''In Secret Tibet'' ''(In disguise amongst lamas, robbers, and wise men)'' is a travel book by author

Theodore Illion Theodore Illion or Theodor Illion (1898 in Canada (?) – September 4, 1984 in Hallein in the state of Salzburg), is a writer of travel books who claimed to have visited Tibet in the 1930s and discovered an underground city there. He published his ...

, first published in German in 1936 and then in English in 1937.

Fantastic tales

In 1934, the author set out to explore

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

, dyeing his face with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

and oil to avoid detection in a country that was closed to foreigners at the time. Theodore Illion wrote three books about the country, ''Darkness over Tibet'' was also published in 1937 and ''The Tibetan Art of Healing'' came out in 1975. ''In Secret Tibet'' primarily focuses on the Tibetan people and their thoughts and customs; Illion enthusiastically relates tales of his encounters with

nomads Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, Nomadic pastoralism, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and Merchant, trader nomads. In the twentieth century, ...

, bandits,

lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

s, and other holy men. Perhaps the most incredible chapter relays an encounter where Illion observed a miraculous healer help a traveling passerby who had been struck by a falling stone which:

"..tore savagely down his right arm.. tearing away the skin and inflicting a deep flesh wound at least twenty inches in length. I am unable to say whether he healeractually touched the bleeding wound or whether his hand passed over it about an inch from it. Be that as it may, the bleeding stopped instantly."

One remarkable account given in the book is the author's witnessing of a practitioner of

lung-gom-pa ''Lung-gom-pa'' is esoteric skill in Tibetan Buddhism, which is said to allow a practitioner to run at an extraordinary speed for days without stopping. This technique could be compared to that practised by the Kaihōgyō monks of Mount Hiei and b ...

. These "flying lamas" were supposedly capable of running with a sustained bouncing motion for several days and nights on end. They had previously been witnessed by

Alexandra David-Néel Alexandra David-Néel (born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David; 24 October 1868 – 8 September 1969) was a Belgian–French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist, opera singer, and writer. She is most known for her 1924 visit to Lha ...

, a French explorer visiting the country in 1924.Lung-gom-pa Runners of Tibet
/ref> Illion says that he twice observed the lung-gom-pa at close range, describing how:

"..the hands and feet of the lama swung to and fro like a pendulum. The speed at which they progressed was amazing.. ..he was in a state of trance.. ..judging by careful examination of his footprints, the weight of his body must have been diminished to some extent." — "People who imagine that the flying lamas are numerous in Tibet are mistaken."

Controversy

Much of the text appears to mirror the work of

, overlaid with Illion's personal musings and fantastic tales. This is a quote from David-Néel's ''Magic and Mystery in Tibet'', (published five years previously) which recounts an earlier meeting she had with a lung-gom-pa lama:

"He seemed to lift himself from the ground.. His steps had the regularity of a pendulum.. ..the traveller seemed to be in a trance." These men they say, are able to sit on an ear of barley without bending its stalk, or to stand on the top of a heap of grain without displacing any of it. ..but I have not myself witnessed anything like it."

Physician and bibliographer Jürgen C. Aschoff highly doubts Theodore Illion ever went to Tibet, or even approached the borders. Illion's books are, in his eyes, "truly

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

, a figment of the imagination." Aschoff finds it incredible that Illion's publications are used and cited in many scientific articles and books on

Tibetan medicine Traditional Tibetan medicine or Sowa Rigpa is the Tibetan medical system developed in the 8th century under King Trisong Detsen that incorporated the best international medical practices of that time.Claude Arpi, ''Glimpses on the Tibet History' ...

, although llionhas "never mentioned one published reference or one renowned Tibetan physician in support of his vague assertions."

Bibliography

;Notes ;References * - Total pages: 348 * - Total pages: 210 *{{cite book , last=Illion, first=Theodore , title = The Tibetan Art of Healing, edition=1974, year=1974, publisher = Adventures Unlimited Press, isbn= 9780722401347 - Total pages: 117 1937 non-fiction books Canadian travel books Tibetan Buddhist art and culture Books about Tibet