Aspects of Buddhist Culture from Tibetan Sources

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Dr. Anukul Chandra Banerjee, M.A. LI.B., Ph. D., F.A.S., F.R.A.S. (London) is one of the most distinguished scholars in the domain of Buddhist Studies and Tibetian history and culture. He was the Professor and Head of the Department of Pali and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Calcutta University. He was for some time the President of the Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal and the Director of the Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology and other Buddhist Studies, Gangtok, Sikkim.

Dr. Banerjee has to his credit several works and a number of research papers published in different periodicals in India and abroad. He is connected with many learned societies and public institutions even today.

There is no denying the fact that Buddhism moulded the thought, ideal and literature of the entire portion of Asia from the 3rd century B. C. to the 12th century A. D. The history of Buddhism is on this account not only a history of the growth of a great civilization, but also a history of cultural contact, through the medium of this civilization, between different groups of people of the vast region in the south, south-east, north and north-east. Tibet, located in the north- east of Indian region, came into contact with India through Buddhism whose contribution to the cultural advancement of Tibet is indeed unique and particularly remarkable. Till the 7th century A. D. Buddhism was unknown in Tibet which was steeped in "barbaric darkness". Towards the early part of the 7th century A. D. Buddhism was for the first time introduced into Tibet and through it some beginnings of civilization were made among the Tibetans.

The book contains six chapters along with a preface, indica- ting the scope of the work. It deals mainly with the four aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, viz., ecclesiastical, doctrinal, literary and cultural. The subject has not yet been elaborately dealt with by any other scholars, oriental or occidental, although a very few of the aspects have incidentally been touched upon by some of them.

The book is expected to be useful to those interested in the study of north-east Asian Buddhism with particular reference to Tibet.

A few of the chapters have already been published in the different periodicals.