The late Giuseppe Tucci was one of the major figures of modern Tibetology. This
book, first published in German in 1970 as part of a series on the religions
of the world, is the product of a lifetime's work., and in it Tucci drew on
his wide knowledge of the Tibetan language and literature, and on the many expeditions
he had made to Western and Central Tibet in the 1920s to 1940s, to produce a
work which was both authoritativeand comprehensive. After describing the diffusion
of Buddhism in Tibet, Professor Tucci discusses the general characteristics
of "Lamaism" and goes on to write about monastery life, religious
festivals and the Bon religion. Much of the material, such as the chapter on
the teaching of the various Buddhist schools, and part of that on folk religion,
represents the results of previously unpublished research.
Geoffrey Samuel's translation
of the book, made from the German and Italian editions, appeared in 1980. It
was co-published by Routledge and Kegan Paul, London and the University of California
Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.
The Religions of Mongolia
Walther
Heissig's study of Mongolian religion was originally published in the same volume
and series as Tucci's Religions of Tibet. Mongolian Buddhism derives
from Tibet and resembles it closely in many respects. In this book Heissig,
a distinguished German scholar of Mongolian literature and religion, examines
the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia and its interaction with the indigenous
Mongolian shamanism. Most of his book, however, is concerned with the non-Buddhist
folk religion of the Mongolian peoples, including a detailed account of its
pantheon. The book remains an important contribution to Mongolian studies.
Geoffrey Samuel's translation
of the book, made from the German edition, appeared, like The Religions of
Tibet, in 1980. It was co-published by Routledge and Kegan Paul, London and
the University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.