The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China

Peter Schwieger

Peter Schwieger

The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China

A Political History of the Tibetan Institution of Reincarnation

Columbia University Press | 2015

https://doi.org/10.7312/schw16852

Overview
Contents

About this book

Follows the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism’s trülku (reincarnation) tradition from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, along with the Emperor of China’s efforts to control its development

Author information

Peter Schwieger is professor of Tibetology and the head of the Department of Mongolian and Tibetan Studies at the University of Bonn, Germany. His current research focuses on the political and social history of Tibet based on archival material.

Reviews

Max Oidtmann:
[The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China] does Tibetan studies a great service.... An essential resource.

Ryan John Jones:
Accessible... engaging and easy to read. The book is a great addition to any undergraduate or graduate course on the history of Inner Asia, Tibet, and Late Imperial China.

The most well-researched, comprehensive book on the modern history of Tibet to be published to date.

Schwieger's groundbreaking treatment of Tibetan political and religious history offers a new approach to understanding the development of the trülku (reincarnate lama) tradition.... Indispensable reading for some upper-level undergraduates and for graduate students and faculty interested in Tibetan religious and political history.

Charles Ramble, EcolePratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris:
The originality of this remarkable book lies in the central position it accords to Tibetan documents—letters, edicts, petitions—written at the time of the events to which they relate, giving the reader an unprecedented front-row view of history as it unfolds: things do indeed look very different from this close. Schwieger's mastery of the intractable style of these official sources is matched by a well-trained caution in interpretation, a complete absence of political bias, and the ability to transform eight centuries of complex machinations into a gripping account that will appeal to a readership well beyond the field of Tibetan studies.

Elliot Sperling, Indiana University:
There is much to discover in this rich, informative volume. Skillfully handling the new sources and documents at his disposal, Schwieger has written a book that is essential reading for anyone, specialist and nonspecialist, interested in the rise of the Dalai Lamas and their relations with Mongols, Manchus, and the Qing state.

Matthew Kapstein, EPHE, Paris, and the University of Chicago:
The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China marks a coming-of-age for Tibetan historical studies, complementing the New Qing History of the past several decades. Peter Schwieger brings precision to our understanding of Tibet's central political institution, that of the Dalai Lama, reaching beyond earlier scholarship thanks to his innovative and thorough use of archival sources. His work is essential reading for students of early modern relations among Tibet, Mongolia, and the Manchu empire.

Tsering Shakya, president of the International Association of Tibetan Studies:
A timely book that fills a vacuum in the study of Tibet's history. Schwieger provides an excellent analysis of the evolution of the institution of the Dalai Lama, particularly the Dalai Lama's relationship with the Chinese emperors, that goes beyond the generalized and accepted view of the relationship as symbolic.

Gray Tuttle, Columbia University:
The most accessible, archives-based survey of modern Tibetan history ever to be written.

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
CONTENTS Free access PDF PDF	v
PREFACE Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	vii
INTRODUCTION Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	1
1. THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRÜLKU POSITION Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	17
2. A TRÜLKU AS THE HEAD OF SOCIETY Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	50
3. STRUGGLE FOR BUDDHIST GOVERNMENT Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	71
4. THE EMPEROR TAKES CONTROL Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	112
5. BUDDHIST GOVERNMENT UNDER THE IMPERIAL UMBRELLA Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	146
6. IMPERIAL AUTHORITY OVER THE TRÜLKU INSTITUTION Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	185
7. THE AFTERMATH Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	209
CONCLUSION Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	219
Appendix 1. TIBETAN REINCARNATION LINES OF MAJOR POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	223
Appendix 2. QING EMPERORS AND QOSHOT KINGS OF TIBET Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	227
ABBREVIATIONS Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	229
NOTES Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	231
TIBETAN ORTHOGRAPHIC EQUIVALENTS Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	289
BIBLIOGRAPHY Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	307
INDEX Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	325

The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China

A Political History of the Tibetan Institution of Reincarnation

Details

Formats