5 comments about Translating Buddhism from Tibetan.

1. I am less enthused about this massive tome than the other reviewers. I have a feeling that the book has failed to make the transition from a very lively university course to a textbook. The approach using all the different 'dimensions' is rather idiosyncratic. There problem is that there are few other choices when it comes to Tibetan textbooks. There is a heavy reliance for examples on the literature of logic. In my opinion more examples from practice-related material would have been useful. Too much reliance is placed on traditional Tibetan grammar for my liking. And that romanisation is unnecessarily complex. Still, it is a very significant work, and inspite of its short-comings, is still the best in this small field.



2. Very useful book for learners with a constructive introduction to Tibetan sentence structure and a useful basic vocabulary for classical Tibetan. Start with this book if you want to learn to read Tibetan and get a good basis. With the next edition please give us a lighter version an add an index!



3. The first 5 or 6 Chapters are very useful for the Beginner but afterwards it becames increasingly difficult. It hard to understand the explanations on more advance grammar. I think that unnecesarilly tries to explain many concepts instead of teaching the howto of the language as in the first part. I think I should be reworked (at least the last part) in order to make the student to be able to use the grammar at least for some basic reading. I think I should include more practical examples of reading and interpreting texts. Vocabulary alone is not enough. So I guess that considering the few book about this subject this is a good one after all despite the shortcomings.



4. This is the first book I bought at the start of my journey into Tibetan. The overall strategy of this book is to build an hybrid Tenglish (Tibetan-English) language, which should gradualise and faciltate the student's approach to Tibetan texts. I regard this idea as essentially flawed and therefore I basically agree with the less enthused reviewers.
   Still, this is a honourable work and it may be useful for a first, cautious approach to classical Tibetan. If you want to plunge into the real thing right away, I suggest you buy Stephen Hodge's "Introduction to Classical Tibetan" (if you can find it).



5. Hi guys, well i've been living in Nepal for the last 4 years and i can tell you that learning tibetan (and by this i mean really know it) its really hard, but i found that wilson's book is actually great not only coz it does work but also coz it provides you with the tools to do it... its the best next thing just after learning tibetan from tibetan grammarians
   
   so what i would suggest is...
   get wilson's book, then if you are completely new go through the whole book, coz it provides basic concept on Buddhism and lots of vocab (all really useful)... if you are a bit more experience then learn by heart apendixes 4 and 5 which deals with verbs, and clases which are a primordial part of tibetan (but for some reason some "serious" books dont even mention them... oh by the way tibetans do study tibetan talking about cases)...then move on to...
   
   Craig preston's how to read classical tibetan... which if you don't know by heart appendix 4 n 5 is rather useless... but otherwise excellent to show how to make the complex sentences (pages long at times) into short and readable clauses or sentences... besides it also completes wilsons lack of talk or not wanting to talk about transitive and intransitive verbs (which they also exist in tibetan and are of great importance when trying to get across the right meaning)
   
   last but not least... in my experience there have been tons of mistranslations all over the place even by "famous" translators... thats why i recommend Tony Duff's excellent Illuminator dictionary...
   
   until the day that someone explains tibetan grammar the way tibetan study it and understand it these are the tools for anyone who is serious about learning tibetan, and when the time is right go and get teachings on tibetan from a tibetan grammarian... then the whole world is open to you... once again i think these are the best for whats outer but once you see the real thing you wont go back...

1 comments about Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet's Beloved Saint, Milarepa.

1. Lama Kunga's way of telling the tales of Milarepa makes me want to read on and on. Milarepa, himself, was a character I found to be fascinating to study. Being able to find this book after so many years helped to facillitate the joys of the Tibetan Buddhist way of life and culture.

No comments about Life & Liberation Of Padmasambhava.

1 comments about The Warrior Song of King Gesar.

1. I am not a student of Eastern philosophy, although I've always thought that I had some appreciation for Buddhist ideas. Well, Gesar is not your sanitary, American high school Buddhism. Gesar is a warrior and superman, and through meditation and divine interaction, he goes out and - excuse the expression - Kicks Some Demon A**. The demon kingdoms surround Gesar's country of Ling, and Gesar must be victorious over them, so the populous will turn towards the tenets of Buddhism and his country have security.

