Danzan Ravjaa is perhaps Mongolia's most beloved saint. As a boy, he was only saved from Manchu execution by the intervention of the young Ninth Dalai Lama. He went on to become one of the greatest mystics and creative geniuses of his time. This book takes the reader on a journey through Mongolian history, Tibetan Buddhism and the traditions of nomadic culture to investigate the man and the many legends that surround him.

Lama of the Gobi: How Mongolia's Mystic Monk Spread Tibetan Buddhism in The World's Harshest Desert, Michael Kohn, Blacksmith Books, Paperback, 246 pp, $14.95

Michael Kohn was born and raised in California. He earned a BA in Literature from UC Santa Barbara in 1995. After teaching English in Japan and extensive travels in Southeast Asia, he moved to Mongolia where he worked for three years (1998-2000) as an editor for the Mongol Messenger newspaper. He continues to spend a part of each year in Mongolia, reporting for media organizations such as AFP, BBC Radio, the South China Morning Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. Michael is author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Mongolia as well as Dateline Mongolia: An American Journalist in Nomad's Land. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter, and has a website at www.michaelkohn.us

	Contents: Lama of the Gobi: How Mongolia's mystic monk spread Tibetan Buddhism in the world's harshest desert
	Editor's Note	6
	Preface	7
	Introduction	13
1.	The Mysterious Monk	19
2.	The Torch is Passed	35
3.	Incidents of Youth	51
4.	Ravjaa and Buddhism	71
5.	Mongolia in the 19th Century	79
6.	A Desert Theater	87
7.	The Great Poet	127
8.	The Renaissance Man	145
9.	Adventures and Companions	163
10.	Travels and the Capital City	179
11.	An Untimely End	185
12.	Ravjaa Resurrected	203
	Epilogue	225
	Chronology	228
	Glossary	233
	Bibliography	236
	Endnotes	240