"Peter Grieder has traveled from his home in the mountains of Europe and found inspiration among the great Himalayas. What unites the people that he met in Ladakh, Zanskar, Bhutan and Tibet is a remarkable sense of fortitude and contentment derived largely from a common culture rooted in Buddhism. One of the key elements of Buddhist teachings is the importance of the inner journey. No matter what external developments we may make in our world or what magnificent things we may see in it, without a corresponding inner development we will not find the happiness we ultimately seek. However, if each of us can journey within and develop a warm heart towards others and calm in our minds, there lies real hope for peace and joy in the world." (from the Foreword by the Dalai Lama)

This volume analyses the constructions and realities of childhood in Poland, c. 1050-1300 CE, by examining a range of texts and considering the ways in which children fit within textual frameworks and genres. These texts include two major chronicles, monastic sources, and hagiography related to five major saints. The textual sources are put into conversation with findings from archaeology. The author argues that certain common themes, such as assumed care for children, the need for education, and the puer senex trope do feature through most texts of any genre, and the book also explores how Poland was similar to and different from the situation in western Europe. See inside the book.