tibetan medicine, illustrated in original textsby venerable rechung rinpoche; jampal kunzang

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Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Texts by Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; Jampal Kunzang Review by: Ireneusz Kania Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 98, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1978), pp. 137-139 Published by: American Oriental Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/600952 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 07:26 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Oriental Society. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 07:26:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Textsby Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; Jampal Kunzang

Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Texts by Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; JampalKunzangReview by: Ireneusz KaniaJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 98, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1978), pp. 137-139Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/600952 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 07:26

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal ofthe American Oriental Society.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 07:26:22 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Textsby Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; Jampal Kunzang

Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

p. 115 colan- (vowels?) "to roast" (Ar. nadija "to be well-cooked") should be spelled cavlan- (cf. DLT, 388 "to be undercooked", Ar. talahwaja); p. 200 ong I "share, portion" is an error fur uiliig, probably by contamina- tion with o6rg which is found in both examples just before this word; p. 228 tiikiin in qisir tiikiin "barren and sterile" (Ar. 'aqim) is an error for biikiin (cf. DLT, 201 "impotent", Ar. 'innin); p. 336 yaturmaq "making of a bequest" is an error for tuturmaq, cf. p. 297 tutur- (this in turn might be an error for ttuuz-, however tutur- is attested in other texts as well, cf. ED, 460, 462-3); p. 347 budun in yoq budun bol- (so read, for bul-) is an error for yodun (cf. ED, 892); p. 349 yonligli "headed" (Ar. ragib "desiring, etc.") must be an error for tildgli, cf. p. 289 tila- "to wish, desire, want, will, seek"; p. 352 yuq- "to touch" is an error for yaq-, cf. p. 329 yaqmaq "a touching".

The following slips were noted: p. 62 auvraliq: Ar. missing (jala'); p. 64: entry missing, ayat "sign" (e.g., s.v. tanil-); p. 68 azu "or": also "unless" (e.g., s.v. unamalif); p. 152 kac qal-: Turkic gloss missing; p. 153 kad c'n sozligli "good and veracious" (Ar. siddiq), kad yangan "good and returning ..., i.e., penitent" (Ar. awwdb): here kad must be simply the emphatic particle "very" (meaning 3. s.v. kdd) and not a separate adjective "good" (meaning 1.); p. 162 kidinki: for "the reward of the world in greater" read "the reward of the world to come is greater"; p. 163 kim kim: in the third gloss cited, for bolsa read bolmasa (see s.v. yarag); p. 165 kok: the word liua "mud" (not noted as an entry p. 179) here replaces the work iiyiik in the same gloss as cited s.v. iiyik-is one a gloss of the other? (cf. DLT, 550 liyii "mud that turns to hard clay when it dries"); p. 171 korinu yiiriigun (MS yitriikiin): for the second word, read yiiriign (or yiizgdn?); p. 220 qara kozliig "black-eyed", A. zero: A. haIr! (Koran 40:54); p. 296 tuta', reference to iiktiS tutai': the latter is not found as an entry p. 313 (but see s.v. Tangri tuta and); p. 306: entry missing, umun- "to hope" (e.g. s.v. tumnaq); p. 311 uzun "long": also "tall" (e.g., s.v. iikil-); p. 347 yon-, A. tahta: A. nahata.

The following typographical errors were noted: p. 74 iimgdksizin: for talimsizn' read tolHnsiznl; p. 83 dt6z: the first Koranic citation should be 3:144, not 3:44; p. 179 kiivuzlik: for bodunga read bodunqa; p. 235 qoy tdiwi: for qo [yu]nglizlarni read qo [yulngizlarni; p. 238 qutlua: for Biting read Bitig; p. 253 sdwiinc dstiir-: read igtiir-; p. 258, 1. 10: for 38:138 read 3:138; p. 260 soruS-, Ar. sa'ala IV: read VI; p. 261, 1. 3: for "manners and speech" read "manners of speech" (cf. 349 yoruq); P. 265 Sahid, Ar. Jahid: read Sahid; p. 270 tamu#: for gingd read icingd; p. 317 (izii: in the last gloss cited, for baq- madingiz read baqmaz drdingiz (?-cf. p. 229 qlya baq-); p. 333 yarliqamaq, Ar. magnira: read maffira; p. 337

