The Sound of Two Hands Clapping - by Georges Dreyfus (Paperback)

About the Book

"A rich and fascinating study of Tibetan monastic life, from an author who is not only a leading scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, but who spent many years as a Buddhist monk."--Donald Lopez, author of "Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West"
"Georges Dreyfus, extraordinary person and writer, gives us crucial insights into the structure and practices of higher Tibetan education as well as his own fascinating journey leading to his becoming the first Westerner to achieve the highest rank in Tibetan education. This book both peals away myths and reveals the true depths of Tibetan techniques to train the mind."--Jeffrey Hopkins, author of "Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism"
"A remarkable tour de force. Georges Dreyfus merges personal memoir and outstanding scholarship to draw us into the intellectual life of the Tibetan monastic college, and in so doing he transforms forever our understanding of education and the cultivation of reason in traditional and pre-modern societies. If you read no other book on Tibetan Buddhism, immerse yourself in this one and applaud."--Matthew T. Kapstein, author of "The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism"

Book Synopsis

A unique insider's account of day-to-day life inside a Tibetan monastery, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping reveals to Western audiences the fascinating details of monastic education. Georges B. J. Dreyfus, the first Westerner to complete the famous Ge-luk curriculum and achieve the distinguished title of geshe, weaves together eloquent and moving autobiographical reflections with a historical overview of Tibetan Buddhism and insights into its teachings.

From the Back Cover

"A rich and fascinating study of Tibetan monastic life, from an author who is not only a leading scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, but who spent many years as a Buddhist monk."--Donald Lopez, author of Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West

"Georges Dreyfus, extraordinary person and writer, gives us crucial insights into the structure and practices of higher Tibetan education as well as his own fascinating journey leading to his becoming the first Westerner to achieve the highest rank in Tibetan education. This book both peals away myths and reveals the true depths of Tibetan techniques to train the mind."--Jeffrey Hopkins, author of Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism

"A remarkable tour de force. Georges Dreyfus merges personal memoir and outstanding scholarship to draw us into the intellectual life of the Tibetan monastic college, and in so doing he transforms forever our understanding of education and the cultivation of reason in traditional and pre-modern societies. If you read no other book on Tibetan Buddhism, immerse yourself in this one and applaud."--Matthew T. Kapstein, author of The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism

Review Quotes

"Dreyfus provides an engaging and comprehensive study of Tibetan scholasticism as a living tradition among exile communities in India."--Buddhadharma

About the Author

Georges B. J. Dreyfus is Professor of Religion at Williams College. He is author of The Svatantrika-Prasangika Distinction: What Difference Does a Difference Make? (coedited with Sara McClintock, 2002), Recognizing Reality: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations (1997), and A Recent Rediscovery: rGyal tshap's Rigs gter rnam bshad (in collaboration with S. Onoda, 1994).