History of Modern Tibet (4 volumes) by Melvin C. Goldstein is considered the most authoritative and balanced history of modern Tibet. Goldstein uses both Chinese…
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Tag: Buddhist History (Books)
Tibet in Its Own Words
The Tibetan History Reader is an anthology of essays on Tibet. It complements Sources of Tibetan Tradition, which is a collection of 180 mainly Tibetan…
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Tibetan Buddhists in the Making of Modern China – Part 1
This book by Gray Tuttle (hardcover 2005), a professor of Tibetan studies at Columbia University, argues that the West has wrongly portrayed the relations between…
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The Golden Urn – Part 3
Professor Max Oidtmann wrote his book after he discovered two copybooks originally kept by the Qing ambans stationed in Lhasa between 1875 and 1900. Amban…
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The Golden Urn – Part 2
In this deeply researched book by Max Oidtmann, a German professor of Chinese history, we learn that the Golden Urn was used by the Qing…
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Buddhism in China – Part 2
During and post-Mao Under Mao, all religions, including Buddhism, were regarded as “feudal superstitions.” After Mao died, Deng Xiaoping allowed the restoration of religious sites…
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Buddhism in China – Part 1
Post-Western Encroachments Faced with the threat of the British and French taking territory by force, making China strong became a major concern of the Qing court…
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Shanxi – Part 1
There are three famous Buddhist grottoes in China, dating back to the dynastic era. In chronological order, you have the Mogao Caves [4th century AD],…
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Retracing Xuanzang: A Journey Through Time
Dust in the Wind is a beautiful 2006 book published by a Taiwanese magazine. The editors in 1987 sent 5 teams of reporters and photographers…
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Tibetan Buddhism Explored: Insights from Five Books
How was Buddhism spread to Tibet? How did Tibetan Buddhism evolve and assimilate with Tibetan’s native and animistic beliefs? Is Tibetan Buddhism now the purest…
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