Religion - Background and Symbolism

Religion is not my thing and I'm not a religious person as such.   However, Buddhism is key to the daily lives of the people in this part of the world, so a little background knowledge is a big help in understanding a lot of what the western tourists see in Nepal and Tibet.   So what I've done is to scan a couple of pages from the guide book "Odyssey Illustrated Guide to Tibet" to help with a few of the basics.   Basic is all I can give you, because there's no website in the world can tell you everything about what is a very complex religion - the quantity of scriptures still held in libraries all over Tibet and elsewhere testify to that.

As I said, these pages are scanned, so apologies for the long download times if you've got a slow connection.

1. How Buddhism Emerged in Tibet
2. A Brief History of Tibet
3. Easily Recognised Figures of Tibet
4. Common Religious Objects
5. Common Tibetan Symbols
6. Monasteries and Monks
7. Dalai Lamas, Panchen Lamas and Milarepa
8. Nepal - Hindu and Newari Beliefs

Taken from "Odyssey Illustrated Guide to Tibet", © 1997 Local Colour Ltd., Hong Kong and from "Odyssey Illustrated Guide to Nepal", © 1995 The Guidebook Company Ltd., Hong Kong.