   Gesar is an ancient tale from the Himalayan region, and its hero based on a real king. The author has done his best to abridge the major story into a form that is approachable to those of us without extensive background to Tibetan or Mongolian Buddhism, or knowledge of the extensive pantheon of Buddhist deities. However, I fear he has shortened the tale too much; some of his actions seemed like they needed more context. Doing a book search through a university library led me to another translation of the epic of Gesar - *The Superhuman life of Gesar of Ling* by Alexandra David-Neel & the lama Yongden. This version is nearly 400 pages long, compared to 150 pages. Obviously Douglas J. Penick took some liberties with the translation.

   This is an exciting tale, filled with magic, demons, and adventure. It is a good, "off-the-beaten-path" story that will give you another perspective on Buddhism and an insight into the cultures of the Himalayan region.

No comments about Tibetan English Dictionary of Buddhist Terminology.

5 comments about Learning Practical Tibetan.

1. I first read a glowing review of this book from Columbia University and decided to buy it. It's a wonderful book in its own right and especially good when you purchase the accompanying tapes. I used the book when I was in Nepal with great success, and imagine my surprise when I saw many Tibetans with the same book! They told me it helped them to learn English. By far better than the confusing Goldstein alternative (lonely planet), I thanks the authors for filling a gap with such a worthy product.



2. Unless you get the audio forum set that has over 2 dozen tapes & several books, this book is the best thing to get you up to speed with Tibetan pronunciation and vocab. Very useful and user friendly, with lots of vocab and clear instruction, as the other reviewers have mentioned. With casual effort, you can make good use of the book, however the more time you put in with it, the more you will be rewarded in learning Tibetan.



3. This is a very useful book. It is basically a phrase book, but I also gives word-by-word translation, and so you know how the sentences are made. Tapes are also useful. It is very practical in outlook, and frankly it could have been better with theoretical description of sound and tone marks - those who don't care can just skip them.



4. Don't let the title of this review fool you, this is a really good Tibetan book. It is full of vocab and set up really well for Westerners. It is great if you are wanting to learn simple Tibetan phrases. But as the title says, this is a 'practical' not a comprehensive language book. The Tibetan language is incredibly complex and difficult. If you are taking a trip to central Tibet and want to know the basics of the Tibetan language, don't leave home without this book. If you want to learn the foundations of Tibetan and really want to tackle the language try "Modern Tibetan Language" (vol I and II) by Losang Thonden published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala (make sure you get the tapes too!). If you are looking for a comprehensive system to learn conversational Tibetan, try the 4 volume, 18 tape "Fluent Tibetan" system published by Snow Lion. Good luck!



5. This is a good phrase book ONLY if you can read and pronounce Tibetan script already... The transliterations have frequent outright errors, but in general are simply wrong. They have used their own imaginative system of transliteration, which is fine, but spoken Tibetan words is simply not pronounced this way. As ONE example, according to this book, no Tibetan word ever has a consanent on the end! PAR and PAL and PAG are all PA, apparently. While endings are often softened or clipped in Tibetan, the pronounciation you will get, using this book, will make Tibetans think you have a serious speech impediment. Simply useless to the average student.

4 comments about An Introduction to Classical Tibetan.

1. Hodge's book is by far the finest that I've seen for beginners of Literary Tibetan. The manner in which he has arranged the text is ingenious. It is a small book, but I think you learn more from it than from Joe Wilson's hefty "Translating Buddhism from Tibetan." Also, it's very hard to find, in the first year Tibetan class I took, we couldn't get a hold of the text, so we all had to use photocopies. For colloquial Tibetan, I recommend the "Fluent Tibetan" series, but they are really no substitute for a class.



