ABSTRACT
Henry Vanderloo was born in San Francisco, that city once overpowered by flowers. He was tall (perhaps due to his Dutch ancestry), and his light blond hair and John Lennon glasses made him stand out in a crowd, though he did not seek attention. Most called him Hank. He had started his doctorate because he identified with those who explored Buddhism in Tibet, such as Alexandra David-Néel and, more recently, Matthew Kapstein, thinking he would follow in their footsteps. His advisor, Ruth Smith, suggested he go to Northern India where Buddhist monks and nuns continue their traditional round of life in ancient monastic orders without Chinese interference. The idea appealed to him. He wondered if these monastic institutions had been sustained for centuries through a special form of organizing. (His academic questions were, however, far more personal, as she discovered later.)
