Rebecca McClen Novick’s Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism is a great overview of Tibetan Buddhism. Don’t expect it to delve too deep, but this is the book I wish I read before The Complete Foundation. This book covers the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism from a more academic perspective. It’s a bit like a survey course for Tibetan Buddhism.
This book is a great add to any library on Tibetan Buddhism. It’s a more academic work, but it definitely helps fill in the gaps. Let’s go over the content, what it does well, how to use it, and any considerations.
Content
Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism covers all of the major tenants of Tibetan Buddhism in 20 chapters. It starts with the most basic principles of Tibetan Buddhism, including the history of Buddhism in Tibet. The various yanas (“vehicles” of Buddhism) are explained with a focus on Mahayana and Vajrayana (which are the primary vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism).
From here, it moves on to the Four Noble Truths which feeds into the Wheel of Life, karma, and the concept of taking refuge. These are each introduced specifically as they pertain to Tibetan Buddhism. The next section covers the principle of emptiness before moving on to compassion.
After introducing compassion, it moves on to cover the nature of the mind, how karma is made positive or negative, as well as what a Bodhisattva is and the path of the Buddha. Meditation and tantra are touched on before covering the concept of death and the various schools. The book ends with a glossary, bibliography, and index as well. Everything is introduced and taught specifically in a context of Tibetan Buddhism.
What It Does Well
Most of the books I’ve covered so far about Tibetan Buddhism touch on specific practices or a subset of Tibetan Buddhism. The closest work to this is Inside Tibetan Buddhism: Rituals and Symbols Revealed, but that book works wonderfully in conjunction with Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism. This book nails almost every major principle and tenant of Tibetan Buddhism.
The writing is extremely accessible. It also includes many practices, though it does not dedicate near as much detail as more targeted works. You probably won’t be able to follow many of the practices, but that’s not why they’re introduced. You’ll know (roughly) what the practice is, why it matters, and how it is used from both a philosophical and religious standpoint. This book gives a clear, concise context to all of the practices introduced.
You want this book if you want to better understand the principles, background, or general philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism. This book manages to pack a lot of content in a little space. It won’t answer every question you have, but it will leave you with at least a surface familiarity with every major point. It works amazingly as an introduction, and as a way to round out your knowledge.
Using This Book
This book is best used in conjunction with other works. It’s a surface introduction to basically everything you need to put other, deeper works into context. I’d recommend getting at least to the point it covers the concept of emptiness before adding in something more specific.
I found this book amazing in conjunction with Inside Tibetan Buddhism: Rituals and Symbols Revealed. I wish I had read this before moving on to The Complete Foundation previously. This is arguably a more academic work, and as such, you want something more practical to accompany it if you’re learning as a spiritual matter. If you’re just really curious, something like Inside Tibetan Buddhism: Rituals and Symbols Revealed can really help clarify the concepts and practices. The visuals really augment the text and put a face to a name so to speak.
Another thing which makes this book better is the fact that it has a “lay flat” binding. This is a really minor feature, but it makes it so much easier to read the book.
Should You Read It
If you’re interested in Tibetan Buddhism but don’t know where to start, this is the book for you. If you’ve read some but are left wondering about some of the core concepts, or see references but can’t place them, this book is great. It helps round out your knowledge and familiarity with the basics and puts many practices in context. It’s not going to answer every question, but it’s not written to try and do so.
On the other hand, if you’re looking at Tibetan Buddhism purely from an academic perspective, this book is a little more questionable. This isn’t because anything is inaccurate or wrong, but it treats the reader as if they’re more of a participant than many academic works. The work isn’t really overly biased from this, but it’s written by someone who clearly is a participant in the practice.
Considerations
This book just plain isn’t written to be followed as a primary guide. It’s a book for information and philosophy more than anything. There are practices listed in the book, but they’re incomplete from a practitioner’s standpoint. This isn’t a flaw of the writer or the book, but something to be aware of.
The writer is a participant but is looking to explain the general practice through features and specifications rather than gimmicks. A lot of the practices listed are shortened to a page or less, but there are volumes of work dedicated to almost every individual one of them. The book also references imagery and similar which is not provided with the book.
Which makes more sense, a text description of a mandala or a picture? Is it clearer to read the positions of negative traits, the various realms, etc. or see it in an image with a description? This book is entirely text based, while Tibetan Buddhism is a very visual faith in its practice.
As mentioned previously, it’s not really something like An Open Heart or similar. This is a book to be read and used to understand the more academic side and not a book for learning to practice. That being said, practicing Buddhism is a mix of philosophy and practice. Just know that this book is more of one than the other.
Conclusion
Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism is an excellent introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. It helped me round out many principles which I had seen in passing but not spent a lot of time with. You can round out holes in your knowledge with this book even if you have read many others. It introduces a lot without going too into depth.
It also provides a more objective viewpoint. Despite the author clearly being a believer, they don’t force the faith down your throat. I personally wouldn’t read most introductory religious works from someone in the faith due to the bias, but I feel this work would be an exception. That might be own personal bias, but I feel this book remains objective enough to be a good resource for an academic look as well as a pragmatic one.
This is a great survey of Tibetan Buddhism and I feel it is indispensable to any serious starting practitioner, or anyone who wants a general understanding. You won’t regret reading this book.
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