Customer Reviews

Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet: Religious Revival and Cultural Identity

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having read the preceding comments, I find myself in sympathy with all of them to a certain extent (some more than others). Goldstein and Kapstein's informative and challenging edited collection is precisely that - a collection, and includes viewpoints from a variety of academic researchers on Tibet. AS a result, it does not constitute the accepted 'word' on Tibet, nor in fact does it present ANY single viewpoint. Certainly, it does not deserve the accusations heaped on it by the first reviewer, but at the same time, the editors DO come to a particular view of Tibetan political consciousness that not everyone wouyld agree with. That view, if I might summerise, is roughly that the national identity generated around Tibetan Buddhism is not necessarily a prelude to full-blown Tibetan nationalism, and therefore that Tibetan Buddhism can be allowed to flourish by the Chinese authorities without it necessarily generating sympathy for the independence movement). Personally I do not agree with this perspective, and it is clear that the writers are attempting to produce an academic analysis which, as the Tibetan writer Tsering Shakya has recently argued for, cuts a path between the various absolute "black-or-white" political positions that surround the Tibet issue. At the same time, the authors take odds with the widespread view that ALL Buddhism in Tibet is forbidden, and argue that (thankfully) many Tibetans are capable of negotiating a meaningful Buddhist revival despite Chinese communist rule (the extent to which this holds true in the 2 years since this book was published is another issue). As a result, it IS possible to read this collection as proposing an analytical agenda which is not exactly "on-message" in terms of the position of certain pro-Tibet groups, but that is a LONG way from saying that it is Chinese political orthodoxy.

Having traveled extensively through Tibet and Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, and lived in Beijing, I was interested in reading a book recommended to me as "a true look". First of all, the comments of the first reviewer are absolutely dead wrong. Having read the Chinese propaganda, and really lived the Chinese propaganda, this is not it. Rather, it is one of the only pieces of scholarship about Tibet in recent history that doesn't fall victim to the Western agenda of portraying Tibet as sympathetically as possible. This is a complex issue, and both sides have done their best to skewer public opinion in their favor; however, to accuse these men of simply being mouthpieces of the Communist party is doing a great disservice to what is truly a breath of fresh air. For a good look at propaganda, go to a Beastie Boys concert. I applaud the editors for keeping politics out of their writing. I highly recommend this text to anyone curious about the real situation in Tibet.

I am surprised by a reader's comments regarding this book as being one of misinformation considering that Melvyn Goldstein is one of the (if not THE) foremost scholar on Tibetan buddhism in the country. One aspect of this book, and Dr. Goldstein's point of reference that must be kept in mind, is that Goldstein separates political Tibet from what he refers to as "ethnic Tibet". He is neither pro-communist China nor pro-political Tibet in his stance, but rather gives an educated and informed look at a political situation that, through a lack of reasonable compromise, has escalted to the point that the Dalai Lama will be forced to make some difficult choices in the next few years. This book outlines both the political and the ethnic situation in Tibet and explains how buddhism has played a major role in both. I feel if you want an informed and balanced view of the situation, than any of Goldstein's books would provide you with the necessary information to form an intelligent argument.

I write this, provoked by deeply narrowmindede, negative review from anonymous person in Miami. I'm a danish journalist, practicing buddhist through 25 years, finding this book extremely important, because it draws attention to the "real Tibetan buddhism" in Tibet today, where courageous and compassinate lamas (like Jigmed Phuntsok Rinpoche)is strugling to reinvoke and revitalize the rich and beautifull Tibetan tradition. The picture drawn in this book may not be fitting the preconcived ideas of romantic old Tibet or the easy standpoint of neglecting the hard and complex political conditions on the Top of the World in favour of support for the popular high lamas of the exile-community. That seems to be the reason why the book can provoke the kind of anger, expressed in the review from Miami.

First let me say that I share many of the reviewers sentiments here regarding the inaccuracy of the first one-star review here. Calling this book Communist party propaganda is about as ignorant as you can get really, especially since it a collection of essays by MANY authors, with differing but related viewpoints. Unfortunately, just as with the PRC, there are those in the other camp who see anything that doesn't shout FREE TIBET followed by a litany of anti-Chinese arguments, propaganda. John Power's "History as Propaganda: Tibetan Exiles versus the People's Republic of China" would be a good read for these people.

That being said, the book itself is great, though I found some chapters a bit plodding and couldn't finish them, as they dealt with very specific niches of Tibetan Buddhism that just don't interest me. This is definitely one of the more hardcore scholarly books on the subject, and readers who are new to the issue of Tibetan religion and identity or who aren't writing a college paper might want to start elsewhere.

For anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism and what is going on in contemporary Tibet as a culture zone within China, this book is essential reading. Actually for anyone interested in the humanitarian side of helping Tibetans, it is essential reading as it explains the centrality of Tibetan Buddhism to Tibetan identity. As a student of Sogyal Rinpoche for many years, I am particularly interested in David Gemano's wonderful analysis of the impact of the work of Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche in East Tibet. Both he and Sogyal Rinpoche are regarded as reincarnations of Lerab Lingpa, the Dzogchen teacher of the 13th Dalai Lama. I am waiting for Gemano to write a whole book, expanding his insights.

At first I was not aware of the author's point of view. He has spent extensive time in China and Tibet, and has witnessed many of the upheavels. However, I was amused at first at the innaccuracy of much of his information, and then became disappointed, as I realized that he rather strong anti-religious bias. This bias is not conducive to understanding any aspect of Tibetan life and culture. I would advise against reading this book unless you are curious of the official stance of the Chinese Communist Party.