David Liaño. Climbing, paragliding, sailing. Adventure.

I clearly remember standing in front of one of those circular racks that typically hold postcards. Instead of holding photos of idyllic beaches or stunning monuments, this unique rack was full of postcard-sized photographs of the Dalai Lama. One of the photographs stood out because it was the only black and white portrait of His Holiness. His face had the same peaceful and untroubled expression that's known around the world. I picked up the photo, held it in my hands for a moment and decided to get it. I could have never imagined the extraordinary journey I was about to begin with that photograph. Our travels would take us around the world several times and up to the summits of magnificent peaks all over the planet.

I got the photograph around September of 2004 and I'd been studying of Buddhism for four years at Tibet House in Mexico City. I heard that the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, would be visiting our country. It was an incredible opportunity to attend 3 days of teachings and learn from an extraordinary spiritual teacher. But I had just returned from an expedition in Tibet where I had summited Cho-Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world. I got to see the land that the Dalai Lama was forced to abandon in 1959 after the Chinese occupation. Attending these teachings was an even more meaningful experience. On the last day the Dalai Lama spoke, I decided that I would bring the photo with me on my next climbs.

The portrait of the Dalai Lama was not the only photo I carried. Around the same time, I bought a disposable camera and I took a photograph of my family at the time. (father, mother, brother and two dogs. The family has grown now!). I wanted to have an image of them that I could bring during my expeditions to show my gratitude for their support.

I kept that photograph and the picture of the Dalai Lama together and I made a little protective pouch out of a cardboard box. I cut out two rectangles slightly bigger than the 4x6 photographs and taped them together with duct tape. The photos would be "sandwiched" inside the pouch and I would put that inside a Ziploc bag. With that simple protection from bending and moisture, I took my photographs on their first expedition to climb the highest peak in Antarctica on January 2005.

Two months later, I travelled to Nepal for my first expedition to Mount Everest and the photos came with me. In Kathmandu I got a flag of Tibet to keep them company. The photos were with me every step of the way, inside my backpack. It was a very tough season, but I was able to reach the summit of the highest point on Earth! Up there Cheewang Nima Sherpa took photos of me holding the photograph of the Dalai Lama and another one holding the Tibetan flag. Before I started my descent, I called my family on the satellite phone and I picked up a few rocks from the summit.

Back in Mexico, I got in touch with the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India. I sent a package with my photographs at the summit as well as a summit rock. I included a letter explaining my solidarity with the Tibetan people and their struggle to preserve their culture. To my surprise, I received an incredibly warm reply from the Honorable Tenzin Taklha, Joint Secretary of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The reply said: "The rock and photos have been presented to His Holiness. I am pleased to convey to you his prayers and good wishes”. With that, I was determined to bring the photo of the Dalai Lama to every one of my climbs and adventures. And there were so many of them!

The photo reached the highest point of all the remaining Seven Summits. It reached the summit of Everest a total of 7 times and to the top of other 8,000 peaks. It survived, as I did, the earthquake in Nepal in 2015 while I was on the glacier at Camp II on Everest. It was with me during my singlehanded sailing adventures. It was also my companion during many of my paragliding trips. I even had it when I crashed during a paragliding take off and I was unconscious for some time in the remote Rolwaling Valley of Nepal. It also came with me when I rode a bicycle across Nepal to the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, where tradition says that Shakyamuni Buddha was born.

I also lent the photo to some friends for their summit photos.

2018 was a year of significant change in my life. Among other things, I tried to climb the four highest mountains in the world (Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga and Lhotse) in the same year. In the middle of May, I climbed Everest and missed my chances on Kangchenjunga and Lhotse. But in July I travelled with my photo of the Dalai Lama to Pakistan to try to summit K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.

K2 can be a deathly mountain. Its climbing history is full of tragic accounts. There is a memorial near base camp where climbers and trekkers are reminded of the dozens of people that have lost their lives trying to reach its top. Before starting our climb we had a Buddhist puja, in spite of being in a traditionally Muslim country. During the puja, the photo of the Dalai Lama came out again to share its blessings.

Two people died that year on the mountain, but we pushed on. K2 marks the border between Pakistan and China. The summit is actually divided between the two countries. In the early hours of July 22nd, 2018, I took the last few steps on the gentle snowy slope that leads to the summit of K2. It was a windy morning. The odds had been against us, but we reached the summit!

What do I do when I reach the summit of a big peak? The short time I spend on top of these massive peaks usually goes the same way. I congratulate my team members with hugs and slaps on the back. I stop for a moment to take in the view and I drink some water. I take out my satellite phone to call my family, to let them know I made it and to thank them for their unconditional support. I enjoy the view some more. Finally, have a few photographs taken while I hold the photo of my family and the photo of the Dalai Lama. I then repack my gear for the descent, enjoy the view one last time and start heading down.

At the windy summit of K2, I began my routine. It was so cold that I kept on one of my heavy gloves while I took out the photographs from the Ziploc bag. A teammate took a photo of me holding the photo of my family. Done. I switched photos to keep the one of the Dalai Lama in front. My teammate took the second photo. An instant later, a strong wind gust wrenched the photo of the Dalai Lama off my fingers. The iconic black and white photograph, my companion for 14 years, flew away over the cliffs surrounding the north side of the summit. It was blown away, into China.

The last photo I took with the postcard before it was blown away, seconds later.

Tibetan Buddhism has many ways of spreading blessings. For example, they have prayer wheels that share the blessings as they go around. They also have multi-colored prayer flags that are spread over the highest mountain passes and summits.

As I saw the photo of the Dalai Lama flying off into China, I thought of the blessings I had received from His Holiness after my first Everest expedition. I knew this was the way those blessings were reaching the Tibetan people at last.

After a long search, I recently found a digital version of the original photo. I plan to print it and take it with me to continue the adventure. The wheel of karma keeps turning…