Tibetan Buddhism [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Originally published as "The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism" in 1885 (W.H. Allen & Co., Ltd., London), this classic, and somewhat controversial, book by Laurence Austine Waddell (1854-1938) has gone through several title changes. The very accurate "Tibetan Buddhism: With Its Mystic Cults, Symbolism and Mythology," is the one under which it was reprinted by Dover Publications in 1972 (the edition reviewed here). I have also reviewed one of the more recent printings, under the original title, and these two reviews are largely, but not completely, duplicates. The Dover edition, being well-produced and (for now) quite reasonably priced, would be my suggestion if you want a copy; but I advise this with some cautions about the book itself.

The book was in its time a landmark in English-language writings on Tibet, and it still retains some value for its rich visual documentation, in the form of photographs and line drawings. There are some remarkably clear descriptions of shrines and temples, costumes and ritual practices, objects and images. Given the massive destruction of Tibetan religious sites in China as well as Tibet, much of what he recorded will never be seen again. The Dover edition has made a storehouse of raw information available for thirty years, during which interest in, and information about, traditional Tibetan religion has been steadily growing.

Unfortunately, Waddell all too frequently confides in the reader his distaste for the religion he is describing, and his contempt for its functionaries. I gave up on the book for this reason when I first tried to read it. Some Amazon reviewers (of this and other editions) seem to think that Waddell must have known what he was talking about, and some of them accept his characterizations at face value, which is a pity.

The author's attitude may be in part a matter of self-defense. It seems that Waddell got access to some of his information by becoming the owner/patron of a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Peking, and probably felt that he had to make clear to his pious readers back home in England that (whatever his actual beliefs) he was not really a wicked idolater. Some of his expressions of disdain seem to reflect real misunderstandings: having failed to grasp that the word "lama" means "teacher of religion," not "monk," he is scandalized to discover the occasional married lama. (This response probably relates to intra-Christian issues as well -- see below.)

Then, too, there is the idealized image of Theraveda Buddhism from Ceylon, which had introduced itself to Europeans as the true, pure, original, non-superstitious Buddhism, not to be confused with those self-styled Buddhisms found elsewhere. With that vision as the standard of purity, the versions found in northern Asia would automatically seem defective, and Waddell takes it for granted.

Finally, Waddell, apparently writing for a solidly "anti-Papist" (whether actually religious, or merely secular) readership, sometimes seems unable to distinguish the images and rituals of Mahayana Buddhism, in its various forms, from parallel practices in Catholicism, and is glad to condemn both.

Worth reading today? Well, the book is still cited, with diffidence, by scholars far more sympathetic to the subject, and far better informed about it, for its extraordinary amount of factual documentation. For a novice in Tibetan studies, I would suggest starting with a solid introduction, like Snellgrove and Richardson's "Cultural History of Tibet," and those looking for further information might continue with a responsible modern study, such as Giuseppe Tucci's "The Religions of Tibet." You could probably turn to Waddell for details after reading either one; and, again, the Dover edition would be a good choice.

For those interested in a "sampler," I point out that Waddell published in 1894 a similar, but much, much shorter, volume (under 200 pages) on Sikkim, as "Lamaism in Sikhim" (his spelling). This has long been out of print, but an Adobe Reader pdf of the book has been made available as a set of free downloads, with due warning of Waddell's biases, as part of the bibliography for "Himalayan Art Resources" at http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/biblio.htm It might be helpful to check out "Waddell Lite" before deciding on the bigger book. And the whole bibliography there may be helpful, too.

This book was first published in 1895. Despite the statement made by the publisher on the back cover, "No other book contains so much specific, basic detail, with the result that Waddell's work will probably never be superseded." it is indeed very dated, heavily biased and rife with errors.

This is Tibetan Buddhism as seen through the eyes of a man who was completely held captive by the pervading Judeo-Christian paradigm of his day.

The terms of Christianity are freely applied to all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes in a very inaccurate fashion. Important bodhisattvas and mahasiddhas are referred to as saints. The oracles are referred to as sorcerers. The Dalai Lamas are referred to as god-kings. Chod practitioners are labeled necromancers. The tsog ritual feast is called the Eucharist. Many important tantric deities are referred to as devils and demons, when in fact, Tibetan Buddhism clearly distinguishes between its demons and deities.

Waddell makes the mistake, as did many early western observers, of believing that the Tibetans were "worshipping" the tantric deities. This is an inaccurate description of the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. On page 325, for instance, he states, "And while rendering them finite and subject to the general law of metempsychosis, yet so far accepts or tolerates the current beliefs in regard to their influence over human affairs as to render these gods objects of fear and respect, if not actual adoration by the primitive Buddhists." Yet his bias is clearly revealed in the preceding paragraph where he states, "The mythology, being largely of Buddhist authorship, is full of the awkward forms of Hindu fancy and lacks much of the point, force and picturesqueness of the myths of Europe."

Anyone who has an active interest in the actual practice of Vajrayana Buddhism will have little impetus to read this book. Anyone who is interested in Tibetan Buddhism from an anthropological or scholarly perspective will be very disappointed in the ethnocentrism that permeates every sentence of the book. Anyone who is interested in out-dated historical curiosities and possibly understanding how not to study other cultures will find a wealth of information to ruminate upon.

This work has even prompted a critical essay, available here on Amazon, entitled, "An emic critique of Austine Waddell's Buddhism and Lamaism of Tibet - a gross misrepresentation of the Vajrayana of Tibet.(Critical Essay) : An article from: Contributions to Nepalese Studies"

Fortunately, many other fine surveys of Tibetan Buddhism are available to us today.

The title is an accurate statement of the contents of this book. It is a frank and somewhat shocking look at Tibetan Buddhism, the various practices, "adjustments", deifications, tall tales, etc. that some leaders made to suit their purpose/plans.

After reading this book, I wonder whether Tibetan Buddhism can be considered as a "class" of Buddhism or should be looked as a separate religion.

Anyone who is interested in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly its roots and practices is strongly recommended to read this book.