Thrangu Rinpoche has been recognized as one of the most foremost teachers of Buddhism alive today. He has had a thorough training in Buddhist studies and has done extensive meditation practice in his native Tibet and then in exile in India. For the last twenty years he has been sharing this knowledge with Buddhist practitioners in the West. He is known for giving very comprehensive presentations and for making difficult subjects clear for the beginner and advanced practitioner alike. The History of Buddhism in India is the third in a series of introductory books on Buddhism. It follows The Three Levels of Buddhist Practice and The Four Ordinary Foundations of Buddhist Practice. This book begins with the life of the Buddha and describes his fundamental teachings. The Buddhist teachings were not written down at the time and could have been easily lost except for the fact that Buddhist held three great councils. The History then goes on to describe these councils and to tell how they are important. Rinpoche then goes on to describe how the great Mahayana and Vajrayana movements came about and how these were related to the great monastic universities of India. Finally, Thrangu Rinpoche presents a discussion of the ten sciences - Buddhist teachings which are not part of the Dharma, but which support the dharma. It is hoped that when the reader finishes this book he or she will have a much better idea where the various schools and important personalities of Buddhism fit in with the Buddhist teachings
