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Folk Culture of Tibet
Paljor Publications Folk Culture Of Tibet
105 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 17, 2018
I feel very close to the Tibetan culture, especially Buddhism, so it disheartens me that I'd review a book of their culture so poorly.
This book is not meant to be a book. It's structuring is very vague and changes from chapter to chapter. At times the formatting isn't right either. This is about HOW its written.
Talking about WHAT is written. While reading, I had a feeling like enough effort wasn't put into the content either. It felt almost like a school project that someone put in effort to get a good grade, and they left it at that.
What you'll read is very high level, just browsing about some of the day-to-day things of Tibetan life. But why exactly were just these things chosen, why not gone into further detail, why weren't other books translated to make the book more dense --- all questions that we may never know the answer to.
I was looking forward to more weight, more explanation, perhaps even some folklore on the mystic things like animal totems, personal deities, dream interpretation etc. but it was a turn-off for most parts. It moves between general knowledge and unnecessary filler type content about meanings of things (not sure the author understood that they should have a specific audience in mind, not just write whatever wherever).
It started off with a promising introduction because the author mentioned how difficult it is to bring the essence out for Tibetan language to Western languages.
Content-wise, I did learn a few peculiar things of the culture's ideology. A lot of it can be related to Indian ideology too, and many other things were just peculiar!
All in all, this could have made a better blog (one article for each chapter would suffice), and by no means is this as a book very beneficial beyond tidbits here and there to impress/surprise you. My apologies!
This book is not meant to be a book. It's structuring is very vague and changes from chapter to chapter. At times the formatting isn't right either. This is about HOW its written.
Talking about WHAT is written. While reading, I had a feeling like enough effort wasn't put into the content either. It felt almost like a school project that someone put in effort to get a good grade, and they left it at that.
What you'll read is very high level, just browsing about some of the day-to-day things of Tibetan life. But why exactly were just these things chosen, why not gone into further detail, why weren't other books translated to make the book more dense --- all questions that we may never know the answer to.
I was looking forward to more weight, more explanation, perhaps even some folklore on the mystic things like animal totems, personal deities, dream interpretation etc. but it was a turn-off for most parts. It moves between general knowledge and unnecessary filler type content about meanings of things (not sure the author understood that they should have a specific audience in mind, not just write whatever wherever).
It started off with a promising introduction because the author mentioned how difficult it is to bring the essence out for Tibetan language to Western languages.
Content-wise, I did learn a few peculiar things of the culture's ideology. A lot of it can be related to Indian ideology too, and many other things were just peculiar!
All in all, this could have made a better blog (one article for each chapter would suffice), and by no means is this as a book very beneficial beyond tidbits here and there to impress/surprise you. My apologies!
March 8, 2017
Interesting gem of a book that covers popular superstitions and fortune telling. It's a small book, barely 100 pages, and even includes a small translation of a (claimed) popular text, again, trying to inform a common Tibetan about how to interpret dreams, strange happenings, and the voices of ravens.
Chophel is quick to recognize that Tibet is a very diverse country and the customs in a village in downtown Lhasa won't be relatable to the nomads of Amdo, and that he tried to only record the customs that might be recognizable to most Tibetans. My only concern is that this book, for all its simplicity, might go over a newcomer's head and they might walk away with the idea that all Tibetans believe everything in the book. Just by tallying up all of the customs in the book will lead one to a dizzying understanding about how an "average" Tibetan leads their life. Which, obviously, isn't true. Most Americans do not pray to St. Anthony is they lose something, or throw a pinch of salt over their shoulder when they spill some, etc. etc.
It's not poorly written. It's an interesting perspective on the Tibetan oikumene. And it's an interesting translation with some decent research attached to it (though not particularly well cited).
Chophel is quick to recognize that Tibet is a very diverse country and the customs in a village in downtown Lhasa won't be relatable to the nomads of Amdo, and that he tried to only record the customs that might be recognizable to most Tibetans. My only concern is that this book, for all its simplicity, might go over a newcomer's head and they might walk away with the idea that all Tibetans believe everything in the book. Just by tallying up all of the customs in the book will lead one to a dizzying understanding about how an "average" Tibetan leads their life. Which, obviously, isn't true. Most Americans do not pray to St. Anthony is they lose something, or throw a pinch of salt over their shoulder when they spill some, etc. etc.
It's not poorly written. It's an interesting perspective on the Tibetan oikumene. And it's an interesting translation with some decent research attached to it (though not particularly well cited).
January 24, 2018
The book is a pleasant read on customs and superstitions in traditional Tibetan life. It conveys the importance allocated to the opposition between ominous and auspicious signs, and points to the multiple sources of authority which a Tibetan might consult to navigate daily life such as lamas, oracles, astrologers and healers. Reoccurring themes are bodily purity, protection from evil influences, the interpretation of natural phenomena, auspicious and inauspicious dates, the interpretation of dreams and the interrelations between character and physiognomy. Though the style is clear and concise, this is not a piece for readers new to Tibetan culture. Written in brief vignettes, the book contains multiple references to traditional activities, entities and objects, but little elaboration to guide the novice Westerner.
February 21, 2024
Interesting collection of various bits of the culture.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews