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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
God Spoke Tibetan Speaks Like a Good Story,
By
This review is from: God spoke Tibetan;: The epic story of the men who gave the Bible to Tibet, the forbidden land (Hardcover)
I am a huge fan of biographical and history books, however, many of them are hard to get into as many read like a dictionary (and I'm a linguist). "God Spoke Tibetan" is a rare exception. From page one, this work or art gripped me like a John Grisham novel. Allan Maberly takes the account of the translation of the first Tibetan Bible and places the reader right into the action. It reads like a novel, with a full blown plot: conflict, solution, resolution, and conclusion. I felt the fears, frustrations as well as the triumph and relief of the characters. For anyone interested in missions, Bible Translation, or just a good rendition of a historical account, "God Spoke Tibetan" is a must read.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you so very much! You are so very kind!,
By
This review is from: God spoke Tibetan; the epic story of the men who gave the Bible to Tibet, the forbidden land (Paperback)
I found this book interesting, but lacking in real experience and knowledge of the Tibetan culture, traditions and religious practices, and rather proud of it, or so it seemed to me. They have that same old, I'm going to help you learn the truth about God attitude. They other reviewer says in part, "It reads like a novel, with a full blown plot: conflict, solution, resolution, and conclusion. I felt the fears, frustrations as well as the triumph and relief of the characters." I say triumph? Really? ... Some of my thoughts left out ... Perhaps I'll just ask, How much better did the Christians nations treated Tibet? Have they done anything about the genocide of the Tibetan people? Have they helped in a meaningful Christian way or have they turned a blind eye, a deaf ear, etc. Are the Tibetans better off having meet Christians? Is the church helping them now? Hum-m-m. How many shirts, shoes, etc. made in China do you and your friends have in your closet? ... Some more of my thoughts left out ... I really do think about this, kind of thing, when I read a book. This is why I get so mad at Christians, especially the preachy, you need to be saved kind. If they want my respect, then they should help those who need it, but can't give you something in return for it. You know, do a real act of selfless charity, rather than just help the ones who go to your church. Jesus did a lot of that, not that they mention it. I admit these kind of things stopped me from enjoying this story. I used to love this sort of book, but then reality interfered. I meet some Tibetans and was shocked that nothing, at all, was being done to help them. Well, I hope that you will read all this and when you finish the book, please put your thinking and feelings bout the book here. I'm looking forward to reading the responses. Now, here is one Tibetan view, as told to me, by one of my Tibetan teachers. He was very familiar with the history of the missionaries that tried to get Tibetans to convert to Christianity. He told me that they would come to Lasha, Tibet and ask to live there for a time. Then they proceeded to preach to the local Tibetans about Christianity. The Tibetans would all listen very respectfully and always remember to tell them thank you and that they were doing a good job. Then they went home and said mantras (prayers) for them, that they would find enlightenment in their own way, even if that was very unlikly. Tibetans revere all teachers and written books. It's considered a sin (not their word, but close) to put a book on the ground or to sit on one or to even step over one. That is being disrespectful of the knowledge contained in it. It's being disrespectful of the kindness and hard work someone had to endure in undertaking the writing of the book. It's being disrespectful of all the time and money it cost to get it copied and transported to where they could read it or have it read to them. Books are kept on the highest shelf in a Tibetan home. They revere their kind teachers so much, that their teachers picture is put above that of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. It shows how much they are thankful to have a teacher to help them live a proper life. I have to think that the missionaries must have been shocked to find that Buddhists have a set of promises that they follow. 1) To work for the benefit of ALL sentient beings (including animals, etc.) 2) Don't kill. 3) Don't lie. 4) Don't steal. 5) Don't commit sexual misconduct (not even in sleep). 6) Don't drink alcohol. These are the basics, but there are others that can be done for a short time or for life. Everyone works at their own pace. I wonder how many converts they really made. So, please read this book with some skepticism. They could easily think they had made a lot of converts. Converts who would say their prayers, listen to their sermons and advise, then go home and do their Buddhist prayers and listen to their Buddhist teachers. Then they would come back the next day and do it again. They wouldn't see any conflict in this sort of practice. Aren't more prayers better than less? Is not wise advise wise, no matter who gives it? Ah, if only Christians could be so tolerant and respectful of others. Well, maybe that's because Christians are told, "Don't question God's word, just do what your told." Tibetan Buddhists are taught that you SHOULD question everything and anything they are told to do or are being taught. You are obligated to tell you teacher, if you don't understand what they are saying or showing you. Then you are to request them, to explain the matter further to you, until you agree with them in the matter. If you care at all, why I wrote this,I wrote it in the hope that other readers who decide to buy and read this book, will read these comments, THEN read this book. I hope that if you have some idea of the culture and customs of the people in Lasha, Tibet, it should make a difference when you read this book. It really made quite a difference for me. This information comes from a man who walked from Amdo, Tibet to Lasha. Then he lived there for many years and spoke to several missionaries during that time. Later, when China invaded, he had to flee to India. He walked all the way there and then, worked breaking rocks into small bits that could be used for road construction. This was how they managed to get enough money for food and to buy a small bit of land for the refugees to live on. Eventually he was sent to the US to teach some Mongolians. He ended up taking some American students, so he learned English in his 60's, just so he could better communicate with us about Buddhism. What a role model! How can I, ever, complain about my life, after what he went through? He is such an inspiration. Again, I look forward to reading future comments on my review and any additional reviews of this book.
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