The Tibetans
Peoples of Asia
1. Edition October 2006
384 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-0-631-22574-4
John Wiley & Sons
This book provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to Tibet,
its culture and history.
* A clear and comprehensive overview of Tibet, its culture and
history.
* Responds to current interest in Tibet due to continuing
publicity about Chinese rule and growing interest in Tibetan
Buddhism.
* Explains recent events within the context of Tibetan
history.
* Situates Tibet in relation to other Asian civilizations through
the ages.
* Draws on the most recent scholarly and archaeological
research.
* Introduces Tibetan culture - particularly social
institutions, religious and political traditions, the arts and
medical lore.
* An epilogue considers the fragile position of Tibetan
civilization in the modern world.
List of Photographs.
List of Maps.
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
A Note on Transcription and Translation.
1. The Vessel and Its Contents.
High Peaks, Pure Earth.
Peasants, Nomads, and Traders.
The Tibetan Language.
2. Prehistory and Early Legends.
Sources of Archeological Evidence.
Children of the Ape and the Ogress.
Tibetan Religion Before Buddhism.
3. The Tsenpo's Imperial Dominion.
The Rise of the Tibetan Empire.
Later Monarchs and the Promotion of Buddhism.
The Empire's Implosion.
4. Fragmentation and Hegemonic Power.
Dynastic Successors and the Kingdom of Gugé.
The Buddhist Renaissance.
Mongols and Tibetan Buddhists.
Successive Hegemonies.
Tibetan Buddhism and the Ming Court.
5. The Rule of the Dalai Lamas.
Monastics and Monarchs.
Between Mongols and Manchus.
Regency and Retreat.
Cultural Developments in Eastern Tibet.
The Life and Times of the Great Thirteenth.
6. Tibetan Society.
Property, Economy, and Social Class.
Government and Law.
Marriage and Kinship.
Women in Traditional Tibet.
7. Religious Life and Thought.
Propitiation, Therapy, and the Life-cycle.
Buddhist Basics.
Monastic Institutions and Education.
Tantrism and Yoga.
Major Orders and Schools.
Festivals, Pilgrimages, and Ritual Cycles.
8. The Sites of Knowledge.
The Speech Goddess's Mirror.
Formations of Body, Speech, and Mind.
Medicine, Astronomy, and the Divinatory Sciences.
9. Tibet in the Modern World.
The End of Traditional Tibet.
Rebellion and Exile.
The Promise and Peril of a Century's End.
Notes.
Spellings of Tibetan Names and Terms.
Bibliography.
Index.
List of Maps.
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
A Note on Transcription and Translation.
1. The Vessel and Its Contents.
High Peaks, Pure Earth.
Peasants, Nomads, and Traders.
The Tibetan Language.
2. Prehistory and Early Legends.
Sources of Archeological Evidence.
Children of the Ape and the Ogress.
Tibetan Religion Before Buddhism.
3. The Tsenpo's Imperial Dominion.
The Rise of the Tibetan Empire.
Later Monarchs and the Promotion of Buddhism.
The Empire's Implosion.
4. Fragmentation and Hegemonic Power.
Dynastic Successors and the Kingdom of Gugé.
The Buddhist Renaissance.
Mongols and Tibetan Buddhists.
Successive Hegemonies.
Tibetan Buddhism and the Ming Court.
5. The Rule of the Dalai Lamas.
Monastics and Monarchs.
Between Mongols and Manchus.
Regency and Retreat.
Cultural Developments in Eastern Tibet.
The Life and Times of the Great Thirteenth.
6. Tibetan Society.
Property, Economy, and Social Class.
Government and Law.
Marriage and Kinship.
Women in Traditional Tibet.
7. Religious Life and Thought.
Propitiation, Therapy, and the Life-cycle.
Buddhist Basics.
Monastic Institutions and Education.
Tantrism and Yoga.
Major Orders and Schools.
Festivals, Pilgrimages, and Ritual Cycles.
8. The Sites of Knowledge.
The Speech Goddess's Mirror.
Formations of Body, Speech, and Mind.
Medicine, Astronomy, and the Divinatory Sciences.
9. Tibet in the Modern World.
The End of Traditional Tibet.
Rebellion and Exile.
The Promise and Peril of a Century's End.
Notes.
Spellings of Tibetan Names and Terms.
Bibliography.
Index.
"The Tibetans improves and expands upon its predecessors, and we
have Matthew Kapstein to thank for his efforts." (Moran Review,
October 2010)
"Kapstein's work provides a highly accessible and comprehensive
account of scholarship on the subject, ensuring that his book will
feature prominently on reading lists for students at all levels,
especially undergraduates." (Religious Studies Review,
September 2010)"The Tibetans offers the best single overview
of Tibetan cultural history currently available, and it is highly
recommended reading for students and professional scholars alike.
It is surely destined to be the standard work of its type well into
the foreseeable future." (The Journal of Asian Studies,
December 2009)
"Kapstein has produced a finely textured work that can correct
prevailing misconceptions and introduce the reader to the amazing
complexity of what he calls the "Tibetan civilizational sphere."