p. 115 colan- (vowels?) "to roast" (Ar. nadija "to be well-cooked") should be spelled cavlan- (cf. DLT, 388 "to be undercooked", Ar. talahwaja); p. 200 ong I "share, portion" is an error fur uiliig, probably by contamina- tion with o6rg which is found in both examples just before this word; p. 228 tiikiin in qisir tiikiin "barren and sterile" (Ar. 'aqim) is an error for biikiin (cf. DLT, 201 "impotent", Ar. 'innin); p. 336 yaturmaq "making of a bequest" is an error for tuturmaq, cf. p. 297 tutur- (this in turn might be an error for ttuuz-, however tutur- is attested in other texts as well, cf. ED, 460, 462-3); p. 347 budun in yoq budun bol- (so read, for bul-) is an error for yodun (cf. ED, 892); p. 349 yonligli "headed" (Ar. ragib "desiring, etc.") must be an error for tildgli, cf. p. 289 tila- "to wish, desire, want, will, seek"; p. 352 yuq- "to touch" is an error for yaq-, cf. p. 329 yaqmaq "a touching".

The following slips were noted: p. 62 auvraliq: Ar. missing (jala'); p. 64: entry missing, ayat "sign" (e.g., s.v. tanil-); p. 68 azu "or": also "unless" (e.g., s.v. unamalif); p. 152 kac qal-: Turkic gloss missing; p. 153 kad c'n sozligli "good and veracious" (Ar. siddiq), kad yangan "good and returning ..., i.e., penitent" (Ar. awwdb): here kad must be simply the emphatic particle "very" (meaning 3. s.v. kdd) and not a separate adjective "good" (meaning 1.); p. 162 kidinki: for "the reward of the world in greater" read "the reward of the world to come is greater"; p. 163 kim kim: in the third gloss cited, for bolsa read bolmasa (see s.v. yarag); p. 165 kok: the word liua "mud" (not noted as an entry p. 179) here replaces the work iiyiik in the same gloss as cited s.v. iiyik-is one a gloss of the other? (cf. DLT, 550 liyii "mud that turns to hard clay when it dries"); p. 171 korinu yiiriigun (MS yitriikiin): for the second word, read yiiriign (or yiizgdn?); p. 220 qara kozliig "black-eyed", A. zero: A. haIr! (Koran 40:54); p. 296 tuta', reference to iiktiS tutai': the latter is not found as an entry p. 313 (but see s.v. Tangri tuta and); p. 306: entry missing, umun- "to hope" (e.g. s.v. tumnaq); p. 311 uzun "long": also "tall" (e.g., s.v. iikil-); p. 347 yon-, A. tahta: A. nahata.

The following typographical errors were noted: p. 74 iimgdksizin: for talimsizn' read tolHnsiznl; p. 83 dt6z: the first Koranic citation should be 3:144, not 3:44; p. 179 kiivuzlik: for bodunga read bodunqa; p. 235 qoy tdiwi: for qo [yu]nglizlarni read qo [yulngizlarni; p. 238 qutlua: for Biting read Bitig; p. 253 sdwiinc dstiir-: read igtiir-; p. 258, 1. 10: for 38:138 read 3:138; p. 260 soruS-, Ar. sa'ala IV: read VI; p. 261, 1. 3: for "manners and speech" read "manners of speech" (cf. 349 yoruq); P. 265 Sahid, Ar. Jahid: read Sahid; p. 270 tamu#: for gingd read icingd; p. 317 (izii: in the last gloss cited, for baq- madingiz read baqmaz drdingiz (?-cf. p. 229 qlya baq-); p. 333 yarliqamaq, Ar. magnira: read maffira; p. 337

yawuz iglig, Ar. bafi: read bagi; p. 338 yazuq yiiki, Ar. wirz: read wizr.

In principle, the publication of a glossary should only come after that of the text on which it is based. In this case, as Ligeti points out in the Preface, Eckmann's death prevented him from completing the work except for the glossary, and so the decision was made to publish it independently. While we welcome this decision whole- heartedly and unconditionally, we now look forward to the publication of the text, preferably in facsimile, to insure maximum control and utilization of Eckmann's superb work.

ROBERT DANKOFF UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

yawuz iglig, Ar. bafi: read bagi; p. 338 yazuq yiiki, Ar. wirz: read wizr.

In principle, the publication of a glossary should only come after that of the text on which it is based. In this case, as Ligeti points out in the Preface, Eckmann's death prevented him from completing the work except for the glossary, and so the decision was made to publish it independently. While we welcome this decision whole- heartedly and unconditionally, we now look forward to the publication of the text, preferably in facsimile, to insure maximum control and utilization of Eckmann's superb work.

ROBERT DANKOFF UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Texts. Presented and translated by the VENERABLE RECHUNG RINPOCHE and JAMPAL KUNZANG. Pp. 340, illustrations. Berke- ley and Los Angeles: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. 1976.

The art of medicine as a "learned" although not, in our understanding, "scientific" system (therefore one based on a given Weltanschauung, disposing of technical books and methodically trained specialists, and rather different from a "folk medicine"), was imported into Tibet from India along with Buddhism in the time of King Srong btsan sgam po in the 7th century. In Tibet, it got mixed with influences of Iranian medicine, perhaps of prior existence in those areas (cf. B. I. Kuznetsov's works on the Iranian origin of the Bon religion-on the other hand, it is known that many Bon-pos were well acquainted with the art of healing), as well as of Chinese medicine. This was the period of the eclectic "old school" of medicine; the "new school" was formed after the canonical scriptures of Buddhism had been translated into Tibetan.

This was the influence of religion which, up to that point, had been favorable and stimulating.

Yet, there was another, negative influence, one which assumed the form of dogmatism. The famous Tibetan physician gYu thog Yon tan mgon po violently denies on some occasions that suffering could be brought about by pathogenetic factors, and ascribes it instead to malicious demons, of which there are many hundreds. He considers the opinions of his adversaries to be stupid superstition.

Another point: the Buddhist view of the world as an unimportant and only relative existence, whose true and ultimate nature is Voidness (Skt. Sunyatd), hardly serves as a strong stimulus for empirical investigation of the microcosm which is man. It is almost paradoxical that the Buddhist utilitarianism, centered on soterio-

Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Texts. Presented and translated by the VENERABLE RECHUNG RINPOCHE and JAMPAL KUNZANG. Pp. 340, illustrations. Berke- ley and Los Angeles: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. 1976.

The art of medicine as a "learned" although not, in our understanding, "scientific" system (therefore one based on a given Weltanschauung, disposing of technical books and methodically trained specialists, and rather different from a "folk medicine"), was imported into Tibet from India along with Buddhism in the time of King Srong btsan sgam po in the 7th century. In Tibet, it got mixed with influences of Iranian medicine, perhaps of prior existence in those areas (cf. B. I. Kuznetsov's works on the Iranian origin of the Bon religion-on the other hand, it is known that many Bon-pos were well acquainted with the art of healing), as well as of Chinese medicine. This was the period of the eclectic "old school" of medicine; the "new school" was formed after the canonical scriptures of Buddhism had been translated into Tibetan.

This was the influence of religion which, up to that point, had been favorable and stimulating.

Yet, there was another, negative influence, one which assumed the form of dogmatism. The famous Tibetan physician gYu thog Yon tan mgon po violently denies on some occasions that suffering could be brought about by pathogenetic factors, and ascribes it instead to malicious demons, of which there are many hundreds. He considers the opinions of his adversaries to be stupid superstition.

Another point: the Buddhist view of the world as an unimportant and only relative existence, whose true and ultimate nature is Voidness (Skt. Sunyatd), hardly serves as a strong stimulus for empirical investigation of the microcosm which is man. It is almost paradoxical that the Buddhist utilitarianism, centered on soterio-

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Page 3: Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Textsby Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; Jampal Kunzang

Journal of the American Oriental Society 98.2 (1978)

logical aims, had an inhibitive effect on the whole of utilitarian practices, including that of healing. As a matter of fact the knowledge of the Tibetans in the field of anatomy and functioning of the human organism underwent but slight modifications over the course of 1,200 years of its evolution. For instance, Tibetan doctors seem to have but a superficial notion of the skeleton; there is much fantasy in their determination of the shapes of internal organs such as the kidneys, or of the blood- vascular system (they seem not to know the abdominal aorta or the main lower vein); nor did they understand the role of the cerebrum, holding strongly to the opinion that the heart was the center of psychic activity (sym- bolized by the wind: Tib. rlung, cf. Tibetan Medicine, pp. 39-40).

Taking all this into account, we must consider as rather shockingly modern such terms which occur in the present translation of the fragments of the rGyud bzi as ovaries, whose real function could hardly have been suspected by Tibetan physicians, since the chief role in fecundation was ascribed by them to the menstrual blood (Tibetan Medicine, p. 32); or white blood corpuscles (p. 37); vitamins (Tib. stobs skyed, which means rather "a fortifying food"); germs (Tib. 'bru "grain, seed", synony- mous with "bacteria", p. 87). We have to do here with a somewhat bold attempt to credit Tibetan medicine with achievements which, in fact, it did not have.

