Published by: World Tibet Network News ISSUE ID: 98/01/04

Source: http://www.pathfinder.com/twep/bulfinch/authors/richard_gere/pilgrim/

This haunting portrayal of the Tibetan Buddhist community evoked in exquisite photographs is the first book by actor and accomplished photographer Richard Gere.

Richard Gere has for many years found his spiritual source and guidance in Tibetan Buddhism; he has one of the most outspoken defenders of the Tibetan people. A student and friend of the Dalai Lama, he has made numerous journeys throughout India, Nepal, Zanskar, and Tibet. It is a little-known fact that he is also a committed photographer who has worked extensively within these regions. In the last several years Gere has begun showing his photographs in museums and galleries around the world to universal acclaim. In this, his

first book, Gere is publishing images which represent a journey both physical and spiritual.

Gere's photographs are striking in their maturity - the work of a serious artist encountering a subject of cultural significance. There is a hushed, meditative quality about his art that is perfectly in keeping with its subject. A foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama opens the book, followed by an essay by Gere; a poem by Patti Smith accompanies the portfolio. Reproduced on luxurious, uncoated stock, in an oversized format, Pilgrim draws the viewer within the aura of this

ancient and spiritually vital world, through Gere's very personal vision.

All of the author's profits from this book will be donated to Tibetan charities through the Gere Foundation to promote awareness of Tibet.