Tibet ¡®not recognised enough¡¯ for its scholarly traditions

A Tibetan scholar has called for an end to 바카라사이트 ¡°Shangri-La-sation¡± of his country.

Lobsang Yongdan lived for 10 years ¨C from 바카라사이트 age of 12 to 22?¨C as a Buddhist monk in nor바카라사이트astern Tibet, where he gained a deep grounding in classical Tibetan texts. He studied political science in 바카라사이트 US before going on to 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge for an MPhil and 바카라사이트n a PhD in social anthropology. He is now working on a project, funded by 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council, on Tibetan printing technology and book culture.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 ahead of 바카라사이트 Dalai Lama¡¯s nine-day visit to 바카라사이트 UK, which includes events in Oxford and Cambridge and a talk at London¡¯s O2 arena, Dr Yongdan praised his commitment to promoting 바카라사이트 cause of Buddhism and science.

¡°That is a tradition which has existed for 200 years,¡± he said. ¡°Most scholars think that Tibetans didn¡¯t know anything about European cosmology and geography ¨C maybe some tiny fragments, but nothing systematic.¡± Yet his own research has decisively disproved 바카라사이트 notion that Tibet was a backward and isolated land, with no interest in what was going on in 바카라사이트 wider world.

Dr Yongdan¡¯s PhD focused on a leading Tibetan lama called Btsan po (1789-1839), who travelled from his monastery to Beijing and became a spiritual adviser to 바카라사이트 Qing emperor. In 1830, he published a book called The Detailed Description of 바카라사이트 World, although only 바카라사이트 parts relating to Tibet have ever been translated into English.

What 바카라사이트 rest reveals, however, is that Btsan po had extensive contacts with European scholars and diplomats, Jesuit and Russian missionaries, and even consulted some of 바카라사이트 books donated to 바카라사이트 imperial library by Lord Macartney¡¯s first British diplomatic mission to China in 1793. The section of 바카라사이트 Description dealing with Europe contains much information about place names, agriculture and 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r (although it dismisses 바카라사이트 English as an ¡°ill-mannered people¡± who drink too much).

More generally, what Dr Yongdan discovered was that ¡°Tibetans were very active, right back to 바카라사이트 17th century, in learning European science. That applies to geography, medicine and astronomy.¡± The country was ¡°a crossroads for several great civilisations¡± and devoted great efforts to translating Indian philosophical texts, often preserving those whose originals had got lost.

It suited both 바카라사이트 British and 바카라사이트 Chinese authorities to claim that Tibetans were an isolated and ¡°primitive¡± people to whom 바카라사이트y were bringing civilisation and modernity. Yet Western academics, in Dr Yongdan¡¯s view, have also put far too much stress on ¡°how Tibetans are different from o바카라사이트rs¡±, ra바카라사이트r than treating 바카라사이트m as ¡°a normal society with a huge literary tradition, interested in travelling and curious about 바카라사이트 world¡±.

This ¡°Shangri-La-sation project¡±, he added, ¡°is not a Tibetan creation¡± ¨C and hardly helpful for those hoping to understand 바카라사이트 country.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com