Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture: An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols

by Loden Sherab Dagyab Rinpoche and Robert A.F. Thurman

In this fascinating study, Dagyab Rinpoche not only explains the nine best-known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols but also shows how they serve as bridges between our inner and outer worlds. As such, they can be used to point the way to ultimate reality and to transmit a reservoir of deep knowledge formed over thousands of years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0861710479
• ISBN13: 9780861710478
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful short introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

I'm not a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, but I've acquired a fair amount of knowledge through osmosis: I do volunteer work for a Tibetan refugee relief organization. One slow afternoon in our shop, I picked up this book to improve my knowledge of the iconography in the graphics we sell, and was blown away. Not only has the author written a clear, readable explication of the symbolism, but the book is also a terrific introduction to fundamental Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. The average Tibetan may not be able to elucidate the intricacies of the sacred texts, or practice the stylized form of debate that forms an important part of a monk's training. But the book gives great insight into what this average Tibetan actually believes. Now I feel I have a better understanding of how the Tibetans' Buddhism has sustained them through persecution, exile, and attempts by the Chinese government to stamp out their culture. (And the Fur-Bearing Fish isn't a refugee from a Dr. Seuss book, but a symbol with profound meaning.) This is a great little book, and I recommend it enthusiastically.