Far-Flung Friends

For me, one of the more interesting storylines about the Dalai Lama is his relationship with Heinrich Harrer, one of four men who first scaled the formidable north wall of The Eiger (above) in the Swiss Alps.

As a youth, Harrer was an Olympic-caliber skier, but mountain climbing was his true passion. Having climbed the fearsome vertical cliffs of the North Face of The Eiger (documented in his book, “The White Spider”), Harrer won a spot on a Himalayan expedition to the Diamir Face of the Nanga Parbat in Kashmir in 1939.

While enroute, the four-man team led by Peter Aufschnailer was placed under the “protection” of British solders in Karachi, Pakistan. Two days later, England declared war on Germany. As Austrians, all were sent to British prisoner-of-war camps near Bombay, India.

However, Harrer and Aufschnailer eventually escaped after several attempts and found their way to Tibet, their only possible avenue of escape -- one that would have been impossible to all but trained mountaineers. Arriving in the capital of Lhasa, the pair became salaried employees of the Tibetan government.

Harrer later became tutor to the XIV Dalai Lama in English, geography and science. The two would remain lifelong friends. He documented his experiences in his book “Seven Years in Tibet," which became a bestseller in the U.S. and was the basis of the 1997 film of the same title (above) featuring Brad Pitt in the role of Harrer.

In a foreword in the book, His Holiness writes that “Harrer has always been a friend to Tibet. His most important contribution to our cause introduced hundreds of thousands of people to my country.” In 2002, the Dalai Lama recognized Harrer with the Light of Truth Award for his efforts to bring the situation in Tibet to international attention.