With all this being so, a real and undeniable success of the Tibetans was their Medizinsphilosophie, their conception of man based on the monistic Buddhist conception of nature; man as a dynamic structure integ- rated with nature, mirror and receptacle of cosmic forces, strictly dependent upon his environment: climate, conditions of life, cosmic cycles, his own everyday conduct and even moral attitude. The fact of the mi- crocosm (man) being dependent upon the macrocosm corresponds in this conception to the mutual interde- pendence of the elements of the microcosm; e.g., good health is conditioned by psychic balance. Indeed, we find in certain texts an interesting diagnosis of the heart diseases which attributes them for the most part to nervous factors, a view which modern science fully corroborates I This view is expressed, for example, in a fairly recent work composed some 80-100 years ago by the famous Mongolian scholar and physician, Bande btsun gzugs bLo bzang chos 'phel, Sman gTung khungs ma rnams las nad kyi rtags bcos thor bur 'byung ba phyogs gcig tu bsgrigs pa gces btus suing nor Zes bya ba bzugs so (now in the possession of the Ethnographical Museum in Krak6w). Also to be mentioned here is a dialectical conception of the outer world which makes the Tibetan physician believe that "medicines can be prepared from every substance on earth" (Tibetan Medicine, p. 65), and

that ". . . there is nothing that cannot become a medicine; there is nothing that is not a medicine for diseases" (p. 175). It is not difficult to recognize the foundation of such beliefs which is also the Buddhist outlook on the world as a continuous becoming and interplay of dynamic factors.

It would of course be out of place here to enumerate all the achievements of Tibetan medicine: its pharma- copea, which is arousing much interest today, especially in the USSR; its techniques of testing the pulse and examining the urine; sitiology; medical ethics (again based on Buddhism); etc.-or its weak points. We get a fairly good idea about all this from Tibetan Medicine, despite its shortcomings. Among these, let us mention the arbitrariness and scantiness of the selections from classical texts for the first part of the book. (This point was raised also by R. E. Emmerick in his excellent paper: "A Chapter From the rGyud bii," Asia Major XIX, 1975, p. 142.) It is a pity indeed that the authors of the book have not included, as a commentary to rGyud bHi and Vaidurya sngon po, some fragments of other classical medical treatises such as bDud rtsi'i thig pa by Sum pa mkhan po, or of such recent works as that cited by me above, in order to present more fully the long evolution of Tibetan medicine.

Secondly, the translation does not seem to be always satisfactory (see above), although, not having the original Tibetan text at my disposal, it was impossible for me to check all the doubtful places. (This reservation was also voiced by Emmerick, op. cit., p. 148). The value of the book would have been greatly enhanced had it been furnished with a Tibetan personal name index and with Tibetan equivalents of Latin plant names. This latter point is of some importance because of the mutual non- correspondence of Tibetan and Latin plant names. For example, Aconitum napellus (not napallus!) has its counterparts in Tib. bi ga nag po, bong nag po, 'dud rtsi'i lo ma, sman chen, 'dzin pa, according to whether its leaves, root, stalk, flowers, and so on, are meant. The confusion may be even greater as to the names of diseases.

Some Tibetan expressions have not been explained, e.g., sa chen = Skt. mahamamsa "human flesh" (?), while some others are printed erroneously, e.g., Senecio brylovii instead of krylovii, etc.

Therefore, we may not consider the first part of the book under review as satisfactory from the scientific point of view, although its value for the research into Tibetan medicine is undeniable. The second part, being the complete biography of the famous Tibetan doctor, Elder gYu thog Yon tan mgon po, who lived from 786 to 911 partly in the era of King Khri srong Ide btsan, constitutes an excellent example of the Tibetan bio- graphical style, conventional, yet containing many curious

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Page 4: Tibetan Medicine, Illustrated in Original Textsby Venerable Rechung Rinpoche; Jampal Kunzang

Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

folklore elements and imbued with a peculiar poetry. For these reasons it is highly interesting not only for the historian of Tibetan medicine, but also for ethnol- ogists, anthropologists and, above all, for the average reader. The publication of that biography is an important event in Tibetology. Despite its defects, this also applies to the book as a whole.

IRENEUSZ KANIA KRAKOW, POLAND

folklore elements and imbued with a peculiar poetry. For these reasons it is highly interesting not only for the historian of Tibetan medicine, but also for ethnol- ogists, anthropologists and, above all, for the average reader. The publication of that biography is an important event in Tibetology. Despite its defects, this also applies to the book as a whole.