2. A blessedly slim, grammatically thorough & well-organized introductory text so elegant it can be used in classes or self-study. Beautifully printed, indexed, and designed. Introduction to Classical Tibetan by Stephen Hodge was assigned as a primary text at UC-Berkeley for beginning scriptural Tibetan. When first learning particles, I used to carry it with me everywhere. It's marvelously portable, and due to excellent indexing even a beginner can find specific grammatical items easily -- even when reading on the bus! When I advanced into higher classes, I kept Hodge in my backpack as a handy reference. It's still on my desktop today. If you are learning classical Tibetan independently, outside the university, this is a wonderful starter book.



3. Self-study on Wilson's useful and honourable manual acquainted me with the basics of the Tibetan language, but before I got hold of this magic booklet I never felt, as I do now, that a real grasp of classical Tibetan was within my reach. Though I have never met him, I am grateful to Stephen Hodge for writing this book.



4. I'm still in the very early stages of studying Tibetan and am no expert on the subject, but, having looked at a number of grammars and tutorials covering Classical Tibetan, I feel that Stephen Hodge's _An Introduction to Classical Tibetan_ is definitely one of the best ones available in English, if not the best.
   
   It is relatively short, consisting of fifteen lessons (about 100 pages), ten readings (50 pages), keys to exercises and readings (15 pages), and a Tibetan-English glossary covering all the exercises and readings (30 pages). The lessons generally cover two or three grammatical topics and usually include all the important things that the author is going to say about them, so you know where to look for information about a given topic. The presentations are clear and concise, and are illustrated with examples evidently derived from actual Classical Tibetan texts (though no citations are given). The exercises mostly consist of sentences or short passages in Tibetan to be translated into English with the aid of the lesson vocabulary and the glossary. The readings are taken from range of Buddhist texts, and offer a mix of narrative and expository forms. Both are accompanied by brief notes explaining and/or translating difficult phrases. As already noted, full translations of all the exercises and readings are given in a key at the end of the book.
   
   The book begins with a description of the Tibetan writing system and a simplified guide to pronunciation (approximating to Standard Modern Tibetan as spoken in Lhasa). The book uses Tibetan characters throughout in the exercises and readings, but uses Latin transcription (Wylie) everywhere else, including in the grammatical discussion, examples, lesson vocabulary, notes to readings, and glossary. Some people may object to this, but I was OK with it, the more so as the Tibetan font used is small and a little murky in some of the more complex characters. I would add that, even though the items in the vocabularies and glossary are in Latin transcription, the order is the conventional Tibetan one (which is explained at the beginning of the glossary).
   
   The grammatical discussion was simple and to the point and focused on the actual facts of the language as opposed to any kind of theory. I thought the treatment of particles was especially strong, and covered the forms of the particles where they varied (which is the case for maybe a dozen items) as well as their meanings and usage. The treatment of nouns, adjectives, numbers, and verbs was also good, as was that of basic syntax.
   
   If there is one thing that I would have liked more attention to have been paid to, it is the formation of the four verb tense forms (present, past, future and imperative). The author says in his main section on the verb (Lesson VII, p. 39), "A full discussion of the patterns to be encountered is quite beyond the scope of this course, and would also be an impossible burden for the student to learn." He gives about twenty example verbs, which he classifies into 4-stem, 3-stem, 2-stem and 1-stem forms; and then later, at the end of the last lesson, he gives a single table of 250 verbs in Tibetan alphabetical order. The table is useful, but I think he could have offered, without getting into too much complexity, a more precise classification of the forms that better reflected the main patterns of prefixes (`-, b-, g-/d- or nothing) and suffixes (-s, -d or nothing), along with perhaps some basic rules about what root initials and finals allow the various prefixes and suffixes (for example, can't have b- before p-, ph,- b- or m-, can't have -s after -d, -n, -r or -l, and so on). A little more information on da-drag (traces of a no longer written -d suffix) would have also been welcome, thought this may truly be too advanced a matter for an introductory textbook.
   
   As its title indicates, the book is concerned exclusively with Classical Tibetan, and does not discuss Modern Tibetan even in passing. But for anyone who has any interest in Classical Tibetan, be it for its own sake, for the light it sheds on Modern Tibetan, or simply as one of the world's great literary languages, this book offers a great overview as well as a nice, self-contained framework for self-study.
   
