Mission to Tibet: The Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Account of Father Ippolito Desideri S. J.

by Ippolito Desideri S.J., Leonard Zwilling (Editor), Michael J Sweet (Translator)

Overview

Mission to Tibet recounts the fascinating eighteenth-century journey of the Jesuit priest ippolito Desideri (1684 - 1733) to the Tibetan plateau. The italian missionary was most notably the first european to learn about Buddhism directly with Tibetan schol ars and monks - and from a profound study of its primary texts. while there, Desideri was an eyewitness to some of the most tumultuous events in Tibet's history, of which he left us a vivid and dramatic account.

Desideri explores key Buddhist concepts including emptiness and rebirth, together with their philosophical and ethical implications, with startling detail and sophistication. This book also includes an introduction situating the work in the context of Desideri's life and the intellectual and religious milieu of eighteenth-century Catholicism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861716760
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Pages:	832
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Michael Sweet received a PhD in Buddhist Studies in 1977 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the direction of Geshe Lhundub Sopa. From 1977-78 he taught and did research at the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. After later graduate studies, he was a psychotherapist in public and private practice (1980-2004) and a sometime lecturer at UW Madison, where he has been an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry. He has written extensively on the history of sexuality in South Asia and on Buddhist Studies. Since 2001 his research has focused on Ippolito Desideri and the Catholic missions in Tibet. Current research focuses on the first mission to Tibet, led by the Portuguese Jesuit Antonio de Andrade.

Leonard Zwilling studied with Geshe Wangyal from 1967 to 1978 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in 1970, going on to receive an MA in Hindu studies (1972) and a PhD in Buddhist studies (1976) also at UW-Madison. His dissertation, on apoha in Buddhist logic, was directed by Geshe Lhundub Sopa. He did predoctoral research in Sri Lanka (1973-74) and Nepal (1974-75) under Ford Foundation and Fulbright-Hays scholarships. From 1977 to 1983 Dr. Zwilling taught Asian religions, Sanskrit, and Tibetan at UW-Madison and elsewhere. He received an MLS from UW-Madison in 1985 and from 1986 to 2009 was the general editor and bibliographer of the Dictionary of American Regional English in the department of English at UW-Madison, where he is presently senior scientist emeritus. Dr. Zwilling has published in a number of fields, and since 2005 his work has centered on Ippolito Desideri and missions in Tibet.

Editorial Reviews

"Michael J. Sweet and Leonard Zwilling should be commended for their splendid presentation of the text, their edition and translation, their abundant notes, and their outstanding introduction to Desideri and his book."

Catholic Historical Review

"Written in a fluent, readable style. For English speakers, Mission to Tibet will be the benchmark."

Institutum Historicum Societatis Jesu

"The combination of Sweet's assured translation and Zwilling's attentive editing make a solid contribution to Tibetan studies, Jesuit missionizing, and early European travel reports from Asia, and provide crucial evidence for the importance of this pioneering scholar-priest."

Journal of Buddhist Ethics

"Of all the Roman Catholic missionaries to Asia, the Italian Jesuit Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733) was perhaps the most remarkable. Despite his fervent hope of converting Tibet to the Christian faith, he was in important ways the first Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, translating Buddhist texts into Italian and writing scholarly tomes in Tibetan, complete with quotations from Nagarjuna. Mission to Tibet offers the first complete English translation of Desideri's captivating account of his sojourn in Tibet."

Donald Lopez

"As this accomplished translation by Michael J. Sweet, edited by Leonard Zwilling, demonstrates, Desideri was more than merely a determined and subtle opponent of a religion not his own; he was also a perceptive scholar of Tibetan doctrine, an amazing linguist, and a fascinating travel writer. Sweet has captured his essence in this commanding work. Everyone with an interest in Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, world history, and world religion will enjoy this wonder-filled account of Desideri's pioneering adventure, intimately detailed from Rome to Lhasa and back."

Jeffrey Hopkins

"Mission to Tibet is the most important work to appear in the field of Desideri studies since Luciano Petech's critical edition of the Jesuit's writings over fifty years ago. That Mission to Tibet provides a rip-roaring adventure, political intrigue, and a window onto a long-lost Tibet only adds to the pleasure of reading this new translation."

Trent Pomplun

"Sweet's and Zwilling's thorough historical work and beautiful translation make this book an instant classic and essential resource for anyone interested in the history of intercultural learning, comparative theology, and missiology."

John Makransky

“Michael J. Sweet and Leonard Zwilling should be commended for their splendid presentation of the text, their edition and translation, their abundant notes, and their outstanding introduction to Desideri and his book.”—Catholic Historical Review

“Written in a fluent, readable style. For English speakers, Mission to Tibet will be the benchmark.”—Institutum Historicum Societatis Jesu

“The combination of Sweet’s assured translation and Zwilling’s attentive editing make a solid contribution to Tibetan studies, Jesuit missionizing, and early European travel reports from Asia, and provide crucial evidence for the importance of this pioneering scholar-priest.”—Journal of Buddhist Ethics

“Of all the Roman Catholic missionaries to Asia, the Italian Jesuit Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733) was perhaps the most remarkable. Despite his fervent hope of converting Tibet to the Christian faith, he was in important ways the first Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, translating Buddhist texts into Italian and writing scholarly tomes in Tibetan, complete with quotations from Nagarjuna. Mission to Tibet offers the first complete English translation of Desideri's captivating account of his sojourn in Tibet.”—Donald Lopez, Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan

“As this accomplished translation by Michael J. Sweet, edited by Leonard Zwilling, demonstrates, Desideri was more than merely a determined and subtle opponent of a religion not his own; he was also a perceptive scholar of Tibetan doctrine, an amazing linguist, and a fascinating travel writer. Sweet has captured his essence in this commanding work. Everyone with an interest in Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, world history, and world religion will enjoy this wonder-filled account of Desideri's pioneering adventure, intimately detailed from Rome to Lhasa and back.”—Jeffrey Hopkins, author of Meditation on Emptiness

“Mission to Tibet is the most important work to appear in the field of Desideri studies since Luciano Petech's critical edition of the Jesuit's writings over fifty years ago. That Mission to Tibet provides a rip-roaring adventure, political intrigue, and a window onto a long-lost Tibet only adds to the pleasure of reading this new translation.”-Trent Pomplun, Department of Theology, Loyola University Maryland, and author of Jesuit on the Roof of the World

“Sweet's and Zwilling's thorough historical work and beautiful translation make this book an instant classic and essential resource for anyone interested in the history of intercultural learning, comparative theology, and missiology.”—John Makransky, Associate Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology, Boston College

From the Publisher