyed thousands of official buildings

and holy places during the Cultural Revolution,

and religious freedom and traditional education

is still severely under threat. Due to the strength

of the Tibetan's faith in Buddha and the Dalai

Lama, and against the odds, many buildings

have been reconstructed and their devotion

and belief have remained extraordinarily strong.

Buddhism permeates every part of a Tibetan's

life, whether they are the Tibetans living in Tibet

or the hundreds of thousands who live away

from their homeland, in Nepal, India or the

United States.

The Path to Buddha looks at the religious and

lay Buddhists on their pilgrimages to holy sites.

In the two main chapters of the book, we see

the monks in animated discussion, meditation

and prayer, and follow the devout believers

on their arduous journeys to prayer. These

two chapters are interspersed with sections

of portraits of this proud and dignified people

who have their own innate sense of style and

fashion demonstrated in the way they dress

and adorn themselves.

World-renowned for his beautiful and uplifting

imagery and soulful portraits, Steve McCurry's

new book The Path to Buddha offers an intimate

insight into a unique and dignified culture.