   Note: As of the time of writing the book is in print and not hard to get. I ordered it new from a US seller of Tibetan interest books listed in Amazon's new and used network and got it in under a week.

5 comments about Tibetan: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. My main objective was learning to speak some Tibetan on a conversational level, and not just a traveler's level. The book teaches the writitng system and enough grammar to be able to correctly speak Tibetan as we speak everyday English. Nothing too deep and technical, but nothing too brief. The small book is absolutely jam-packed with words and phrases. It suits the need of both the traveler and one who wants a basic conversational ability in Tibetan. It's value exceeds the price greatly!



2. I just love this little book. I haven't got to travel to tibet as of yet, but I do attend teachings at a Drikung Kagyu monastery where I interact with a few native tibetans. I must admit, I usually chicken out when it comes to trying to really speak. But it is soooo fun to be able to find words and phrases that I already know from practices and be able to see them in other usage.
   
   A terrific book! Ok, one thing, the print, especially the tibetan script is tiny, but then there is so much info crammed in this pocket-sized book, who can really complain. if you have a hard time with little print, throw a little reading magnifier strip in your pocket with it :)



3. As a small language book that is only meant to give you the basics this is a great book.
   
   
   A warning though... This book attempts to educated the reader in a "standard Tibetan language". They mention the three main dialects of U-tsang, Amdo, and Kham and claim that great interaction between them is leading to this standardization. It has not be my experience nor have I seen other scholars even mention the existence of such a standardization. From what I have learned the three dialects are quite different to the point of mutual misunderstanding. I do not feel that this book prepared me to speak Amdo, nor would it prepare anyone else to speak either Amdo or Kham. If that is your goal, good luck finding any book that can do that. But, for most people this is irrelevant. Most interaction with Tibetans by Westerners is with central U-tsang Tibetans. I never thoought about it before, but most of the Tibetan exiles are central/U-tsang.
   
   Upon further consultation with some Tibetans I have come to the conclusion that some mishmash of the dialects does exist in the Tibetan diaspora in India. So this book would be more useful there. Keep in mind though that the original exodus into India consisted mostly of Central Tibetans and so this new amalgamation likely favors that dialects sensibilities.



4. I've been to Tibet five times now, and each time I have carried my now well worn copy of this phrasebook with me. Without it, I'd be at a real loss. It is has proven wonderful for communicating with locals - not only in Lhasa, but also in far more remote parts of the country. It is safe to say that using this phrasebook has enhanced my experiences in Tibet many times over.
   
   If I did have one criticism of it, it would be that while it does have a brief English to Tibetan Dictionary in back, it would greatly benefit from a Tibetan to English Dictionary as well. So many times Tibetans have picked up the phrasebook from me and searched in vain for a word that they are trying to find.
   
   But that criticism is minor. If you're traveling in Tibet on your own, this phrasebooks is a must. Depending on how long you're going to be in the country, you may want to consider the LP Mandarin Phrasebook as well.....



5. I've recently returned from a few weeks in Tibet. One of my group had this phrase book and we tried to use it to speak with our driver. A few things: First, a pronunciation guide would have helped. Second, we found some common words missing, or at least were not able to find them the way the book is laid out. We ended up drawing pictures on Post-Its to communicate with our driver and learn words from him in this way.

2 comments about Manual of Standard Tibetan.

1. As a novice trying to learn Tibetan, I have purchased a few books on the subject, and I'm currently enrolled in a Tibetan class. I avoided this book at first because of the high price, but, "you get what you pay for" rang true in this situation. The charts are especially valuable, the explanations are clear, and the dialogues are useful. It also has a healthy content relevant to Tibetan Buddhism and culture. This edition also contains 2 CDs containing all the dialogue, absolutely neccessary in order to capture the correct pronounciation of the Lhasha dialect. An appendix in the back contains a useful bridge between Standard and Classical Tibetan. Simply put, I am extremely pleased with this book and totally "geeked out" by its content!!! It's a beautiful thing, so get it!



