The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama [Paperback]

Thomas Laird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2007

Over the course of three years, journalist Thomas Laird spent more than sixty hours with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in candid, one-on-one interviews that covered history, science, reincarnation, and Buddhism. Laird brings these meetings to life in rich, vibrant, and monumental work that outlines the essence of thousands of years of civilization, myth, and spirituality. Tibet’s story is rich with tradition and filled with promise. It begins with the Bodhisattva Chenrizi (“The Holy One”) whose spirit many Tibetans believe resides within the Dalai Lama. We learn the origins of Buddhism, and about the era of Great Tibetan Emperors, whose reign stretched from southwestern China to Northern India. His Holiness introduces us to Tibet’s greatest yogis and meditation masters, and explains how the institution of the Dalai Lama was founded. Laird explores, with His Holiness, Tibet’s relations with the Mongols, the Golden Age under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Tibet’s years under Manchu overlords, modern independence in the early twentieth century, and the Dalai Lama’s personal meetings with Mao just before His Holiness fled into exile in 1959. The Story of Tibet is “a tenderly crafted study that is equal parts love letter, traditional history, and oral history” (Publishers Weekly).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a tenderly crafted study that is equal parts love letter, traditional history and oral history, Laird chronicles the development of Tibet from its mythic origins to its takeover by Communist China in 1950. Weaving historical research with interviews with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader, veteran journalist Laird (Into Tibet: The CIA's First Atomic Spy and His Secret Expedition to Lhasa) offers insight into the triumphs and failures of the country. In one particularly fascinating section, the Dalai Lama expresses reservations about the truth of the Tibetan creation myths involving a demon and a monkey and accepts Darwin's theory of evolution as the most logical explanation of the origins of humankind. Laird traces Tibet's sometimes tortured relationships with China and India, recounting the country's conflicts with the Mongols and the Manchu Empire, as well as its struggles for independence in the face of Chinese occupation. The Dalai Lama also recounts his early life; vividly recalls his first meeting, at age 19, with Mao Zedong; and reflects on his years in exile and his hopes for Tibet to be freed from occupation. Throughout, Laird's colorful and lively writing brings to life thousands of years of Tibetan history, inviting the reader on his journey to a strange and wonderful land. 16 pages of color photos. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"'The fourteenth Dalai Lama's fresh account of Tibetan myth and history is wonderful instruction and a great true pleasure.' Peter Matthiessen, author of The Snow Leopard 'Thomas Laird captures the beauty, the magnificence, the humour of this world spiritual leader.' James Lilley, former U.S. Ambassador to China and South Korea" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (October 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080214327X
• ISBN-13: 978-0802143273
• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 6 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > History > World > Religious > Buddhism
  • #75 in Books > History > Asia > Tibet

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Middle Way of History November 21, 2006

By doomsdayer520 HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

This is a very unique, though sometimes problematic, historical study of Tibet. Thomas Laird had the opportunity to interview the Dalai Lama dozens of times while constructing this book, while His Holiness heartily endorsed and encouraged the project. Thus, we get a very eye-opening combination of corroborated historical data and religious conviction. Granted, this pattern isn't always successful, and the book gets off to a rocky start with the ancient history (and pre-history) of Tibet, for which information is scarce. In the early part of the book, Laird depends more on the Dalai Lama's mythological and faith-based creation tales and his interpretations of sketchy historical and archeological evidence (or, in his view, interpretation of history at different spiritual and mental levels). While it is always fulfilling to hear directly from His Holiness, the result here is a rather confusing and dubious history. Laird doesn't help much with googly-eyed reactions to the Dalai Lama's wisdom like "this is vast and complex," or "this is very difficult for non-Tibetans to understand." Meanwhile, Laird exhibits the standard Western devotee's simplistic amazement at having his mind blown by Tibetan philosophy, and while his feelings are surely sincere, he doesn't articulate them very well.

Fortunately, the book gets much better as it moves into the modern era, in which Laird can analyze concrete historical data and the Dalai Lama can give his own unique perspective on his country's developments. Laird also gained confidence by this point, actively debating His Holiness on contradictions in Tibetan philosophy or mistakes he may have made as a political leader. Ultimately, this book offers strong coverage of Tibet's history after the colonial era, with a very insightful focus on how the country has been affected by geopolitics and the worldwide support for the Tibetan cause, not to mention this Dalai Lama's vast popularity. Though there is one story that gets brushed over quickly - China's meddling in the succession of the Panchen Lama. For great coverage of that episode, plus another strong modern history of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, I would recommend "The Search for the Panchen Lama" by Isabel Hilton. "Trespassers on the Roof of the World" by Peter Hopkirk offers more in-depth coverage of the colonial era, while this book by Laird possibly offers the most accessible (though not totally problem-free) look at ancient Tibet, before you decide to tackle the classical histories noted in his list of references. [~doomsdayer520~]

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The book for newcomers to Tibet November 13, 2007

By Richard Weston-Jones

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book a week after going to Tibet for the first time in October, 2007. It confirmed everything that I experienced in Tibet with a former monk as the guide for our group of 20 (China Focus Tours), and enriched our experience enormously. I'm glad I read it soon after the trip so the place names, experiences, history and relationship with China were so fresh. We had been warned in China not to ask about or comment on politics or religion while we were in Tibet. I did ask one mild question and got a reply from our guide that clearly told me that he could not respond.

The book will probably tell general readers more than they want to know about the intricacies of the changes of rule over the last fourteen hundred years but it helped me understand the richness of Tibetan Buddhism. I found it well written and fascinating throughout. The author clearly has a pro-Dalai Lama bias (how else could he have arranged the many interviews with the Dalai Lama?). We found China to be virulently anti-Dalai Lama and this book helped me understand that. The personal details of the Dalai Lama's life and the lives of his predecessors gave me a full sense of what it has meant to be Tibetan both recently and in the long history.

We knew that China had changed Tibet enormously in recent years but we were astounded on our visit to see how they have been moving Han Chinese into Lhasa and changing the face of Tibet. "The Story of Tibet" helped us understand how the incursion of China since the 50's has changed the culture that visitors will see--as long as the Tibetans aren't completely submerged by the Chinese. It seems about 50/50 now. Brief visits to Sera Monastery with our ex-monk guide who had lived there 14 years, to Jokhang Temple when no other tourists were there and to a non-tourist village outside Lhasa during harvest helped me understand the Tibetan culture described well in "The Story of Tibet."

I also recommend Tsering Shakya's "The Dragon in the Land of Sorrow" for a very detailed history of Tibet since 1947. "The Story of Tibet" covers in 65 pages and much less detail what Tsering Shakya describes much more fully in 450 pages.

We learned while we were in Tibet that the Potala Palace will be closed next year before the Olympics in Beijing, probably permanently. A new museum is being built at the base of the Potala that will show visitors what the Chinese government wants them to know about Tibetan Buddhism and this marvelous building. We were there in early October, 2007. Go now.The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a history lesson. December 13, 2006

By Frank

Format:Hardcover

Thomas Laird's latest book is a pleasure to read. It successfully juggles history, legend and the thoughts of the present day Dalai Lama for an entertaining and enlightening view of Tibet. The Story of Tibet is more than a survey of a civilization, a tale of a lost country, an interview with a living moral compass, a cautionary tale and a primer on Tibetan Buddhism. It is also a story of the personal relationship between the author and the greatest spiritual figure of our time. The Dalai Lama has an openess to the interpretation of history and the discoveries of modern research and science that is non-dogmatic and hopeful. It is really inspiring to see how willing His Holiness is to letting go of past belief systems when there is experiential, tangible evidence to the contrary. If only the other world leaders could except change so graciously.