David Snellgrove (1920–2016)

This volume provides a comprehensive survey of Indian Buddhism and its subsequent establishment in Tibet. It concentrates on the tantric period of Buddhist theory and practice, from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries, when the Tibetans were actively engaged in absorbing all they could find of Buddhist culture and religion into their own country. Snellgrove emphasizes the significant role played by the Central Asian kingdoms along the ancient Silk Route in the gradual process of Tibetan conversion. He draws convincingly upon documents of the time to illustrate the cultural changes that swept Tibet as a result of its rule over an extensive empire from the seventh to the ninth centuries—a period of history largely forgotten by the Tibetans themselves when they later embarked upon the wholesale importation of Buddhism directly from Northern India.

Throughout, the author quotes extensively from numerous original sources, many of which have never before been translated into English. The illustrations include iconographic art as well as photographs of historical interest.… (meer)

The blurb of this book promises the following:

"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."

What utter rubbish.

What the book contains are excerpts of translated texts that have been translated and complied by academics for academics. There is a short introduction to the texts dating back to 1953 but this gives no indication of how the texts were selected or what their significance is.

For a book that presumes to be a comprehensive and timeless introduction to the subject, there is a remarkable lack of explanations. In fact, there are none.

So what the book really is, is a collection of nondescript texts that are presented without any context, relevance, time lines, or anything else that could serve to gain an understanding of the text and how they relate to the subject. Unless, of course, you consult a variety of additional reference works.

1.5* rounded up.… (meer)