Download or read book Tibetan Buddhism A Very Short Introduction written by Matthew T. Kapstein and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-27 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tibetan Buddhist tradition has known over thirteen centuries of continuous development. During that time, it has spread among the neighboring peoples - the Mongol, Himalayan, and Siberian peoples, Manchus and Chinese. At its height is has been practiced in regions as far west as the Volga river and to the east in Beijing. Its capacity for creative adaptation is demonstrated by its recent growth in Europe and America. At the same time, it is at the center of political contestation in ethnically Tibetan regions of China, while its best known exponent, the Dalai Lama, has become one of the most admired religious leaders in the world today. But what does this religion teach? Just what is the position of the Dalai Lama, and how will his succession be assured? Is it true that Tibetan Buddhism in entirely suppressed in China? Scholar Matthew Kapstein offers a brief account responding to these questions and more in this Very Short Introduction, in terms that are accessible to students, general readers, journalists, and others who are curious to learn the most essential features of Tibetan Buddhist history, teachings, and practice. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Download or read book Among Tibetan Texts written by E. Gene Smith and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001-06-15 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For three decades, E. Gene Smith ran the Library of Congress's Tibetan Text Publication Project of the United States Public Law 480 (PL480) - an effort to salvage and reprint the Tibetan literature that had been collected by the exile community or by members of the Bhotia communities of Sikkim, Bhutan, India, and Nepal. Smith wrote prefaces to these reprinted books to help clarify and contextualize the particular Tibetan texts: the prefaces served as rough orientations to a poorly understood body of foreign literature. Originally produced in print quantities of twenty, these prefaces quickly became legendary, and soon photocopied collections were handed from scholar to scholar, achieving an almost cult status. These essays are collected here for the first time. The impact of Smith's research on the academic study of Tibetan literature has been tremendous, both for his remarkable ability to synthesize diverse materials into coherent accounts of Tibetan literature, history, and religious thought, and for the exemplary critical scholarship he brought to this field.
Download or read book Tibetan Buddhism written by Steven D. Goodman and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume consists of eight studies, each one bringing to light new material of use to comparative religionists and historians of religion, as well as to students of Tibetan Buddhism. These studies are based on critical scrutiny of indigenous sources and, in many cases, the learned opinion of native Tibetan scholars. The studies are organized around two dominant themes in Tibetan religious life -- the quest for clarity and insight via visionary exploration and philosophical exploration.
Download or read book Himalayan Passages written by Andrew Quintman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-08-12 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore new research on the religious and cultural traditions of the Himalayan Buddhist world. Over decades, hundreds of American undergraduates spending a semester abroad have been introduced to Tibetan culture in India, Nepal, and China by Hubert Decleer. A number went on to become prominent scholars in the field at institutions such as Yale, Berkeley, and Georgetown, and as a tribute to him they have put together this collection of cutting-edge research in Himalayan studies, bringing together contributions of this new generation with those of senior researchers in the field. This new research on the religion and culture of the Himalayan Buddhist world spans a broad range of subjects, periods, and approaches, and the diversity and strength of the contributions ensures Himalayan Passages be warmly welcomed by scholars, travelers, and Tibetan Buddhists alike. Highlights include: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. tells the story of Gendun Chopel's unusual visit to Sri Lanka in 1941. Leonard van der Kuijp examines the Bodhicittavivarana, an ancient work on the enlightened resolve to free all beings. Kabir Mansingh Heimsath compares Western and Chinese curatorial approaches to Tibetan modern art. Alexander von Rospatt illuminates the fascinating history and artistic details of the famous Svayambhu stupa in Kathmandu. Sarah H. Jacoby translates the short autobiography of Sera Khandro, the celebrated female Tibetan mystic of a century ago. Additional contributors include Franz-Karl Ehrhard, Ernst Steinkellner, Jacob P. Dalton, Iain Sinclair, Anne Vergati, Punya Prasad Parajuli, and Dominique Townsend.
Download or read book Perspectives of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies written by Bimalendra Kumar and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Papers presented at various seminars; some previously published.
