But, with Tibet locked behind an iron curtain since the 1951 Chinese annexation, the economies and cultures of the entire Himalayan region have weakened. Tibetan Buddhism, however, still serves as the common link, with the Karmapa’s Kagyu sect a powerful force on the Indian side.
分布于喜马拉雅地区的大小社区在历史上一直是紧密连结在一起的。但随着西藏在1951年遭中国吞并和封锁之后，整个喜马拉雅地区的经济和文化都遭到了削弱。但藏传佛教依然是彼此之间共同的纽带，而藏传佛教噶玛噶举派则是印度一侧的重要力量。