Tibetan Buddhism

A Very Short Introduction

De: Matthew T. Kapstein

Narrado por: Neil Shah

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition has known over 13 centuries of continuous development. During that time, it has spread among the neighboring peoples - the Mongol, Himalayan, and Siberian peoples, Manchus and Chinese. At its height, it has been practiced in regions as far west as the Volga river and to the east in Beijing. Its capacity for creative adaptation is demonstrated by its recent growth in Europe and America.

At the same time, it is at the center of political contestation in ethnically Tibetan regions of China, while its best known exponent, the Dalai Lama, has become one of the most admired religious leaders in the world today. But what does this religion teach? Just what is the position of the Dalai Lama, and how will his succession be assured? Is it true that Tibetan Buddhism in entirely suppressed in China?

Scholar Matthew Kapstein offers a brief account responding to these questions and more in this Very Short Introduction, in terms that are accessible to students, general listeners, journalists, and others who are curious to learn the most essential features of Tibetan Buddhist history, teachings, and practice.

©2014 Oxford University Press (P)2021 Tantor

Clearly explained, nicely narrated, great overview

Digestible, enjoyable, and elucidating. Pleasant, evenly voiced, narrator has a friendly, patient tone that is perfect for this introductory, explanatory material. Kapstein expertly condenses a vast religious tradition into an overview framework, including ritual practices, philosophical systems, and historical periods. Although full of dense information, this polished series of lectures does proceed at a balanced pace. Considering the broad scope, it is very well organized for the beginner. Each audio chapter is less than 30 min long. It never gets too esoteric and carefully avoids insider lingo. Still, since most of this study was new for me, it took time to absorb each chapter.

The conceptual vocabulary is mainly college-level academic English. Those who know the Sanskrit and Tibetan terminology will appreciate hearing the original names-and-nouns spoken precisely. However, when non-English terms are included for completeness, they are smartly added at the end of the sentence. This way, listeners unfamiliar with Sanskrit and Tibetan can effectively skip over unknown terms without losing the meaning of the sentence. Any college educated listener should be able to follow along.

One proof of a master teacher is their ability to outline complex ideas in brief yet richly detailed format. Kapstein's pithy examples and vignettes of historical figures make his topic come alive. [compare to Bertrand Russell's essays] Highly recommended.

VSI # 373

A few years ago I attended a Tibetan Buddhist (Kadampa) meditation class (held in a Unitarian church in a very Mormon part of Mesa, AZ). For years, I’ve been very intrigued by Buddhism, but know very little about its history or genealogy of belief. This book does a good job in detailing the orders and laying out the branches and history of Tibetan Buddhism. Probably heavier on history and lighter on teachings than I expected, but still a great read.

GREAT BOOK

This is a very informative book.
It is short and to the point.
I did order the physical book, and am looking forward to listening/reading again to certain parts of the book, especially the beginning. It is now 9/12/23 and I just finished listening and reading the book at the same time.
It was even better the second time around.
The book is certainly valuable to easily return to for reference to certain sections.
This is a book I HIGHLY recommend.
The narrator, mr. Neil Shah, as usual, is a pleasure to listen to.
Do get this book if you are at all interested in Buddhism.
My thanks to all involved, JK.

Notes to self and a little bit of review

Interesting learning about how the indigenous Tibetan religion Yungdrung Bön and late-first-century Indian Buddhism, mix and influence modern Tibetan Buddhism.
I appreciate the explanation of the difference between the popular image -- more doctrinal and loftier, and the lived experience -- more down to earth and practical focused. One needs both textual analysis and anthropological analysis to have a broad picture, this short intro manages to give a snippet of both.
Reader is very clear, but a bit boring to listen to -- but he does sound very tranquil. A lot of history, which helps give context to religious practices. A lot of the philosophical, especially epistemology, went over my head. Tantra not having a clear definition is surprising -- it is a word used all the time. My vague understanding is that Tantra literally means weave or loom, but in the Buddhist context it functionally means tradition and ritual. It is about performing sacred rites and imbuing the sacred into the profane via Matras and other rituals, and a recurringly viewing oneself as divine. This seeing oneself as divine, or as a specific deity, or as a buddha seems to be one of the major issues other Buddhist sects have with the tantric tradition -- although I may be extrapolating that last part from insufficient info. Mantras are vital to Tantric traditions, all Buddhist sects use mantras, but tantrism even more so. Mandala only means a diagram in tantric traditions and means order (as in well-ordered person) in all other traditions.