Religions of Tibet in Practice: Abridged Edition

by Donald S. Lopez Jr.

Overview

Originally published in 1997, Religions of Tibet in Practice is a landmark work—the first major anthology on the topic ever produced. This new edition—abridged to further facilitate course use—presents a stunning array of works that together offer an unparalleled view of the Tibetan religious landscape over the centuries.


Organized thematically, the twenty-eight chapters are testimony to the vast scope of religious practice in the Tibetan world, past and present. Religions of Tibet in Practice remains a work of great value to scholars, students, and general readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691129723
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/25/2007
Series:	Princeton Readings in Religions , #6
Edition description:	Abridged Edition
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Donald S. Lopez Jr., is Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan. He is the editor of three other volumes in this series: Buddhism in Practice, Religions of India in Practice, and Religions of China in Practice.

Table of Contents

Princeton Readings in Religions     v
Note on Transliteration     vii
List of Contributors     xi
Introduction   Donald S. Lopez, Jr.     3
Accounts of Time and Place
The Royal Way of Supreme Compassion   Matthew Kapstein     39
A Tribal History   Robin Kornman     47
Bon Rescues Dharma   Per Kvaerne     68
The Guide to the Crystal Peak   Matthew Kapstein     73
Guidebook to Lapchi   Toni Huber     90
Remarkable Lives
Atisa's Journey to Tibet   Hubert Decleer     107
The Journey to the Golden Mountain   Matthew Kapstein     128
The Yogin Lorepa's Retreat at Lake Namtso$dNalanda Translation Committee     138
Rites and Techniques
A Rite of Empowerment   Richard J. Kohn     153
The Horseback Consecration Ritual   Yael Bentor     162
An Offering of Torma   Richard J. Kohn     183
An Avalokitesvara Sadhana   Janet Gyatso     194
A Fasting Ritual   Roger Jackson     199
Food, Clothes, Dreams, and Karmic Propensities   David Germano     221
The Regulations of a Monastery   Jose Ignacio Cabezon     241
Prayers and Sermons
The Sermon of an Itinerant Saint   Matthew Kapstein     261
From the Autobiography of a Visionary   Janet Gyatso     275
A Prayer to the Lama   Donald S. Lopez, Jr.     282
A Prayer to the God of the Plain   Richard J. Kohn     293
Invocations to Two Bon Deities   Per Kvaerne     301
A Smoke Purification Song$dNalanda Translation Committee     307
Dealing with Death and Other Demons
Mindfulness of Death   Donald S. Lopez, Jr.     315
Dying, Death, and Other Opportunities   David Germano     336
Cards for the Dead   Per Kvaerne     372
Returning from Hell   Francoise Pommaret     377
Turning Back Gossip   Matthew Kapstein     389
Hail Protection   Anne C. Klein   Khetsun Sangpo     400
A Prayer Flag for Tara   Donald S. Lopez, Jr.     410
Index     415

Editorial Reviews

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: This anthology on Tibetan religions is a first of its kind. . . . [The contributors] are among the best in the growing field. . . . Significant and groundbreaking."

Choice

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: "Religions of Tibet in Practice is by far the richest sourcebook of Tibetan texts available and will reward both the specialist and the patient general reader."—-Roger Jackson, Religious Studies Review

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: "[A] valuable contribution to the study of Tibetan religion and culture."—-Amy Lavine, Journal of Religion

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: The anthology is replete with fascinating, important, material; and—remarkably for a work with so many authors—uniformly well-written. Anyone interested in gaining an overall sense of what constitutes Tibetan religious thought in all its multifarious ramifications could hardly have a more helpful introduction."—-David Hicks, Asian Thought and Society

From the Publisher

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: The anthology is replete with fascinating, important, material; and—remarkably for a work with so many authors—uniformly well-written. Anyone interested in gaining an overall sense of what constitutes Tibetan religious thought in all its multifarious ramifications could hardly have a more helpful introduction.

Asian Thought and Society - David Hicks

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: [A] valuable contribution to the study of Tibetan religion and culture.

Journal of Religion - Amy Lavine

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: Religions of Tibet in Practice is by far the richest sourcebook of Tibetan texts available and will reward both the specialist and the patient general reader.

Religious Studies Review - Roger Jackson

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: The anthology is replete with fascinating, important, material; and—remarkably for a work with so many authors—uniformly well-written. Anyone interested in gaining an overall sense of what constitutes Tibetan religious thought in all its multifarious ramifications could hardly have a more helpful introduction.
— David Hicks

Asian Thought and Society

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: [A] valuable contribution to the study of Tibetan religion and culture.
— Amy Lavine

Journal of Religion

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: Religions of Tibet in Practice is by far the richest sourcebook of Tibetan texts available and will reward both the specialist and the patient general reader.
— Roger Jackson

Religious Studies Review

This, the fourth volume in the Princeton Readings in Religion series and professedly the first substantial anthology of Tibetan religious literature to appear in English, is an extraordinary achievement. Splitting its hugely complex subject into thematic areasaccounts of time and place, remarkable lives, rites and techniques, prayers and sermons, dealing with death and demonsthe book includes essays by 17 contributors who introduce texts from all periods of Tibetan spirituality as well as from a wide variety of Tibetan Buddhist sects. A dense, very informative and lucid 36-page introduction covers all the major themes of Tibetan religions, including the distinctions between interconnected lore, the history of Bon (the indigenous religion of Tibet) and Buddhism. As complete as the book is, however, the editor has not included Tibetan translations of Indian philosophical or exegetical works, preferring instead to offer "a compendium of the popular or lay practice of the common folk." In addition, the texts themselves are lightly and unobtrusively annotated. While this makes the texts very readable, those seeking specific information will need to consult heavily the promised index (not seen by PW). The book includes black-and-white illustrations (also not seen by PW) and a brief bibliography after each excerpt. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly