audiobook Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet: A Treasury of Priceless Scripture (Tsadra) by Buton Richen Drup in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Confused about PublicationBy LudwigThe reason I write that I am confused about this publication is that it was already translated and published; with copious footnotes; and the proper Sanskrit titles of works and individuals; with the diacritics; by Eugene Obermiller in 1932. There isn't an explanation as to why this was retranslated in the foreword; other than that it was supported by Eric Colombel and Tsadra Foundation.I bought this with the expectation that being a re-translation it will build upon Obermiller's; and perhaps correct errors he made. There's no indication that this was the case; and there are no footnotes or discussions about lexical or grammatical ambiguities that one finds in Obermiller's.While in many ways this is a more accessible and readable version to that of Obermiller; in terms of accuracy; I have serious uncertainties. For instance; I came across this; which in the Tsadra version really sounds meaningless:"Poetic forms and the rest can be considered either a branch of grammar or of the Vedas. "The Treasury of Immortality" states:These three—poetic forms; synonymics; and presenting offerings—Constitute the third Veda."Now; Obermiller has:In such a form poetics etc. are a part of the science of grammar and literature. Otherwise; they are a part of the Veda. The "Amarakośa" says:—The Sāma—; the Rc—; and the Yajurveda; —These are the three Vedas.”The issues with the Tsadra version should be clear. But in case it isn't; firstly; anyone interested in Indology would need the Sanskrit name of the treatise being referred to. If you search on google "The Treasury of Immortality" you won't be directed to the treatise by Amarasiṃha (which happens to be the oldest extant thesaurus in the world); but to books about Emily Dickenson. Unless one's knowledge and recollection of these titles is extremely sharp; you won't clue in that "The Treasury of Immortality" is the Amarakośa. Secondly; the verse just doesn't make sense in the Tsadra version. Why do poetic forms; synonymics; and presenting offerings constitute the third Veda? Why does Obermiller have a different translation? This is something that does deserve a footnote at least.The book is; however; helpful in having a biography of Buton and a list of his works.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Foundational Book for Understanding Buddhist HistoryBy Pacific9This is considered *the* definitive history of Buddhism by the Tibetans. While not all schools buy Buton's classification of what is considered authentic tantra; etc.; still this is the go-to resource.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. laginaBy LaGinaVery informative book that helped me understand Buddhism a little better then I did before. I would love to add a hard copy to my library.