In the Forest of Faded Wisdom – 104 Poems by Gendun Chopel, a Bilingual Edition (Buddhism and Modernity) - Hardcover

Chopel, Gendun

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226104524 ISBN 13: 9780226104522

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2009

Synopsis

Rare Book

About this title

Review:

Donald S. Lopezs translations of Gendun Chopels poetry, in the enticingly titled In the Forest of Faded Wisdom, invite us to set aside our outsiders view of Tibet as a land of mystery and ponder complexities of the encounter there between tradition and modernism at the start of the twentieth century, while catching a glimpse of the shortcomings of our own race of golden-haired monkeys. Gendun Chopels satire can be as truculent as Pounds, his mysticism as resonant as Eliots, but there is nothing esoteric in his rule for scholars, one to be defended with ones life: The naked truth, terrifying to behold, is not to be covered with robes of self-deception.John Dent-Young, translator of Selected Poems of Garcilaso de la Vega and Shui hu zhuan -- John Dent-Young, translator of Selected Poems of Garcilaso de la Vega and Shui h

"A pioneering translation..."In the Forest of Faded Wisdom" makes Gendun Chopel accessible to both Western and Tibetan readers as no book before it has, and Donald Lopez is to be thanked for the many years of painstaking and fruitful labor that have led to its publication."--Roger Jackson"Buddhadharma" (03/01/2010)

"If at the time of Gendun Chopel, the Tibetan people and the Tibetan government had lent even half an ear to him and acted accordingly, I have no doubt that Tibet and the Tibetan people would be in a different position than they are today. A better one. It is quite amazing that out of Tibet, which is usually considered a primitive, orthodox, forbidden land, someone like Gendun Chopel emerged. His remarkable poetry is a fitting legacy of this unique figure in modern Tibetan history."

--Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

"What a treasury of poems! They are both historical and modern, both religious and deeply human, both Tibetan and universal. Gendun Chopel comes alive through these vivid, moving translations. This is a book that will be--should be--read for many years to come."

--Michelle Yeh, University of California, Davis

"Donald S. Lopez's translations of Gendun Chopel's poetry, in the enticingly titled "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom", invite us to set aside our outsider's view of Tibet as a land of mystery and ponder complexities of the encounter there between tradition and modernism at the start of the twentieth century, while catching a glimpse of the shortcomings of our own 'race of golden-haired monkeys.' Gendun Chopel's satire can be as truculent as Pound's, his mysticism as resonant as Eliot's, but there is nothing esoteric in his rule for scholars, one to be defended with one's life: 'The naked truth, terrifying to behold, is not to be covered with robes of self-deception.'"

--John Dent-Young, translator of Selected Poems of Garcilaso de la Vega and Shui h

"A pioneering translation. . . . "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom" makes Gendun Chopel accessible to both Western and Tibetan readers as no book before it has, and Donald Lopez is to be thanked for the many years of painstaking and fruitful labor that have led to its publication."--Roger Jackson"Buddhadharma" (03/01/2010)

If at the time of Gendun Chopel, the Tibetan people and the Tibetan government had lent even half an ear to him and acted accordingly, I have no doubt that Tibet and the Tibetan people would be in a different position than they are today. A better one. It is quite amazing that out of Tibet, which is usually considered a primitive, orthodox, forbidden land, someone like Gendun Chopel emerged. His remarkable poetry is a fitting legacy of this unique figure in modern Tibetan history.
--Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche"

What a treasury of poems! They are both historical and modern, both religious and deeply human, both Tibetan and universal. Gendun Chopel comes alive through these vivid, moving translations. This is a book that will be should be read for many years to come.
--Michelle Yeh, University of California, Davis"

"Apioneering translation. . . . "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom" makes Gendun Chopel accessible to both Western and Tibetan readers as no book before it has, and Donald Lopez is to be thanked for the many years of painstaking and fruitful labor that have led to its publication."--Roger Jackson"Buddhadharma" (03/01/2010)"

Donald S. Lopez s translations of Gendun Chopel s poetry, in the enticingly titled "In the Forest of Faded Wisdom," invite us to set aside our outsider s view of Tibet as a land of mystery and ponder complexities of the encounter there between tradition and modernism at the start of the twentieth century, while catching a glimpse of the shortcomings of our own race of golden-haired monkeys. Gendun Chopel s satire can be as truculent as Pound s, his mysticism as resonant as Eliot s, but there is nothing esoteric in his rule for scholars, one to be defended with one s life: The naked truth, terrifying to behold, is not to be covered with robes of self-deception.
--John Dent-Young, translator of Selected Poems of Garcilaso de la Vega and Shui hu zhuan"

About the Author:

Donald S. Lopez Jr. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He is the author or editor of several books, including, most recently The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel and Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0226104524
• ISBN 13: 9780226104522
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160