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Title: The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling by Gesar., Alexandra David-Neel, Lama Yongden ISBN: 0-87773-753-3 Publisher: Great Eastern Book Co Pub. Date: February, 1982 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Ian Myles Slater on: A New Incarnation of an Old Favorite
Comment: The present work is a translation of a book originally published in French as "La vie Surhumaine de Guésar de Ling le Héros Thibétain, racontée par les bardes de son pays" in 1931 (and reprinted under shorter variants of the title), and in English in 1933 by Ryder & Co., London (reprinted 1959) and in 1934 by Claude Kendall, New York.
I originally became acquainted with Gesar in the 1960s through a rather dull-looking rebound library copy of the 1934 edition, and was delighted to find it, years later, in a crisp-looking paperback reprint, with a new foreword, but otherwise unchanged.
For those not interested in problems of Tibetan history, and the mutual adaptations of Tibetan civilization and Buddhism, the story is more than worth reading as an heroic romance. (Which is how I originally came to it, along with Cuchulain, Finn, and pre-Malory versions of Arthur and Lancelot). There have been some other books on Gesar published in recent years, some including interesting additional material, but the other retellings seem at least partly dependant on the doubly-translated David-Neel prose version of his stories. (Which were actually told in verse, and can reasonably be described as a series of epics.)
There is in fact no complete "canonical" version in Tibetan, but many tellings of episodes and sequences of episodes have been recovered, in written or oral form. David-Neel and her Tibetan associates came up with a reasonably connected story, and until a qualified student of Tibetan language and literature produces a selection of these texts in English, the David-Neel version will have to satisfy the curiosity of the rest of us.
Fortunately, the version available is highly enjoyable. It offers the reader a self-consciously Buddhist treatment of the story of a military hero, a fighter and conqueror who is presented as an incarnate defender of the Dharma, and Tibet, against a variety of essentially demonic enemies. In this way, the ethos of the old Tibetan royal and noble dynasties is adjusted to the ideology of Mahayana Buddhism, and the traditions of the Vajrayana schools which prevailed in Tibet.
Gesar's story, in this account, is set motion by Padmasambhava, the "Precious Guru" who is regarded the "Apostle of Tibet," and one of its supernatural guardians, who recognizes that the time has come to beget a mighty hero, to oppose a triply-incarnated demon who had already been vanquished earlier. It is not merely an ordinary biography, but covers the hero's previous existence as a higher being, and the circumstances of his conception and birth, as seen from an essentially divine point of view.
Whether you are looking for entertainment or edification, the open-minded reader should find it worthwhile.
Rating: 4
Summary: Saviors around the World
Comment: I first came across the name of Gesar of Ling while tracking Jesus, the Divine Hero. The study of mythology had grown up. There were Divine role models around the world. Oddily enough they fit into Lord Raglan's Hero Pattern. In this book you will find Gesar's story still in oral tradition. Traveling bards are telling this Sacred story. This is (I think) the first written account. This book is remarkable. My favorite parts are the wise questioning of a bard and Gesar's disappearance on the mountain. Wow! Sorry boys, this is no Satanic counterfit. These are the Heroes of humanity, the Divine Children, we admire. Their stories are reinterpreted for each generation. Listen. Who knows more about magic than a magician? Wondrous effects are produced by natural means; the courage, love, charity, wisdom and faith of the human heart. Beware of disgarding critical reason for blind faith and obedience, and a closed mind. Ignorance is the root of all evil. Only honest objectivity keeps one from becoming a real monster.
(...)
Rating: 4
Summary: Gesar Ling, The Once and Future King
Comment: While traveling in India and Nepal I spent an extended time in researching the folklore around Gesar Ling through interviews with his direct descendents and his reincarnation (Namkha Rinpoche) in Kathmandu. Alexandra David-Neel's book "The Super Human Life of Gesar of Ling" proved to be extremely valuable, and fairly accurate with respect to the information I gathered.
Despite David-Neel's association with Madame Bolovsky's "Theosophical Society" this book still retains a great deal of credibility. The introduction details an encounter she had with an emissary of Gesar Ling which seems to be derived directly from his reputation as the regional protector deity of the Dege region of Tibet.
Her easy writing style makes this book accessible to the academic and the casual reader. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interested in the more obscure writings on Tibet.
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Title: Art of Tibet (The World of Art) by Robert E. Fisher ISBN: 0500203083 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: 26 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF TIBET by Hugh Richardson ISBN: 1570621020 Publisher: Random House, Inc. Pub. Date: 06 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: My Journey to Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel ISBN: 080705903X Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 05 October, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
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