Tibetan Religions

Standing on the snow-covered plateau, which is recognized as the earth's peak, with an average elevation of about 4,500 meters, Tibet is an extremely attractive place by virtue of its grandness. For thousands of years, people living on this mystical land created a spiritual world with strong characteristics of the plateau culture through harmony with the nature.
Tibetan religions can be likened to a flag of life on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a unique landscape of spiritual world of the Tibetan people as well as a window to observe the culture of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The Tibetan religious culture consists of extensive and profound elements. Besides local sorcery culture and the Bon region culture, it also includes Tibetan Buddhism, which was derived from integrating religion with a great amount of social and secular cultural elements. This is in addition to other religions demonstrating the characteristics of the plateau culture. The emerging, evolution and distribution of the Tibetan religions reflect the interpenetration and integration of religious culture characters and features of secular culture. A Tibetan proverb said, “Every place has a dialect, and every Lama belongs to a religious sect.” Not only does the Tibetan Buddhism show distinct characteristics that are different from other Buddhism sects, but also other religions existing on the plateau show unique characteristics different from other religions in other areas. Highlighted characteristics related to the plateau are composed of unique cultural features and styles of the Tibetan religions.
Why did the ancestors of the people living on the plateau worship mountains, rivers and souls? Why did worship to heroes derive from worship to ancestors? How did the mysterious and primitive sorcery culture become the breeding ground for Tibetan religions? What are the basic structure and background of the Tibetan Buddhism culture? How did external Buddhist cultures integrate with the local Tibetan cultures (including the sorcery culture, Bon religion, secular and folk culture)? Why is it believed that Tibetan literature and art bearing different content and in different forms contain special religious cultural deposits? Why have aromatic plant burning and other religious customs been preserved to this day?
Through a simple content structure, , the book makes specific analysis on the development of the Tibetan Bon religion and related monasteries; the origin, development and sects in Tibetan Buddhism; the introduction and development of Christianity in Tibet; the history of Islam in Tibet and cultural background as well as the religious life of Muslim families. It describes and interprets Tibetan religions from a unique perspective highlighting the plateau culture.

Whenever Tibet is introduced, its religions are mentioned. The book titled Tibetan Religions, gives a comprehensive introduction to the status of Tibetan religions. It starts with the Bon religion and focuses on Tibetan Buddhism, with brief introduction to Islam and Christianity, aiming to embody the embracement of traditional Chinese culture of unity, which is typically reflected by the concepts of “harmony” and “wholeness”. The book provides an overview of the Tibetan religions in a way easy to understand and introduces various Tibetan Buddhism sects from a macro perspective. Particularly, the introduction to related monasteries is a characteristic of the book. It is very helpful for readers to have a comprehensive understanding of the Tibetan religions.

Kal Sang Gyal, a scholar engaged in the study of Tibetan Buddhism, professor at the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, researcher at the Center for Buddhist Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and distinguished researcher at the Chinese Buddhist Culture Research Institute, has published a number of works, including Great Reveal of Human Mysteries: Vajrayana as a Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the Mysterious Culture of Tibetan Buddhism: Vajrayana, the Tubo Buddhism: Early History of Rnying Ma Pa and Inheritance of Vajrayana and the Religions on the Snow-Covered Land (Volume I and II).

Preface
CHAPTER ONE The Bon Religion
Ⅰ．Dor-Bonism period
Ⅱ．Cha-Bonism period
Ⅲ．Jo-Bonism period
ⅠV．The monasteries of the Bon religion

CHAPTER TWO Tibetan Buddhism
Ⅰ．Origins of Tibetan Buddhism
Ⅱ．The formation of Tibetan Buddhism
（Ⅰ）The Buddhism promotion achievements—ofTrisong Detsen
（Ⅱ）Measures ofTritsuk Detsen on promoting Buddhism
（Ⅲ）King Lang Darma’S persecution of Buddhism
Ⅲ．Development of Tibetan Buddhism
（Ⅰ）Propagation of Buddhism from Eastern Tibet
（Ⅱ）Propagation of Buddhism from Ⅰndia
Ⅳ．Buddhist Sects
（Ⅰ）The Nyingmapa
（Ⅱ）The Kadampa
（Ⅲ）The Sakyapa
（Ⅳ）The Kagyupa
（Ⅴ）TheJonangpa
（Ⅵ）The Gelugpa
（Ⅶ）The Zhibyedpa
（Ⅷ）The Gcodyulpa
（Ⅸ）The Bulugspa
Ⅴ．Tibetan Buddhism monasteries
（Ⅰ）The Monasteries ofthe Gelugpa
（Ⅱ）The Monasteries of the Nyingmapa
（Ⅲ）The Monasteries ofthe Kagyupa
（Ⅳ）The Monasteries ofthe Sakyapa
（Ⅴ）The Monasteries ofthe Jonangpa

CHAPTER THREE Christianity
Ⅰ．HistoryofRomanCatholicisminTibet
Ⅱ．History of rise and decline of Christianity in Batang
（Ⅰ）Emerging and decline of Catholicism
（Ⅱ）Emerging and decline of Christianity
Ⅲ．History and current development ofCatholicism in Yanjing
（Ⅰ）Checkered history ofCatholicism in Yanjing
（Ⅱ）Catholic Church and its Tibetan believers

CHAPTER FOUR Ⅰslam
Ⅰ．Mosque and Muslims in Lhasa
（Ⅰ）The development ofthe Great Mosque 0f Lhasa
（Ⅱ）Life ofMuslim residents ofLhasa
Ⅱ．History and culture ofthe Mosque of Qamdo
（Ⅰ）Historical evolution and cultural background of the Mosque
of Qamdo
（Ⅱ）The Mosque of Qamdo and Muslim families today