David Snellgrove

To practising bonpos, Bon simply means the true religion of Tibet, while to Tibetan Buddhists, Bon refers to the false teachings and practices that were prevalent before Buddhism finally succeeded in gaining a firm hold on the country. The present study resulted from a period during which the author, a renowned scholar of Asian languages and cultures, was engaged in intense contact with practicing bonpos. It consists of the translation of fundamental texts of Bon, based on a manuscript of some 400 years of age, in which the entire Bon tantric practice is summarized. In many ways remarkably parallel to the early Buddhist teachings, much of the Bon tradition was subsequently incorporated back into Buddhism when that religion was formally adopted into Tibetan culture. This important study, first published in the 1960s and long out of print, will be welcomed by all with interest in the religions of the Himalayas.

In this groundbreaking work, the author presents a full translation of, and commentary on, the Hevajra tantra, providing not only deep insight into arguably the most important surviving tantric Buddhist text but also placing the entire corpus of such works into a more accurate context. Snellgrove presents the Hevajra tantra, and tantric texts of this class, not as degenerate products of a faith at the time in terminal decline in India-as has often been claimed by puritanical scholars-but rather as a wholly legitimate expression of esoteric ritual and meditative practice developed as a natural evolution within the madhyamika tradition. While based primarily on Nepalese manuscript editions of the text, Snellgrove makes extensive reference to the Tibetan translation as well as to extant Indian commentaries. The first half of the work comprises an introduction and the actual translation with detailed annotations, while the second consists of the Romanized original Sanskrit and Tibetan texts and an extensive glossary.

A study of Tibetan religion. To practising bonpos, Bon simply means the true religion of Tibet, while to Tibetan Buddhists, Bon refers to the false teachings and practices that were prevalent before Buddhism became the dominant religion under the Kings. The present study resulted from a period during which the author was engaged in intense contact with practising bonpos. It consists of the translation of a seminal 450 year old transcript of a 13th century Bon manuscript, in which the entire Bon philosophy and practice is summarized. The scale and depth of his study allows

A comprehensive survey of Indian Buddhism and its subsequent establishment in Tibet, where it was transferred preceding its demise in India in the thirteenth century CE. It is especially informative on the tantric period of Buddhist practice from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries, but also deals with the earlier evolution of Buddhist doctrines, the 'Three Turnings of the Wheel', during the first thousand years. Thereafter, the author addresses the Buddhist conversion of Tibet, emphasizing the great importance played by the kingdoms of Central Asia in the gradual process of Tibetan conversion. Professor Snellgrove draws upon original sources to illustrate the cultural changes that came over Tibet as a result of its rule from the seventh to ninth centuries of an extensive Central Asian Empire, a period of their history largely forgotten by Tibetans themselves when they later embarked upon the wholesale absorption of Buddhism from its Indian source.

This unique anthology of Buddhist scripture traces the development of Buddhism through the ages and around the world. Designed to serve scholars and students, this classic text has become a valuable resource for Buddhists and all those who wish to explore for themselves the original sources of one of the world’s great religions. Accessible and jargon-free, these translations from the original Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese are presented in plain English by four leading experts on the language and literature of Buddhism, while a glossary of foreign terms completes a thoroughly comprehensive and timeless introduction to the subject.

Describes the various developments in Tibetan Buddhism from earliest times to its present form. This title shows the evolution of Buddhism primarily from the Tibetan perspective. It also includes an addendum that provides insight into details of the author's historic first travels into India and Tibet in 1953. This book, a revised edition of one of this renowned scholar's primary early works, describes the various developments in Tibetan Buddhism from earliest times to its present form. It is therefore a history of a rather special kind, in that it shows the

Tells of a seven months' journey which the author made through the remote Tibetan regions of Western Nepal. The purpose of the journey was to learn of the different religions and people and to study in particular the types of Tibetan religion practiced in those remote lands. The author provides an account of the lives of these cheerful people. Himalayan Pilgrimage' tells of a seven months' journey which the author made through the remote Tibetan regions of Western Nepal. Travelling everywhere on foot with his Sherpa assistant, Dr. Snellgrove covered more than a thousand miles of'

Suitable for students of Tibetan religion and culture who are also versed in classical Tibetan language, this title provides an edited and corrected transcription the original Tibetan textual autobiographies of four Tibetan lamas of the Dolpo region, three of whom were born in the 16th century and one in the 17th. The present volume provides an edited and corrected transcription the original Tibetan textual autobiographies of four Tibetan lamas of the Dolpo region, three of whom were born in the 16th century and one in the 17th. An accompaniment to

This English translation of the manuscript autobiographies of four Tibetan lamas of the Dolpo region, three of whom were born in the 16th century and one in the 17th, offers the reader important insight into medieval Tibetan religious life. The manuscript records of these lives were discovered by the author/translator, an eminent scholar of Tibetan religion and culture, in the library of a monastery in Dolpo in 1961. Dr. Snellgrove remained in Dolpo to work with an erudite local monk on the preparatory work of the translation, thereafter completing the translation on his return to England. Four Lamas of Dolpo provides a unique inside account of Tibetan religion and culture, as it has survived and has been practiced in an enclosed Tibetan community, practically unchanged for the past thousand years.