Download or read book Prisoners of Shangri La written by Donald S. Lopez and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the Western imagination, Tibet evokes exoticism, mysticism, and wonder: a fabled land removed from the grinding onslaught of modernity, spiritually endowed with all that the West has lost. Originally published in 1998, Prisoners of Shangri-La provided the first cultural history of the strange encounter between Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Donald Lopez reveals here fanciful misconceptions of Tibetan life and religion. He examines, among much else, the politics of the term “Lamaism,” a pejorative synonym for Tibetan Buddhism; the various theosophical, psychedelic, and New Age purposes served by the so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead; and the unexpected history of the most famous of all Tibetan mantras, om mani padme hum. More than pop-culture anomalies, these versions of Tibet are often embedded in scholarly sources, constituting an odd union of the popular and the academic, of fancy and fact. Upon its original publication, Prisoners of Shangri-La sent shockwaves through the field of Tibetan studies—hailed as a timely, provocative, and courageous critique. Twenty years hence, the situation in Tibet has only grown more troubled and complex—with the unrest of 2008, the demolition of the dwellings of thousands of monks and nuns at Larung Gar in 2016, and the scores of self-immolations committed by Tibetans to protest the Dalai Lama’s exile. In his new preface to this anniversary edition, Lopez returns to the metaphors of prison and paradise to illuminate the state of Tibetan Buddhism—both in exile and in Tibet—as monks and nuns still seek to find a way home. Prisoners of Shangri-La remains a timely and vital inquiry into Western fantasies of Tibet.
Download or read book What is Buddhist Studies written by Sanjib Kumar Das and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Reason s Traces written by Matthew Kapstein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-02-08 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reason's Traces addresses some of the key questions in the study of Indian and Buddhist thought: the analysis of personal identity and of ultimate reality, the interpretation of Tantric texts and traditions, and Tibetan approaches to the interpretation of Indian sources. Drawing on a wide range of scholarship, Reason's Traces reflects current work in philosophical analysis and hermeneutics, inviting readers to explore in a Buddhist context the relationship between philosophy and traditions of spiritual exercise.
Download or read book Luminous Bliss written by Georgios T. Halkias and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2012-09-30 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With an annotated English translation and critical analysis of the Orgyan-gling gold manuscript of the short Sukhāvativyūha-sūtra Pure Land Buddhism as a whole has received comparatively little attention in Western studies on Buddhism despite the importance of “buddha-fields” (pure lands) for the growth and expression of Mahāyāna Buddhism. In this first religious history of Tibetan Pure Land literature, Georgios Halkias delves into a rich collection of literary, historical, and archaeological sources to highlight important aspects of this neglected pan-Asian Buddhist tradition. He clarifies many of the misconceptions concerning the interpretation of “other-world” soteriology in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and provides translations of original Tibetan sources from the ninth century to the present that represent exoteric and esoteric doctrines that continue to be cherished by Tibetan Buddhists for their joyful descriptions of the Buddhist path. The book is informed by interviews with Tibetan scholars and Buddhist practitioners and by Halkias’ own participant-observation in Tibetan Pure Land rituals and teachings conducted in Europe and the Indian subcontinent. Divided into three sections, Luminous Bliss shows that Tibetan Pure Land literature exemplifies a synthesis of Mahāyāna sutra-based conceptions with a Vajrayana world-view that fits progressive and sudden approaches to the realization of Pure Land teachings. Part I covers the origins and development of Pure Land in India and the historical circumstances of its adaptation in Tibet and Central Asia. Part II offers an English translation of the short Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra (imported from India during the Tibetan Empire) and contains a survey of original Tibetan Pure Land scriptures and meditative techniques from the dGe-lugs-pa, bKa’-brgyud, rNying-ma, and Sa-skya schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Part III introduces some of the most innovative and popular mortuary cycles and practices related to the Tantric cult of Buddha Amitābha and his Pure Land from the Treasure traditions in the bKa’-brgyud and rNying-ma schools. Luminous Bliss locates Pure Land Buddhism at the core of Tibet’s religious heritage and demonstrates how this tradition constitutes an integral part of both Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism.
Download or read book Being Human in a Buddhist World written by Janet Gyatso and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 539 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critically exploring medical thought in a cultural milieu with no discernible influence from the European Enlightenment, Being Human in a Buddhist World reveals an otherwise unnoticed intersection of early modern sensibilities and religious values in traditional Tibetan medicine. It further studies the adaptation of Buddhist concepts and values to medical concerns and suggests important dimensions of Buddhism's role in the development of Asian and global civilization. Through its unique focus and sophisticated reading of source materials, Being Human adds a crucial chapter in the larger historiography of science and religion. The book opens with the bold achievements in Tibetan medical illustration, commentary, and institution building during the period of the Fifth Dalai Lama and his regent, Desi Sangye Gyatso, then looks back to the work of earlier thinkers, tracing a strategically astute dialectic between scriptural and empirical authority on questions of history and the nature of human anatomy. It follows key differences between medicine and Buddhism in attitudes toward gender and sex and the moral character of the physician, who had to serve both the patient's and the practitioner's well-being. Being Human in a Buddhist World ultimately finds that Tibetan medical scholars absorbed ethical and epistemological categories from Buddhism yet shied away from ideal systems and absolutes, instead embracing the imperfectability of the human condition.
