The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama“A memorable and vivid history lesson about a remote mysterious place that, in terms of its sheer survival, has implications for our own lives.” —The Times-Picayune Over the course of three years, journalist Thomas Laird spent more than sixty hours with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in candid, one-on-one interviews that ranged widely, covering not only the history of Tibet but science, reincarnation, and Buddhism. Laird brings these meetings to life in this vibrant, monumental work that outlines the essence of thousands of years of civilization, myth, and spirituality. Tibet’s story is rich with tradition and filled with promise. It begins with the Bodhisattva Chenrizi (“The Holy One”) whose spirit many Tibetans believe resides within the Dalai Lama. We learn the origins of Buddhism, and about the era of Great Tibetan Emperors, whose reign stretched from southwestern China to Northern India. His Holiness introduces us to Tibet’s greatest yogis and meditation masters, and explains how the institution of the Dalai Lama was founded. Laird explores, with His Holiness, Tibet’s relations with the Mongols, the Golden Age under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Tibet’s years under Manchu overlords, modern independence in the early twentieth century, and the Dalai Lama’s personal meetings with Mao just before His Holiness fled into exile in 1959. The Story of Tibet is “a tenderly crafted study that is equal parts love letter, traditional history and oral history” (Publishers Weekly). “Captivating reading.” —Tricycle |
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THE STORY OF TIBET: Conversations with the Dalai Lama
User Review - KirkusAn initially rickety narrative about the exiled Dalai Lama's homeland recovers to stand solidly in favor of Tibet's independence from China.Crime-novelist Laird (Black Dog, 2004, etc.) is also a ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - co_coyote - LibraryThingAs events unfold toward the 2008 Olympics in China, and protests of human rights violations follow the Olympic flame on its journey around the world, it is disconcerting to hear the Chinese government ... Read full review
Contents
10 | |
27 | |
42 | |
Decline Revolt | 62 |
The Dharma Returns and Buddhist | 73 |
Mongol Overlords | 104 |
The Fifth Dalai Lama | 152 |
The Sixth to the Twelfth Dalai Lamas 17051900 | 185 |
The Thirteenth Dalai Lama 18761933 | 211 |
The Early Life of | 260 |
Life Under Chinese Occupation 19511959 | 313 |
Chapter 13 | 339 |
Chapter 14 | 357 |
Epilogue | 373 |
385 | |
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