The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism

by Laurence Austine Waddell

This book provides a broad survey of Tibetan Buddhist history, doctrine and practice. The work represents many years of erudition and experience on the part of the author, who was subsequently principal medical officer of the Younghusband military expedition and official collector of Buddhist books and curios for British and Indian museums.

Genres: Belief

624 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1940

About the author

Laurence Austine Waddell (1854 - 1938) was a Scottish explorer, Professor of Tibetan, Professor of Chemistry and Pathology, Indian Army surgeon, collector in Tibet, and amateur archaeologist.

Waddell also studied Sumerian and Sanskrit; he made various translations of seals and other inscriptions.

His reputation as a Assyriologist gained little to no academic recognition and his books on the history of civilization have caused controversy.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good historical overview, but Waddell's prose drips with ethnocentric contempt and judgement, which is extraordinarily inappropriate, off-putting, gross and downright disgusting. His contempt for Eastern religion is not even REMOTELY disguised or euphemized. An unpleasant, if necessary, and dated account.

[Tone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't able to finish this, but I'm keeping it around for future reference.
What I did get out of the first 60 pages is - Tibetan Buddhism is really complicated.