Tibetan Buddhism: An Introduction

To me Tibetan Buddhism has always seemed like those pictures you see of Tibet - beautiful and natural and clouded in mystery.This book explains all aspects of what Tibetan Buddhism is - from it's beginnings to it's future.The style of this introduction can be a little dry at times. It's very academic in it's delivery. The content is mostly facts and descriptions about aspects and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. I was looking for a general understanding about Tibetan Buddhism - the basics -and that's what this delivered. That's not to say that it's a boring read - I enjoyed it and was engaged.

I came across this book at Norton Simon Museum. I was looking for an easy to understand, introductory book to Tibetan Buddhism and, instead, found a true gem. This book is concise and well structured. It covers some very important topics: How Buddhism came to Tibet, different schools of Buddhism in Tibet, the origin of Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama (two often misunderstood figures to the western society), symbols of Tibetan art in craft art, painting, architecture and a little bit of interior design, as well as yoga and tantric. I can't emphasis enough on the clear use of language, how all the ideas in the book are presented in a very simple and understandable manner. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious to find out what IS Tibetan Buddhism.