Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA creative and nuanced exploration of an aspect of Tibetan religiosity that has heretofore remained largely in the dark. An important and exciting book. -- Andrew Quintman, Yale University
A very welcome and entirely novel work on the place of vegetarianism in Tibet,
Food of Sinful Demons will make a solid scholarly contribution to religious studies, Buddhist studies, and Tibetan studies. Covering a topic of broad interest in fields from ranging religion to animal rights, it offers something new for specialists but is also accessible to undergraduates as well as educated Buddhists trying to understand the role of vegetarianism and meat eating in Tibetan Buddhism. -- Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Associate Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbia University
In this first in-depth study of the history of vegetarianism in Tibet, Geoffrey Barstow clearly shows that vegetarianism has always existed in Tibetan culture and was essentially motivated by compassion for the animals.
Food of Sinful Demons is a welcome contribution to the important debate over the relationships between and among vegetarianism, health, and religion. -- Matthieu Ricard, author of
A Plea for the Animals: The Moral, Philosophical, and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with CompassionExceptionally relevant in how it explores tensions between compassionate concern for animal welfare grounded in Buddhist ethics, perceptions of health, and Tibetan cultural values. * Reading Religion *
For those following the vegetarian debate as it unfolds on the Tibetan plateau and as Buddhism spreads to new contexts, Barstow’s book provides essential reading. * Tricycle: The Buddhist Review *
Barstow’s work is a foundational contribution to Tibetan studies that also broadens conversations on Buddhist ethics, animal rights, and religion and gender. -- Christopher Bell * Journal of Asian Studies *
Brilliantly researched and beautifully written. * The Mirror, International Dzogchen Community *
Featuring rigorous scholarship and an engaging, accessible writing style, Food of Sinful Demons is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate courses and for scholars across disciplinary boundaries, including in Buddhist studies, Tibetan and Himalayan studies, animal studies, anthropology of food, and food studies more generally. * Religious Studies Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Note on Transliteration and Translation
Map of Tibet
Introduction
1. A Brief History of Vegetarianism in Tibet
2. Meat in the Monastery
3. The Importance of Compassion
4. Tantric Perspectives
5. A Necessary Evil
6. A Positive Good
7. Seeking a Middle Way
Epilogue: Con temporary Tibet
Tibetan Names and Terms
Notes
Bibliography
Index