The Tibetans helps us better understand the historical and
cultural forces that have shaped Tibet's destiny." (Traditional
Yoga Studies)
"It has been a long time since Tibet scholars have had a text so
comprehensive, well informed, beautifully written and majestically
sensitive. This book is a 'must read' for junior
scholars of Tibet and for lay persons with a general interest in
the region; even those already expert in the field will find here
much that is both entertaining and edifying." (The China
Journal)
"Recommended." (CHOICE)
"An excellent book and it adds greatly to our knowledge of this
fascinating people ... I recommend this book strongly."
(Educational Review)
"An authoritative but accessible work of erudition,
well-designed for the undergraduate market." (Journal of the
Royal Anthropological Institute)
"It is a book that all scholars of Tibet and Central Asia,
regardless of disciplinary focus, should read and control."
(Asian Ethnology)
"This accessible book makes the latest research on Tibetan
history and culture widely available and can be recommended as a
standard introduction to the field." (Atlas Serials)
"In the past, for largely geographical reasons, Tibet was isolated
from the rest of the world, which meant that our country, people
and culture were not only shrouded in mystery, but often gravely
misunderstood. More recently, as interest has grown, scholarship
concerning Tibet has improved beyond expectation, although it has
often singled out narrow topics for consideration. In producing
this substantial book, which takes a broad view of Tibetans and
their civilization, within a long historical perspective, Matthew
Kapstein has brought to his work the authority and clarity he has
acquired through many years of friendship with and observation of
the people of the Land of Snow."
--His Holiness The Dalai Lama
"Professor M. T. Kapstein's elegantly written The
Tibetans describes the Tibetan area, its inhabitants and the
richness of its religious and secular culture in a truly exquisite
and highly intelligent manner. It is an impressive achievement.
The Tibetans is in every respect a masterful survey in which
the political and cultural history of the enormous area inhabited
by the Tibetan people get their fair share. Every page of this
volume is informed by the author's profound knowledge and
understanding of the many facets of this unique culture. In my
opinion, The Tibetans will surely displace the earlier,
general volumes on Tibet by R.A. Stein and H.E. Richardson and D.L.
Snellgrove, and thus quickly become a modern classic."
--Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp, Harvard University
have Matthew Kapstein to thank for his efforts." (Moran Review,
October 2010)
"Kapstein's work provides a highly accessible and comprehensive
account of scholarship on the subject, ensuring that his book will
feature prominently on reading lists for students at all levels,
especially undergraduates." (Religious Studies Review,
September 2010)"The Tibetans offers the best single overview
of Tibetan cultural history currently available, and it is highly
recommended reading for students and professional scholars alike.
It is surely destined to be the standard work of its type well into
the foreseeable future." (The Journal of Asian Studies,
December 2009)
"Kapstein has produced a finely textured work that can correct
prevailing misconceptions and introduce the reader to the amazing
complexity of what he calls the "Tibetan civilizational sphere."
The Tibetans helps us better understand the historical and
cultural forces that have shaped Tibet's destiny." (Traditional
Yoga Studies)
"It has been a long time since Tibet scholars have had a text so
comprehensive, well informed, beautifully written and majestically
sensitive. This book is a 'must read' for junior
scholars of Tibet and for lay persons with a general interest in
the region; even those already expert in the field will find here
much that is both entertaining and edifying." (The China
Journal)
"Recommended." (CHOICE)
"An excellent book and it adds greatly to our knowledge of this
fascinating people ... I recommend this book strongly."
(Educational Review)
"An authoritative but accessible work of erudition,
well-designed for the undergraduate market." (Journal of the
Royal Anthropological Institute)
"It is a book that all scholars of Tibet and Central Asia,
regardless of disciplinary focus, should read and control."
(Asian Ethnology)
"This accessible book makes the latest research on Tibetan
history and culture widely available and can be recommended as a
standard introduction to the field." (Atlas Serials)
"In the past, for largely geographical reasons, Tibet was isolated
from the rest of the world, which meant that our country, people
and culture were not only shrouded in mystery, but often gravely
misunderstood. More recently, as interest has grown, scholarship
concerning Tibet has improved beyond expectation, although it has
often singled out narrow topics for consideration. In producing
this substantial book, which takes a broad view of Tibetans and
their civilization, within a long historical perspective, Matthew
Kapstein has brought to his work the authority and clarity he has
acquired through many years of friendship with and observation of
the people of the Land of Snow."
--His Holiness The Dalai Lama
"Professor M. T. Kapstein's elegantly written The
Tibetans describes the Tibetan area, its inhabitants and the
richness of its religious and secular culture in a truly exquisite
and highly intelligent manner. It is an impressive achievement.
The Tibetans is in every respect a masterful survey in which
the political and cultural history of the enormous area inhabited
by the Tibetan people get their fair share. Every page of this
volume is informed by the author's profound knowledge and
understanding of the many facets of this unique culture. In my
opinion, The Tibetans will surely displace the earlier,
general volumes on Tibet by R.A. Stein and H.E. Richardson and D.L.
Snellgrove, and thus quickly become a modern classic."
--Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp, Harvard University
Matthew T. Kapstein is Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago and Director of Tibetan Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. His recent publications include The Presence of Light (2004), Reason's Traces (2001), The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism (2000) and Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet (1998).
