Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Hardcover)

~ Robert A. F. Thurman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this highly readable collection, Robert Thurman brings together the jewels of Tibetan literature that have made their own distinctive contribution to "the great river of Buddhism." He introduces the selection with an overview of essential Buddhist thought, orienting the reader with a history of Buddhism's development, from its origins in India, expansion across Asia, and flowering on Tibetan soil. Explaining the distinctive attainment of Tibetan Buddhist civilization as "the vivid sense of Buddhas in ordinary, daily reality," Thurman guides readers through selections that speak to the possibility of liberation for all beings. Stressing also the importance of the teacher or mentor figure in Tibetan Buddhist practice, he presents key texts from teachers whose words serve as inspiration to those seeking the path toward enlightenment. Excerpts culled from the vastness of the Tibetan canon include the hymns to the liberator goddess Tara, pieces from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, writings on mentor worship from the first Panchen Lama, and selections from esoteric tantric practice texts. The volume ends with the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize lecture by Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, illustrating the enduring relevance of this ancient wisdom for modern life. --Uma Kukathas

From Library Journal

Thurman, who holds the first endowed chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies in America (at Columbia Univ.) and cofounded Tibet House in New York City, presents an introductory text of sorts, with a useful selection from representative texts. (LJ 3/1/96)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Book Sales; 2 edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785808728
• ISBN-13: 978-0785808725
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,517 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Difficult material, and cheerleading., July 10, 2003

By	Moten Swing (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Paperback)

Thurman is a Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition (as am I), and his introduction to this volume, while very valuable and succinct, makes no claim at objectivity. He asserts that the Tantrayana (Tibetan Buddhism, to simplify) is superior to the Mahayana and Theravada traditions because it represents the culmination of Buddhism's "progression." Right off the bat, that makes me uncomfortable. Why must the pious Theravadins be consigned to an inferior, "early-stage" Buddhism? Why make such hurtful invidious comparisons? It seems beneath a genuine practitioner. To answer my own rhetorical question, perhaps it is because Mahayana Buddhists are often a bit defensive. This is the result of being accused of not having a "genuine" canon, in the sense that most admit the works were composed (not just written down) after the Death of the Buddha. Similarly, Thurman attempts to argue against those who claim Tibetan Buddhism represents an effort by early proselytizers to offer a pantheon of gods and a lurid conception of the Buddha(s) to Hindus. His response to this argument is limited to two sentences and is not convincing. He simply asks, rhetorically, If that was the aim of Mahayana Buddhists, why did they keep the Buddha at all? Why not just become Hindu? But surely it is believable to assert that Buddhists wanted to broaden the attraction of their religion while keeping what they saw as its key elements.


On the question of which miracles to believe (and Tibetan Buddhism is chock full of them), Thurman simply accepts a great number of them, while consigning other claims, such as the 500-year lifespan of one "living Buddha", to the realm of myth. How can he tell the difference between myth and religious reality? Either accept all the fantasical claims or tell us how to pick and choose among them.


A word of warning, as well. Despite the claims of other reviewers, most of the material in this book is quite difficult and will not reward those who do not have considerable background in Buddhism. If you'll note the cheap prices for used copies, above, you'll see that I'm not alone in this view.


The weirdest thing: Thurman apparently has decided to replace the word "karma" with "evolution". In the classic texts, therefore, where one would read "fruit of karma," or whatever, Thurman offers "evolutionary progress," for example. This is perhaps defensible, but he offers no justification. That seems quite a big departure for translators of the Dharma. Doing away with karma to make it a) more accessible to modern readers?; 2) more attractive to modern readers?; 3) because perhaps Thurman (as many of us are) is uncomfortable with the teachings that claim starving babies are simply reaping the fruits of miserly conduct in previous lives? Such a major change needed at least some justification and explanation.

All that said, get this book if you are a Tibetan practioner with considerable knowledge of the Dharma. It offers a nice collection of very important works.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good introduction to the Tibetan vision of Buddhism., June 15, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Boiling Springs, NC) - See all my reviews

From the introduction which gives a summary of the history of Tibetan Buddhism to the poems by the Dalai Lama at the end, Thurman introduces the spirit of Tibetan Buddhism to those who may be primarily familiar with Zen Buddhism. The selections, mostly poetic works, give a good cross-section and through-time view of Buddhism.

Some things are glossed over, for those who are not familiar with Tibetan Buddhism. The role of the gods is not thoroughly explained. Where do the gods originate? From Bon? From Indian Religion. In general, I found this a very interesting and useful book.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly usable introduction into Tibetan buddhism...., October 11, 2000

By	J. Michael Showalter (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Paperback)

As far as popularly available books go, this is about the best 'introduction' into Tibetan primary-ish texts that is really available. I am supposing that the core market for this book is as the reviews above indicate: Americans who are familiar with the Dalai Lama and/or Zen but want to know more about the wide and fascinating religious domain that is Tibetan Buddhism.

And this is the best place to 'start' provided that a) this is not your introduction to Buddhism in general (there are good books for Westerners for that-- 'The Gospel of the Buddha' by Paul Carus is a simple one that orders the Pali Canon into a structure more accessible for Christians; Thurman's 'Inner Revolution'; a general introduction into world religions that differentiates classical Therevadan forms from Mahayan stuff from the Vajarana stuff....) or b) a book on Tibetan history c)a comprehensive book in any sense.

It's a fun read and a good introduction. Other books on top of this: Thurman's translation of 'The Holy Teaching of Vimilikirti' and any of the stories of Milarepa are fun; a neat history is 'The Dragon in the Land of Snows....'

I highly recommend this book....