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The grammar, syntax, and technical vocabulary of classical Tibetan used in Buddhist works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Unbalanced but necessary - there simply aren't any other options
I have very mixed feelings about this book, but feel compelled to give it 4 stars nonetheless. Why? Because what you can get here, you simply can't get anywhere else. The only other decent introduction to Classical Tibetan that exists (so far as I know) is that by Stephen Hodge, and it is much smaller and will simply not give you the depth of grammatical knowledge of vocabulary that this book can. Some reviewers have complained about the "Tenglish" approach, but I can't really think of any other way to present Tibetan grammar in a comprehensible way. Goldstein does the same thing, though less explicitly, in his "Essentials of Modern Literary Tibetan" (in all the transliterations) and it works for me.

Another reviewer commented that the book is overly pedantic in its detailed explanations and grammatical quibbling - well, what does one expect from a 700-page tome on archaic (more or less) philosophical grammar and vocabulary? You didn't think Classical Tibetan was going to be a walk in the park did you? In any case you can simply skip over the details when Wilson gets a little too in depth.

The major problem with this book as I see it is that it is fairly unbalanced. Meaning, in the first 7 chapters or so there are essentially no sentence/vocabulary exercises, leaving you to somehow (by rote, was my method) memorize some 150-200 terms that are introduced (and not easy ones - 'non-associated compositional factors' comes up, e.g.). This improves though, with quite a few exercises in the later chapters. This added context and required practice/effort really helps you to memorize the vocab and understand the grammar better. Presumably these were left out of early chapters so as not to discourage the student or to make it easier, but instead it just means you have lots to memorize without much contextual help - a big mistake, in my opinion.

Which leaves me at the final point, which is that this is a necessary book, I think, for anyone interested in Classical Tibetan. The field is simply too small. The only other 'intro' level books really are Craig Preston's "How to Read Classical Tibetan" series (two volumes so far, hopefully more to come), but these really aren't introductions. They presuppose thorough knowledge of how to read Tibetan and an understanding of its grammar, as well a fair vocabulary. He was also a student of Wilson's, so all his terminology and explanations etc. follow Wilson's style and terms.

In short: yes there are problems, sometimes it is a bore and overly pedantic, there are not nearly enough exercises for a self-learned... but you need this book if you want to learn Classical Tibetan. So get it and wade through it - it is worth it.

Extremely helpful for older students
This book has been a superb aid in learning Tibetan for me.I started learning Tibetan last year at age 48 with Lama David Curtis and Joe Wilson's book (especially the "Tenglish") has been a wonderful support.It really works for me.

A very useful book
I began my studies of Tibetan in late Oct 2009.It was difficult to choose a place to start.The book I found most useful for learning the "alphabet" was the Tibetan Language Pre-Primer by Cathy Kielsmeier.It is a very difficult language due to the fact that you as the student are going back to the very beginning of your language learning (think Kindergarten - and at least then you had some concepts of vocabulary and speech).I soon realized that it was best to have no expectations.I've spent at least 15-30 minutes every day even if it has felt like no progress was happening.It is about exposure.Without this initial step-by-step method to learn the letters, Joe Wilson's book would have seemed impossible.

I settled on Joe Wilson's text next after buying Craig Preston's How to Read Classical Tibetan (due to reading the reviews of both).Craig Preston is quite clear in his book's introduction that you should start with Joe Wilson's text and I would agree.I've now worked through the first two sections (13 chapters) of Translating Buddhism from Tibetan.In his first section Wilson takes you through all the methods of combining the letters into words and how the rules apply for pronunciation.In the second section, you begin to work with grammar.

In every chapter there is vocabulary (Buddhist dominant) and a section discussing Buddhist concepts.As a beginner to the world of Buddhism (about 18 months of study), I've found these explanations very helpful.I personally have found learning and seeing the words in Tibetan and having the real translations of these words discussed very helpful to my knowledge of Buddhism.His text is full of references to other sources should you wish to explore that as an option.

Have I made much progress? - YES - I can speak the sounds of what I see written in Tibetan in front of me if I refer to my notes.Do I know a few words? - YES - about 75 to 100 words.Am I now reading a few prayers and poetry? - YES.Overall have I made even a dent in what I need to know to read texts or speak the language? - NO.I keep reminding myself it's about exposure and patience.

