The Religion of Tibet

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

In this book the author attempts to describe how Buddhism, in a late and strange form, came to Tibet and was there developed to suit the needs of an exceptional country and people and how for several centuries and down to the present day, dominates Tibet. Many people interested in Tibetan Buddhism will gain knowledge of the inner workings of its Tibetan adaptation.

Sir Charles Bells (1870-1945) joined the India Civil Service in 1891. In 1908 he was appointed Political Officer in Sikkim. In 1913 he participated in the Simla Convention, a treaty between Great Britain, China and Tibet concerning the status of Tibet. In 1919 he resigned to devote himself fully to his research. But in 1920 he was again sent to Lhasa as a special ambassador. After travelling through Tibet in 1920 he retired to devote himself full time to write a series of books on the history, culture and religion of Tibet.

THIS book attempts to describe firstly, how Buddhism, in a late and strange form, came to Tibet and was there developed to suit the needs of an exceptional country and people; and secondly, how, for several centuries and down to the present day, it dominates the Tibetan nation. About three-fourths of the material set out in these pages is new; i.e. valuable books and manuscripts given me by the Dalai Lama, the Pan-chen Rim-po-che (Ta-shi Lama), and others, as well as conversations with leading Tibetans in Lhasa and elsewhere. So many are interested in Buddhism, and so little is known of the inner workings of its Tibetan adaptation, that the subject may perhaps prove acceptable to a circle of readers.

I write Tibetan names and other words as they are pronounced in the central province round Lhasa. Tibetan spelling does not represent the modern pronunciation in any part of Tibet. But for a few of the names, &c.—the more important ones-I have entered, the spelling in Tibetan script in the footnotes. There are several competing systems of transliteration into the roman character, but none are quite satisfactory, and students of things Tibetan may therefore prefer to have these words in Tibetan itself.

The illustrations, except one, are my own. This one, the frontispiece, I owe to His Holiness the Panchen Lama himself. My indebtedness in other fields is, I hope, made clear in the text.