IRENEUSZ KANIA KRAKOW, POLAND

Visual Dharma: The Buddhist Art of Tibet. By CHO- GYAM TRUNGPA, RINPOCHE. Pp. 140. Berkeley and London: SHAMBHALA. 1975. $7.95 paper.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo. Translated by FRAN- CESCA FREMANTLE and CHOGYAM TRUNGPA. Pp. xx + 120. Berkeley and London: SHAMBHALA, 1975. $3.95 paper.

Before dealing specifically with the two works, it is necessary to discuss general points applicable to both. Ven. Trungpa, Rinpoche, in his preface to Visual Dharma says, (p. xiii), "scholars and practitioners have been inspired by the teaching and it is gradually becoming a living tradition rather than a mere anthropological study"; and Dr. Fremantle sounds the same note in her introduction to The Tibetan Book of the Dead (TBD, p. xii), "it is no longer purely a subject of academic study, but a living tradition which is now putting down roots in the West." Obviously, a major credential of the Ven. Trungpa is his being a master of a 'living tradition,' and it explains a great deal of his style and success.

An author's background may have something to do with the reader's initial decision to read a book, but once he reads it, the book must stand on its own, and the author is irrelevant. Indeed there is a famous Buddhist saying, "Rely on the teaching, not on the teacher's person" (dharmo pratisartavyo na pudgalah), so this is not only a "Western" idea. The only reason for a new translation of a work is the textual inadequacy of the old one, upon which one must improve, clarify confusions, correct mistakes, and achieve greater precision and lucidity in terminology.

Turning to Visual Dharma, we find that the work is valuable, of course, simply as a catalogue of some mar- velous examples of Tibetan painting and sculpture, and the brief descriptions accompanying the plates are quite informative about the complex symbolism of the deities, enlivened with the Rinpoche's personal touch. However, small slips (such as mistaking Amitabha [boundless light] for Amitayus [boundless life] on pp. 60 and 86), a sparse- ness of historical detail, and a tendency to make large

Visual Dharma: The Buddhist Art of Tibet. By CHO- GYAM TRUNGPA, RINPOCHE. Pp. 140. Berkeley and London: SHAMBHALA. 1975. $7.95 paper.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo. Translated by FRAN- CESCA FREMANTLE and CHOGYAM TRUNGPA. Pp. xx + 120. Berkeley and London: SHAMBHALA, 1975. $3.95 paper.

Before dealing specifically with the two works, it is necessary to discuss general points applicable to both. Ven. Trungpa, Rinpoche, in his preface to Visual Dharma says, (p. xiii), "scholars and practitioners have been inspired by the teaching and it is gradually becoming a living tradition rather than a mere anthropological study"; and Dr. Fremantle sounds the same note in her introduction to The Tibetan Book of the Dead (TBD, p. xii), "it is no longer purely a subject of academic study, but a living tradition which is now putting down roots in the West." Obviously, a major credential of the Ven. Trungpa is his being a master of a 'living tradition,' and it explains a great deal of his style and success.

An author's background may have something to do with the reader's initial decision to read a book, but once he reads it, the book must stand on its own, and the author is irrelevant. Indeed there is a famous Buddhist saying, "Rely on the teaching, not on the teacher's person" (dharmo pratisartavyo na pudgalah), so this is not only a "Western" idea. The only reason for a new translation of a work is the textual inadequacy of the old one, upon which one must improve, clarify confusions, correct mistakes, and achieve greater precision and lucidity in terminology.

Turning to Visual Dharma, we find that the work is valuable, of course, simply as a catalogue of some mar- velous examples of Tibetan painting and sculpture, and the brief descriptions accompanying the plates are quite informative about the complex symbolism of the deities, enlivened with the Rinpoche's personal touch. However, small slips (such as mistaking Amitabha [boundless light] for Amitayus [boundless life] on pp. 60 and 86), a sparse- ness of historical detail, and a tendency to make large

assertions without any supportive references, such as p. xiii, "tantric Buddhism was unique to Tibet," thus ignoring the Chinese and Japanese esoteric traditions), all arise from the lack of a scholarly collaborator, trained in Sanskrit, history of art, etc.