There is an improvement that could be made to this book and that is for someone to create a workbook to go with it.After each lesson, there may be only 5 sentences to translate.It is not enough to have practice and to get it to stick.

In each chapter I generally felt I was in way over my head but pressed on anyway and now looking back to the earlier chapters I find that I have actually learned something along the way.I have decided to stop at this point in this book and am waiting for Fluent Tibetan to arrive.I feel that I need to hear the words within the context of colloquial use and focus on that for a bit.We all have different learning styles and it is important to explore that option.

For those who are reading these reviews to get an idea where to start, I will also mention that I did order David Curtis's level 1 materials in the beginning.I didn't get the video and his book and tape alone were not enough to begin to move forward in the language for me.I am now reviewing it again and am finding the 150 vocabulary words that he presents as a good place to start for me with trying to build a vocabulary.

For those who wish to go to the language source of Tibetan Buddhism and explore learning the language and thought of the Tibetans, Joe Wilson's book Translating Buddhism from Tibetan is a very good addition to your library of learning Tibetan materials.

Poor
Note that other reviews are from about 10 years ago.
This book is extremely dated... the fonts themselves are Pierre Roubillard's old (very crude) font set.
The grammar is accurate enough, but very ponderous. Here is not a translator, but an academic, pedantic scholar. If you merely enjoy the "fun" of intellectual scholarship and mental nit-picking, this is for you.
If you really want to read or speak Tibetan, then Tournadre and others are appropriate. Actually, it is quite shameful that they are charging $50 and the book has not been updated in 15 years. Is this laziness or arrogance?

great book if you really want to lean tibetan...
Hi guys, well i've been living in Nepal for the last 4 years and i can tell you that learning tibetan (and by this i mean really know it) its really hard, but i found that wilson's book is actually great not only coz it does work but also coz it provides you with the tools to do it... its the best next thing just after learning tibetan from tibetan grammarians

so what i would suggest is...
get wilson's book, then if you are completely new go through the whole book, coz it provides basic concept on Buddhism and lots of vocab (all really useful)... if you are a bit more experience then learn by heart apendixes 4 and 5 which deals with verbs, and clases which are a primordial part of tibetan (but for some reason some "serious" books dont even mention them... oh by the way tibetans do study tibetan talking about cases)...then move on to...

Craig preston's how to read classical tibetan... which if you don't know by heart appendix 4 n 5 is rather useless... but otherwise excellent to show how to make the complex sentences (pages long at times) into short and readable clauses or sentences... besides it also completes wilsons lack of talk or not wanting to talk about transitive and intransitive verbs (which they also exist in tibetan and are of great importance when trying to get across the right meaning)

last but not least... in my experience there have been tons of mistranslations all over the place even by "famous" translators... thats why i recommend Tony Duff's excellent Illuminator dictionary...

until the day that someone explains tibetan grammar the way tibetan study it and understand it these are the tools for anyone who is serious about learning tibetan, and when the time is right go and get teachings on tibetan from a tibetan grammarian... then the whole world is open to you... once again i think these are the best for whats outer but once you see the real thing you wont go back... ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The majority of Vietnamese people classify themselves as non-religious, although they visit religious temples several times every year. Their everyday behaviours and attitudes are dictated by the synthesis of philosophies which can be traced from many religions, especially Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Those religions have been co-existing in the country for centuries and mixed perfectly with the Vietnamese tradition of worshiping their ancestors and national heroes. That special mix explains why the people there find it hard to say exactly which religion they belong to. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of Religion, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3779 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The second edition of this highly regarded encyclopedia, preserving the best of the first edition's cross-cultural approach, while emphasizing religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture, this new edition is the definitive work in the field for the 21st century. An international team of scholars and contributors have reviewed, revised and added to every word of the classic work, making it relevant to the questions and interests of all researchers. ... Read more

