This fourteenth-century Tibetan classic serves as an excellent introduction to basic Buddhism as practiced throughout India and Tibet and describes the process of entering the Buddhist path through study and reflection.

It begins with setting forth the structure of Buddhist education and the range of its subjects, and were treated to a rousing litany of the merits of such instruction. Were then introduced to the buddhas of our world and eon, three of whom have already lived, taught, and passed into transcendence before examining in detail the fourth, our own Buddha Shakyamuni. Buton tells the story of Shakyamuni's past lives and then presents the path the Buddha followed (the same that all buddhas must follow). After the Buddhas story, Buton recounts three compilations of Buddhist scriptures and then quotes from sacred texts that foretell the lives and contributions of great Indian Buddhist masters, which he then relates, concluding with the tale of the eventual demise and disappearance of the Buddhist doctrine. The text ends with an account of the inception and spread of Buddhism in Tibet, focused mainly on the country's kings and early adopters of the foreign faith. An afterword by Ngawang Zangpo, one of the translators, discusses and contextualizes Buton's exemplary life, his turbulent times, and his prolific works.

Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet: A Treasury of Priceless Scripture, Buton Rinchen Drup and translated by Ngawang Zangpo, Lisa Stein, Snow Lion Publications, Hardcover, 444 pp, $34.95

Buton Rinchen Drup (1290-1364) has been the role model for many of Tibet's greatest masters over the centuries, including the present Dalai Lama. He was a simple monk and a dear spiritual friend of all, high and low, and he embodied the highest degree of Buddhist scholarship and mastery of meditation. Lamas of all denominations still commonly refer to him as "omniscient Buton." Lisa Stein is a disciple of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin Rinpoche. Ngawang Zangpo (Hugh Leslie Thompson), a Tsadra Foundation fellow, is a disciple of many Kagyu, Shangpa, and Nyingma masters. This is his fifth book translated under the auspices of the Tsadra Foundation.

Contents: BUTON'S HISTORY OF BUDDHISM in India and Its Spread to Tibet: A Treasury of Priceless Scripture by Buton Rinchen Drup
Translator's Foreword by Lisa Stein	vii
Translator's Introduction by Ngawang Zangpo	xi
Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet
1. A Buddhist Education	3
2. A General History of Buddhism in This World and in India	89
3. A History of Buddhism in Tibet	177
Translator's Afterword: Buton's Life, Work, and Times by Ngawang Zangpo	311
Appendix 1: An Outline of the Text:	383
Appendix 2: A Short Biography of Buton Rinchen Drup	389
Appendix 3: A Catalog of the Collected Works of Buton Rinchen Drup	397
Notes	411
Bibliography	423
Index	427