Download or read book The Early 20th Century Resurgence of the Tibetan Buddhist World written by Mckay YUMIKO and published by Global Asia. This book was released on 2021-12-15 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1. Use of Russian, Japanese, Mongolian, Chinese, and Tibetan sources in original scholarship. 2. Historical studies of religio-political interface in Central Asia. 3. Ground-breaking study of Buddhist modernism processes in Central Asia.
Download or read book Buddhism Between Tibet and China written by Matthew Kapstein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the long history of cultural exchange between 'the Roof of the World' and 'the Middle Kingdom,' Buddhism Between Tibet and China features a collection of noteworthy essays that probe the nature of their relationship, spanning from the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 CE) to the present day. Annotated and contextualized by noted scholar Matthew Kapstein and others, the historical accounts that comprise this volume display the rich dialogue between Tibet and China in the areas of scholarship, the fine arts, politics, philosophy, and religion. This thoughtful book provides insight into the surprisingly complex history behind the relationship from a variety of geographical regions. Includes contributions from Rob Linrothe, Karl Debreczeny, Elliot Sperling, Paul Nietupski, Carmen Meinert, Gray Tuttle, Zhihua Yao, Ester Bianchi, Fabienne Jagou, Abraham Zablocki, and Matthew Kapstein.
Download or read book Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet written by Melvyn C. Goldstein and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, the People's Republic of China gradually permitted the renewal of religious activity. Tibetans, whose traditional religious and cultural institutions had been decimated during the preceding two decades, took advantage of the decisions of 1978 to begin a Buddhist renewal that is one of the most extensive and dramatic examples of religious revitalization in contemporary China. The nature of that revival is the focus of this book.
Download or read book Buddhist Studies from India to America written by Damien Keown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-01-16 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Prebish is Professor of Buddhism, Pennsylvania State University, US – a leading international scholar and co-founder of what is now the ‘Buddhism section’ of the American Academy of Religion, and served an additional term on the steering committee. Prebish is well known in N. America, and this book should attract readers in the region The author of the book, (Damien Keown), and Charles Prebish are editors of the Critical Studies in Buddhism series published by Routledge. Contributors are well-known international scholars whose participation guarantees that the academic quality of the work is high and the standard even throughout
Download or read book A Clear Differentiation of the Three Codes written by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2002-04-25 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first English translation of the influential and controversial Tibetan Buddhist classic.
Download or read book Buddhism Between Tibet and China written by Matthew Kapstein and published by Studies in Indian and Tibetan. This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Tibet enters into its 50th year of Chinese rule, questions of cultural distinctions and similarities are formed to determine the future of the relationship between the Snow Lion and the Red Dragon. But often left unsaid is the long history the two share, and the cultural interchanges that have existed over time. Setting political agenda aside, Matthew Kapstein has assembled a collection of essays to probe the nature of this relationship, from the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 CE) to the present. The historical accounts that comprise this volume display the dialogue between Tibet and China surrounding scholarship, the fine arts, politics, philosophy, and religion, providing insight into the history behind the relationship from a variety of geographical regions.
Download or read book A Classical Tibetan Reader written by Yael Bentor and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-11-18 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Classical Tibetan Reader answers a long-standing need for well chosen readings to accompany courses in classical Tibetan language. Professor Bentor has built her Tibetan reader out of time-tested selections from texts that she has worked with while teaching classical Tibetan over the past twenty years. She has assembled here a selection of Tibetan narratives, organized to introduce students of the language to complex material gradually, and to arm them with ample reference materials in the form of glossaries customized to individual readings. Instructors will find this reader an invaluable tool for preparing lesson plans and providing high-quality reading material to their students. Students, too, will find the selections contained in the reader engaging. Even novice readers of Tibetan will feel welcomed and encouraged, thanks to the author's astute judgment of student capacity.
