The Religions of Tibet [Paperback]

Giuseppe Tucci (Author), Geoffrey Samuel (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 1988

Very little is known in the West about Tibetan Buddhism in comparison with other eastern religions. This is partly because the vast literature which it has produced, and which illuminates its history, is still far from accessible. In addition there exists a deep division between monastic Lamaism and religion as it is lived by the people: the former is fragmented into many schools, while the latter shows numerous regional variations. The first comprehensive account of Tibetan Buddhism to be published in English since Waddell's "Buddhism of Tibet" appeared in 1894, this translation is certain to become the standard reference work on the subject.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Giuseppe Tucci --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (August 8, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520063481
• ISBN-13: 978-0520063488
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #962,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: A Gold Standard in Tibetan Studies, October 8, 2003

By 

Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Religions of Tibet (Paperback)

I came to this elegantly-translated survey of Tibetan religions after occasionally reading about Tibet for twenty years or so. I was in the midst of some research on Himalayan cultures in general. I put that project on hold while I finished Tucci's exposition of the varieties and development of religions (Buddhist and other) in Tibet. It was not easy reading, but it gave reasonable answers to questions that I had puzzled over for years, and suggested new problems. I consider it a must-read for the serious student, although a more basic introduction, such as Snellgrove and Richardson's "Cultural History of Tibet" (now going into its third edition) would be a much better place to start.

Although the book was somewhat obsolete when the English translation (itself a revision) appeared, this fact is a measure of the rapid progress being made in Tibetan studies in the West. (A result of Chinese attempts to destroy Tibetan culture, this illustrates the Iron Law of Unintended Consequences, a secular version of karma.) Major advances have been made, for example, in publication of materials related to Bon, the "other" religion of Tibet. Tucci, however, lays a solid foundation for understanding what the new information means.

This is the sort of book I hoped for when, years ago, I gave up on the recently-issued Dover edition of Waddell's "Lamaism" (as "Tibetan Buddhism"), the standard work in English at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. "Religions of Tibet" is based on critical scholarship, but respects the religious traditions it describes and analyses. It will probably not please the devoted Buddhist who reads it, but it does not assume a standpoint of superiority grounded in a rival religion, or in some secular substitute.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classical text on religions in Tibet, July 15, 2006

By 

Magalini Sabina "sabina" (Rome Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Religions of Tibet (Paperback)

This book is actually a university text written by Giuseppe Tucci, one of the foremost tibetologists of all times. First pubblished in 1970 in German, it has been widely translated and re-edited in numerous editions.
Giuseppe Tucci was born in 1984 and after WWI taught Italian in Calcutta where he met Tagore and Gandhi, in 1930 (during the Fascist Period in Italy) he became director of the newly founded Italian Institute for Medium and Extreme Orient, that he governed until 1978. From 1929 to 1948 he made many expeditions to Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan etc. He is famous in oriental studies for his innovative interpretation of Indian philosophy and this book on religions in Tibet.
Tucci's approach to Buddhist and Hindu cultures was essentially scientific and he was interested by oriental logic to the point of putting foremost the logical aspects of Tibetan Lamaism, that he identifies as very similar to medieval european philosophy with its logical cathegories. This text contains a detailed description and interpretation of Lamaistic thought with a great attention to the differences existing among the four schools.
Tucci was also a great collector of antiquities and he founded the Oriental Art Museum of Rome. This aspect of his character is also evident in this book where a big section is dedicated to monastic life and in particular to all the objects utilized by the monks. Every kind of hat and stole and all the paraphrenalia of every school are illustrated in detail.
If the reader is not interested in all the numerous details contained in this book, a good alternative is to read the introductive and conclusive chapters, without skipping that on Bon religion, that give an outlook on the topic without gooing deeper in the many often difficult aspects of religion that are discussed.
Tibetology has progressed from Tucci's days, and Tibet has also undergone a deep cultural transformation. But if one wants an excellent reference book on this subject "The religions of Tibet" should not be missing from your library.