THE DALAI LAMAS: A VISUAL HISTORY
THE DALAI LAMAS: A VISUAL HISTORY
"The quality of the scholarship in this visually stunning volume will immediately make this the standard reference for the 600-year history of the incarnation line." - Buddhadharma
With the respect and fame the current Dalai Lama—the Fourteenth—has come to enjoy around the world, the title “Dalai Lama” has entered global consciousness, and yet few people know its definition or the system of reincarnation behind this institution. Even fewer are aware that it was a Mongolian prince that first awarded the title “Dalai Lama” or that there have been fourteen Dalai Lamas over the past six hundred years. The long and rich history of Tibet cannot be understood without looking at the lives of these fourteen men, whose intriguing stories merit further examination.
The Dalai Lamas: A Visual History is the first book of its kind to present the history of all fourteen Dalai Lamas with both essays and illustrations. Sixteen contributors from Europe, America, Tibet, and China illuminate various aspects of the institution of the Dalai Lama, including the system of their incarnations; their biographies and religious training; their relationship with religious schools, other lineages, the Panchen Lamas, and regents; and the political interconnections among the surrounding countries of Mongolia, China, India, Nepāl, and Bhūṭān. The political intrigues of the last six centuries call for a new understanding of this renowned institution and its relevance to modern society.
The nearly three hundred illustrations, largely unpublished previously, have been meticulously selected from Tibetan, Chinese, Indian, European, and American archives. Thangkas, mural paintings, statues, and historical documents have been drawn from government institutions, university holdings, museums, and private collections worldwide. Together these represent a comprehensive array of visual materials on the Dalai Lamas that no other recent publication has matched.
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