In this concise though comprehensive work, Powers, a Tibetan Buddhist and professor of religion at Wright State University, begins to fill a void in the large corpus of literature on Tibetan Buddhism by grounding it in political and cultural experience. Not only does he situate it as a contemporary praxis in the context of its own religious history, but he also anchors it as a universal praxis arising out of Tibetan political and cultural history. Powers's discussions of the festivals, holy days and religious symbolism imbedded in Tibetan cultural forms and of the power struggles and foreign influences that contributed to the institution of the Buddhist state, demystify Tibetan Buddhism, yet leave intact the integrity of its praxis. This is a valuable work for those looking to enrich their practice of Tibetan Buddhism and for students just seeking to deepen their understanding of it.The best single-volume introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practice and culture. Powers (religion, Wright State Univ.) includes a clear explanation of each of the four schools: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk