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Chapters: Buddhist Crisis, Vietnamese Buddhists, Duong Van Minh, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, Cao Van Vien, Xa Loi Pagoda Raids, Arrest and Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, Thích Quảng Đức, Mcnamara Taylor Mission, Krulak Mendenhall Mission, Reaction to the 1963 South Vietnamese Coup, Hue Vesak Shootings, Hue Chemical Attacks, Double Seven Day Scuffle, Joint Communique, Cable 243, Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces, Võ Văn Kiệt, Ngô Quang Trưởng, Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Trần Thị Hoa Ry, General Association of Buddhists, Buddha on Nirvana of Ta Cu. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 199. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Cao Vn Viên (December 11, 1921 January 22, 2008) was a Vietnamese soldier who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and rose to the position of Chairman of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff. Considered one of "the most gifted" of South Vietnam's military leaders, he has been called "absolutely a key figure" and of "the most important Vietnamese military leaders" in the American-led fighting during the Vietnam War. Along with Trn Thin Khiêm, he was one of only two four-star generals in the entire history of South Vietnam. Viên was born to Vietnamese parents in Vientiane, Laos, in December 1921. His father was a merchant. Hearing rumors of a gold rush in the Mekong Delta, he moved to what was then called Cochinchina to become a prospector. Although he became a follower of Ho Chi Minh and fought as a guerrilla against French colonial rule, he soon concluded that Minh's movement was more communist than nationalist and joined independent fighter groups. He was captured by the French, released, and enrolled at the University of Saigon where he obtained a bachelor's degree in French literature. His schoolmate was Lâm Quang Thi. Viên attended the Frenc...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=20282194 ... Read more

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This book reproduces the 1971 translation by the editors of "The Wheel" of this essay on Dhamma which first appeared in the pages of "The Light of the Dhamma," first in an English version followed by a version in Vietnamese. ... Read more

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A study and translation of a 14th-century text on the transmission of the Zen lineages in Vietnam. The author argues that there has never been a "Zen tradition" in Vietnam, but that Zen manifests itself in a philosophical attitude and artistic sentiments throughout religious and cultural life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Distorted observation
Although this is an English translation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh Luc, it hinted at various translations that had already been written in quoc ngu, such as that of Le Manh That (aka Thich Tri Sieu) and Nguyen Lang (aka Thich Nhat Hanh). Other than the translation, there is no commentary to this archaic scripture since the author believes that Vietnamese Buddhism contains outrageous spurious data to complete a noteworthy observation.Following the translation are paltry entries and laconic translation of other texts such as the Linh Nam chich quai and Viet dien u linh tap.The rest are the author's studies of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh and other antiquated texts of pre-modern era, which is a revision of his articles written during his doctoral years.

In order not to abase the important of this text, this is the first English translation to help students like myself clarify certain points in the quoc ngu translation. This is a good reference source but the data is not too helpful since the author oftentimes mortify the important of Vietnamese Buddhist scriptures. In addition, it felt that the author's pejorative observations distort the ostensible importance of Vietnamese Buddhist history and scriptures.
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TU TAI GIA (Buddhist Practice at Home) is a collection of articles inspired from discussions with fellow Buddhist lay devotees on applying Buddha's teachings to everyday life. A number of the articles had been published in various Vietnamese periodicals.Written over decades, the articles center on the four interrelated concepts of "faith", "understanding", "practice", and "realization", especially how "understanding" enables "practice" of the Dharma in matters of a Buddhist lay devotee's everyday life.In publishing TU TAI GIA, the author wishes to express his deepest gratitude to Amida Buddha, and hopes that sharing his own thoughts and experiences would benefit fellow Buddhists in the path to realization. ... Read more

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The writer has a desire to see that the clemency and fairness of God is protected through reasonable explanation instead of imposing uncompromising positions based on certain events seen in the Bible.

With this book, the writer hopes to assist the next generation in escaping the dilemma of philosophical dissension between one believing implicitly in the Bible while another trusts only in science. Hopefully, this theory will silence the intransigent arguments between people who fiercely cling to opposite doctrines heard in emotionally-charged rhetoric. ... Read more

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Vietnamese-English paperback handbook with questions and answers on The Life Of The Buddah. ... Read more

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The “Encyclopedia of Buddhism” provides a comprehensive overview of one of Asia's most important religious and social forces, describing the Buddhist worldview, basic teachings and practices, history, and the different schools and sects. This intriguing set illuminates a religion that is a mystery to most Westerners by exploring Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, saints, demons, monastic orders, festivals, rites and ceremonies, as well as the different forms Buddhism has taken in different parts of the world, and how it has blended with other religions like Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism and Christianity.

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In English and Vietnamese. ... Read more

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I believe that this book is in Vietnamese. See the picture of the book to confirm the language. ... Read more