The eleven page text that precedes the plates is an uneven mixture of clear, informative description, minor confusions, and major problems. Particularly interest- ing are the pages on background (pp. 15-18). But the Rinpoche's opening insistence that the "art of Tibet is entirely based on the spirituality of Buddhism," and that the native art was lost, seems a bit ingenuous, in that it is clearly impossible for a culture to completely abandon age-old customary forms. However, the Rinpoche is obviously setting himself the task of dispelling the false notion that the art and religion of Tibet are somehow degenerate, in view of all of the nonsense that has been written about the "demonology" of Tibet, and so on. "The outlandishness of tantric images suggests something alien, superstitious, perhaps having to do with demon- worship. This is not the case" (p. xiii). I welcome the Rinpoche's assertion here, but problems arise from his approach. His basic tack is to "psychologize" the fierce deities that seem especially embarrassing. He asserts "the figures of the tantric iconography do not stand for external beings" (p. xiii), "visualization is not a magical practice nor worship of an external deity" (p. 19), and "a practitioner's yidam represents his particular char- acteristic expression of buddha-nature" (p. 20). That is to say, without quoting any tantric sources, he asserts the deities to be mental constructions, products of the mind. This, he thinks, dispels the Tibetan reputation for superstition, since it will all be taken as sophisticated psychology. Unfortunately this maneuver is defeated, even without adducing other sources, by his own contra- dictory statements. He speaks of "the acknowledgement of a transcendental presence; . . . unifying with the wisdom-body of a deity" (p. 19)-both evincing his own attitude, a Tibetan attitude, of the objective reality of these deities. Further, in elaborating his typology of the six categories of iconographic images (which is interesting but unsupported by any references to Tibetan artistic writings, so we do not know if it is his own insight or an accepted classification), the Rinpoche first divides "Buddhas" into three types: dharma-, sambhoga-, and nirmdna-kaya types. After erroneously identifying the nirmanakaya Buddhas of the three times as only the three, Dipamkara, gakyamuni, and Maitreya, (in fact there are incalculable numbers of "incarnation-Buddhas" in past, present, and future), he then equates the Samb- hogakaya (Beatific) Buddhas with the 'yidams,' his second category. If this is then connected with his opening statement, that yidams are not external beings,

assertions without any supportive references, such as p. xiii, "tantric Buddhism was unique to Tibet," thus ignoring the Chinese and Japanese esoteric traditions), all arise from the lack of a scholarly collaborator, trained in Sanskrit, history of art, etc.

The eleven page text that precedes the plates is an uneven mixture of clear, informative description, minor confusions, and major problems. Particularly interest- ing are the pages on background (pp. 15-18). But the Rinpoche's opening insistence that the "art of Tibet is entirely based on the spirituality of Buddhism," and that the native art was lost, seems a bit ingenuous, in that it is clearly impossible for a culture to completely abandon age-old customary forms. However, the Rinpoche is obviously setting himself the task of dispelling the false notion that the art and religion of Tibet are somehow degenerate, in view of all of the nonsense that has been written about the "demonology" of Tibet, and so on. "The outlandishness of tantric images suggests something alien, superstitious, perhaps having to do with demon- worship. This is not the case" (p. xiii). I welcome the Rinpoche's assertion here, but problems arise from his approach. His basic tack is to "psychologize" the fierce deities that seem especially embarrassing. He asserts "the figures of the tantric iconography do not stand for external beings" (p. xiii), "visualization is not a magical practice nor worship of an external deity" (p. 19), and "a practitioner's yidam represents his particular char- acteristic expression of buddha-nature" (p. 20). That is to say, without quoting any tantric sources, he asserts the deities to be mental constructions, products of the mind. This, he thinks, dispels the Tibetan reputation for superstition, since it will all be taken as sophisticated psychology. Unfortunately this maneuver is defeated, even without adducing other sources, by his own contra- dictory statements. He speaks of "the acknowledgement of a transcendental presence; . . . unifying with the wisdom-body of a deity" (p. 19)-both evincing his own attitude, a Tibetan attitude, of the objective reality of these deities. Further, in elaborating his typology of the six categories of iconographic images (which is interesting but unsupported by any references to Tibetan artistic writings, so we do not know if it is his own insight or an accepted classification), the Rinpoche first divides "Buddhas" into three types: dharma-, sambhoga-, and nirmdna-kaya types. After erroneously identifying the nirmanakaya Buddhas of the three times as only the three, Dipamkara, gakyamuni, and Maitreya, (in fact there are incalculable numbers of "incarnation-Buddhas" in past, present, and future), he then equates the Samb- hogakaya (Beatific) Buddhas with the 'yidams,' his second category. If this is then connected with his opening statement, that yidams are not external beings,

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