One Hundred Thousand Moons- An Advanced Political History of Tibet vol 01

A sustained argument for Tibetan independence, this volume also serves as an introduction to many aspects of Tibetan culture, society, and especially religion with a compendium of biographies of the most significant religious and political figures.

Drawing on a vast array of historical and biographical sources, this volume elaborates Tibetan political history, arguing that Tibet has long been an independent nation, and that the 1950 incursion by the Chinese was an invasion of a sovereign country. The author situates Tibet's relations with a series of Chinese, Manchurian, and Mongolian empires in terms of the preceptor-patron relationship, an essentially religious connection in which Tibetan religious figures offered spiritual instruction to the contemporaneous emperor or other militarily powerful figure in exchange for protection and religious patronage. Simultaneously, this volume serves as an introduction to many aspects of Tibetan culture, society, and especially religion. The book includes a compendium of biographies of the most significant figures in Tibet's past.

This two-volume history of Tibet is unusual in that the author lived through many of the events which he wrote about. Shakabpa (1907-1989) came from a prominent Tibetan family, noted for its role in government. He remained in political circles, advocating for an independent Tibet all his life. The first section of the history is a description of life and customs in Tibet and the traditional stories of the origin of the country. For this Shakabpa drew on family papers and his own experience as well as official documents. Throughout, his intent is to refute Chinese claims that Tibet was once a part of the Chinese empire