Customer Reviews

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very good undergraduate-level introduction to Vajrayana. It's well-organized, thorough without being too intimidating, and evenhanded. It really isn't a substitute for a teacher or time spent with a practice group, of course, but it'll help a newcomer make sense out of terminology and references.

This book is one of the most valuable I have come across in all the academic studies of Buddhism. I highly recommend it to all.

I had a bit of a conundrum when decided what to rate this book. It is a very good introduction and covers a great deal of information. I chose to read it after a trip to the Spiti Valley in India where Tibetan Buddhism is almost exclusively practiced, and I felt this book gave me a greater understanding of those things that I experienced while I was there. The problem in this book is that it is in great need of a good editor. At many areas in the book, I found myself reading the same information for 3 or more long paragraphs in a row worded just slightly differently. This book could have been edited down to two-thirds of its current length without any loss of information. Until the book gets a proper editing to make it more concise and better worded, I'm afraid I cannot give the book a higher rating.

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism" by John Powers is a comprehensive and informative introduction that covers a wide range of topics including Tibetan Buddhist history, doctines, meditation practices, schools, religious festivals, and major historical figures. Of special not in this revised edition are the expanded discussions of recent Tibetan history and tanta, and significant new publications in the field. Articulate, superbly organized and presented, "Introduction To Tibetan Buddhism" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' and an excellent, highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Buddhist Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Truly, this is among The Great Books to buy and keep near you when you are earnestly seeking to understand Tibetan Buddhism and will benefit from a wealth of references to everything you might want or need to investigate in greater detail. No single book could provide in depth information about every aspect of Tibetan Buddhism, why and how it is unique; John Powers has done a brilliant job of anticipating the questions that would likely arise in the mind of someone who wishes to pursue the path of Enlightenment and has been drawn to Tibetan culture and the intense devotion of the Tibetan people to "be as they are and as they were" regardless of many decades and cycles of suffering, destruction and death.

We are first given a history of the evolution of Buddhism and tremendous insight into the formation and embracing of Buddhism as a spiritual 'system' of learning within Tibet. While other countries and cultures have embraced Buddhism prior to Tibet, there is an inexplicable power about the people and the place which made Buddhism almost synonymous with the Tibetan culture. Having been drawn to the Tibetan expression of these spiritual teachings, these book informs me that I did not choose an 'easy' path: for a Westerner to honestly comprehend and do all that is necessary to accomplish the appreciation of emptiness, let alone the ability to contemplate emptiness and know all else is bliss.. this requires Refuge which can be very difficult for most of us to attain. I first sought the Teachings of Buddha in a moment of anger, when I could have used information to bring harm to a person who had behaved very badly. It was then that I learned that if I could not remain compassionate and kind, instead giving in to the feelings of greed, anger and foolishness, I must stay away from these people -- they are, for me at least, evil. John Powers' book has aided me tremendously in refining what I'd learned and informing me "Ah, it is not so easy as all that...!" Even when I am able to maintain kindness and compassion no matter who is tormenting me, this is an important aspect, but only an aspect, of so very much work that must be accomplished. I'm spending as much time researching even more of what John Powers has already written of in painstaking detail.

Even for HH the Dalai Lama with lifetimes of accumulated experience as a perfect being, Kundun has been and still must seek to maintain equilibrium. He's had to make some terribly difficult decisions in the name of keeping peace ~ and for this, he is criticized by some ~ truly, there's been enough bloodshed and he wishes everyone to get along and for persecution of all people to cease. Praying for the persecutors is not the same as the Christian who 'turns the other cheek' in response to insult: parallels can and will be drawn, but the enormous difference is the belief in perfecting one's own nature and achieving Buddhahood versus asking an unseeable and unknowable deity to forgive the ignorance of the persecutor. Each Buddhist feels the connection to all other sentient life, yet there is the knowledge of the illusion and the responsibility to find the clear, unencumbered knowing an action (or inaction) is correct. The Buddhist has no one who died for their absolution and no church is necessary. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is an amplification of these almost indescribable qualities of compassion and connectedness and simultaneous acceptance and contemplation of emptiness. John Powers describes what may seem like an impossible paradox beautifully... well enough that I can grasp what I cannot quite express.

Tantra in various manifestations is explained with great precision. Many Westerners will be disappointed to learn that the bliss is accomplished via sexual union in one end of the spectrum, yet to achieve the necessary courage and resilience to approach an Enlightened and Clear Mind via this path requires an ability to identify with certain Gods and Goddesses in such a way that one either befriends or (more powerfully) becomes them. And the same is true for the consort of partner. Tantra is explained as being dangerous, because this is true. Westerners I've met have bought books of yoga poses which promoted 'better sex' which missed the point entirely and some have gotten themselves into serious psychological crises.

In Tibetan Buddhism, you work and practice ~ rarely will anything be attained easily. And when one chants, it is most often to send a prayer of good out into the world and send prayers almost as often as one breathes and until it becomes something like an autonomic process. Put good thoughts and feelings out for all to benefit. Rarely does one pray for themselves and when they do it is to achieve a greater understanding or strength within themselves with a goal of separating the spiritual from the physical and material realms. Simply put, one wishes not only to be "a better person" but to become much more than this in order that the world will benefit. This is not the 'ego loss' so feared by Westerners (and it is the clinging to same which is much more frightening). And to identify oneself with a deity in order to walk with or become one with that deity is not madness or megalomania; it is asking a great deal of bravery of oneself and then shrugging off the asking as "no big deal." As of this moment in time, this is my best understanding ~ and I've come even this small distance quickly, relying on and trusting the information in this excellent book as a catalyst to more expansive horizons.

As for the person who wrote the review complaining about the 'Feminist approach' in Powers' writing being in some way upsetting, I believe there is quite a lot more literature that assumes a masculine voice and find it refreshing to hear reference to 'she' and 'herself'. It is also wonderful that in Tibetan Buddhism, women are taken quite seriously as monks, Dakinis (Goddesses in benevolence and in wrathful aspect, as warriors and terrifying forces) and, as much as their male counterparts, "people to be reckoned with." It is this way in life ~ why would there be an imbalance in spirituality?

I found John Powers' Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism very informative and comprehensive. At the same time, I can't dispute the criticisms I have seen in these reviews. There is some repetition, but not enough to truly detract from the book's overall value. Yes, the frequent use of the female pronoun comes across as a bit contrived. The book is big and detailed. I would most strongly recommend it for someone who is interested in becoming a student of Tibetan Buddhism (or who is already a student. If your interest is casual, it probably isn't the book for you. This book will give you a very broad and deep picture of what the practice of Tibetan Buddhism is all about. The book seems extremely well researched and was successful in quenching the depth of my strong interest.

Awesome and nicely put together. Great for all levels on the path to Buddhism. A must have!!!

Looking for an easy readable yet factual correct and unbiased presentation of Tibetan Buddhism, I came across this excellent text. Its now one of my favourite books about Tibetan Buddhism written by an academic and I can highly recommend it.

I couldn't give it 5 stars simply becuase I haven't yet finished reading it. I borrowed this book from the library and couldn't finish it in the lending period (it's big!), so I'm now online buying the book.

What I've read is extrememly well-written and interesting, not of a textbook style at all. It explains Tibetan philosophy in a very accessible way.

I reccommend it for anyone interested in Tibet or Buddhism.

I would highly recommend this seller! Book arrived in Australia quicker than expected in better condition than expected!! Can't get better than that!