Gavin Kilty - Tales from the Tibetan Operas

The Library of Tibetan Classics is a special series developed by the Institute of Tibetan Classics aimed at making key classical Tibetan texts part of the global literary and intellectual heritage. Eventually comprising thirty-two large volumes, the collection will contain over two hundred distinct texts by more than a hundred of the best-known authors. These texts have been selected in consultation with the preeminent lineage holders of all the schools and other senior Tibetan scholars to represent the Tibetan literary tradition as a whole. The works included in the series span more than a millennium and cover the vast expanse of classical Tibetan knowledge from the core teachings of the specific schools to such diverse fields as ethics, philosophy, linguistics, medicine, astronomy and astrology, folklore, and historiography. Tales from the Tibetan Operas This anthology contains most of the lhamo stories that are portrayed in Tibetan opera, many of which are written by anonymous authors, and it includes more than fifty gorgeous photos of the operas performed on location in Tibet and India. In a uniquely Tibetan literary style, the dialogue in these Tibetan plays is in verse meant for singing.

Included are Drim Knden, a story modeled on the Buddhist Jtaka tale of a prince who pushed the practice of generosity to its limits, causing complications of all kinds; King Norsang, a love story between a human king and a celestial princess who is caught in a web of intrigue fueled by the jealousy of court members; The Story of the Chinese and Nepalese Princesses, in which a minister skillfully manipulates to bring the emperors two brides from China and Nepal back to Tibet; Nangsa bum, a Dharma teaching of a noble kin who took birth as a woman, and her quest for enlightenment; Drowa Sangmo, a story of dissension sown among a king, a queen, and their two children by an evil concubine who is envious of the queens good fortune; The Brothers Dny and Dndrup, a tale of how the love between two brothers helped them overcome their diverse trials, such as banishment from home; Sukyi Nyima, a story of a hermits daughter becoming a queen; and Pema bar, in which a young prince quests to find a wish-granting jewel. Like Indias Pacatantra, the Middle Easts Arabian Nights, and well-known works from ancient Greece and medieval Europe, the narration and performance of these stories have served a vital role in teaching moral sensibilities and civic responsibilities in their land of origin. W estern readers can now get a glimpse into ancient Indian and Tibetan mythology through the cultural touchstone of eight classic lhamo stories. On display are the human and nonhuman characters of history and folklore kings, queens, conniving ministers, ordinary folk, yogis, monks, and powerful beings from other realms such as gods and ngas engaged in plotting, kidnapping, fighting, journeys to faraway lands, separation, and reconciliation, often with a quest for seemingly impossible treasure. The suspenseful tales have many dramatic plot twists, but they all end in happiness, where the good achieve their goals and the bad receive their just deserts. The operas thus bring to the people the fundamental ethical laws of behavior and teachings of natural justice based on Buddhist doctrine.

The book features more than fifty gorgeous photos of the operas performed on location in Tibet and India. This book makes available for the first time the stories on which Tibets greatest operas are based. These wonderful legends are also Tibets most important and enduring folk tales. Rendered into beautiful English by Gavin Kilty and prefaced with an important essay on the history of the lhamo operatic tradition, Tales from the Tibetan Operas is a superb addition not just to the Library of Tibetan Classics but to world literature itself. JOS IGNACIO CABEZN, Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara More than the treasure text or the Dharma discourse, over the centuries, the people of Tibet have imbibed the principles of Buddhism from the songs, dances, and dramas of Tibetan opera. Here, for the first time, the most famous of those operas appear in English, masterfully translated by Gavin Kilty, who provides a fascinating introduction to the genre and its history.

Some of the stories are familiar from India, some are set in Tibet, some are set in India. Together, they evoke the spirit of the performing arts of Tibet. DONALD LOPEZ, Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, University of Michigan Tales from the Tibetan Operas invites us into the world of an important tradition of Tibet. Having been born in Chung Riwoch, Tibet, the birthplace of the operas, I have witnessed this joyful event annually. Many of the stories are derived from the Jataka Tales, which express spiritual messages.

This unique book is educational and informative. THE VENERABLE LAMA LOSANG SAMTEN, spiritual director, the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia

I have no doubt that, when combined with the methods and insights of modern science, the Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage and knowledge will help foster a more enlightened and compassionate human society, a humanity that is at peace with itself, with fellow sentient beings, and with the natural world at large. It is for this reason I am delighted that the Institute of Tibetan Classics in Montreal, Canada, is compiling a thirty-two-volume series containing the works of many great Tibetan teachers, philosophers, scholars, and practitioners representing all major Tibetan schools and traditions. These important writings will be critically edited and annotated and will then be published in modern book format in a reference collection called The Library of Tibetan Classics, the translations into other major languages to follow later. While expressing my heartfelt commendation for this noble project, I pray and hope that The Library of Tibetan Classics will not only make these important Tibetan treatises accessible to scholars of Tibetan studies but will also create a new opportunity for younger Tibetans to study and take interest in their own rich and profound culture. It is my sincere hope that through the series translations into other languages, millions of fellow citizens of the wider human family will also be able to share in the joy of engaging with Tibets classical literary heritage, textual riches that have been such a great source of joy and inspiration to me personally for so long.