2. Since I've hesitated a long time between Hopkins' "Fluent Tibetan" with tapes and Tournadre's "Manual of Standard Tibetan," I thought it would be helpful to write a comparative review. I ended up getting both, and I find they complement each other quite well.
   
   Tournadre's Manual is amazingly comprehensive, quite sufficient, it seems, to keep a student busy trough four semester courses or so. This text is useful to lay a strong foundation to build on later on. Prior to the forty-one Lessons, over forty pages present the reader with a thorough introduction to the alphabet, pronunciation and a clever system of transcription of the author's devising. The latter is helpful in precisely describing the pronunciation of the words introduced at each lesson. I counted about 2000 words in the glossaries at the end, which makes quite a rich vocabulary.
   
   The book is also replete with cultural notes, maps and descriptions of the different Tibetan dialects. Another nice touch is the amount of supplementary material, including videos of the dialogues, exercise answer keys and supplementary exercises, all available on the web at the University of Virginia's Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library website.
   
   On the down side, I found the lessons very hard going. One sometimes gets lost in detail, that is to say, each topic is examined extremely thoroughly (e.g. the spelling variations of the word for "one" and other numbers). Those details are not always essential at the beginnning. This is probably the typical experience of a self-learner like me, while in a classroom situation the teacher would know when to instruct students to skip over the extra details. It is quite apparent that each lesson needs to be expanded and developed in a classroom situation, with perhaps ten times as many exercises, drills and dialogues as are provided in the book, in order to bring out all that it has to offer. I therefore decided that this book was hard to use as a primary text by a pure self-learner, but is probably the best of its kind for classroom instruction. I use it as a reference and will probably go back to it more methodically when I am done with the "Fluent Tibetan" set.
   
   "Fluent Tibetan" is based on the unsurpassed method devised by the Foreign Service Institute, which aims at developing fluency in a short period of time. The tapes are quite audible and provide an extensive set of oral drills, something I haven't seen elsewhere. Some reviewers have complained about the amount of repetition, but I think being bored with repetition in an indication that one is becoming fluent with the material, i.e., the course is delivering the goods. Drilling is quite important when a language has a very different grammar (from my experience with Hebrew). On the other hand, the vocabulary is rather sparse at about 500 words. I find the main strength of the set is in the drills and in the fact that it is mostly, but not exclusively, based on audio material. The set aims at the low-intermediate level. This can keep you busy for about three months if you keep a good pace.
   
   The "Fluent Tibetan" CD-ROM, available separately, does not have any drills, and in summary is quite useless.

5 comments about Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas.

1. What a wonderful book! It delights all the senses. The paintings alone are fantastic. Naomi is a talented artist who is able to connect her readers more closely to the stories through her paintings. The stories are valuable for children of all ages... stories we all need to hear, know, and think about in our lives. I highly recommend this book for everyone. I keep it on my coffee table.



2. Featuring a brief foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Tales For Little Buddhas is both an engaging children's picturebook and a fascinating introduction to another culture. The three tales, "Yeshi's Luck", "Jomo and the Dakini Queen", and "Chunda's Wisdom Quest" are presented in Tibetan and English. Warm color illustrations help display a picture of Tibetan daily life in this unique folklore treasury recommended for family, school, and community library collections. Tibetan Tales For Little Buddhas will prove to be as enjoyable for parents as it is for their little ones.



3. This book shares three tales from the Tibetan culture, written for children, but chock full of insights--both cultural and spiritual--for all ages. The illustrations are beautiful and expressive. The stories are well written. For all of the stories, there is Tibetan script alongside the English text. There is also a listing of Tibetan words and meanings that are used in the stories. It is definitely a gift that I will continue to others.



4. My daughter and I attend a Family Dharma class that teaches from a primary text for adults, but the class is geared towards little kids as far as time and content. However I really felt we needed some literature that was on her level (she is 6) and had images. Tibetan Tales was perfect. There are several stories that can be read individually and discussed. Some we had already heard and it was nice to go over them again with illustrations this time. This is an excellent book to begin teaching your child about Buddhism and can be read over and over with new meanings as your child gets older.



5. i love the stories that is connected to tibetian culture and reading it to my baby girl its a great read