A TIBETAN ON TIBET G. A. Combe   Foreword by Sir Charles Bell Introduction by John Pugh

"This book is an account by a Tibetan, Dorje Zodba, of the adventurous days of his early boyhood, when he found himself travelling to the four corners of the remote and mysterious kingdom of Tibet.

"Two features make this account of singular interest. Firstly, it was written more than 60 years ago, when Tibet, to a much greater extent than today, was an inaccessible and forbidden country. Secondly, Dorje Zodba, who called himself Paul Sherap, was a professed Christian, influenced in turn by lama and missionary.

"Paul Sherap spoke English, often with an engaging turn of phrase. His account was taken down over a period of weeks by Mr. G.A. Combe, a British Consul in China. The China Consular Service, particularly at the turn of the century, attracted some outstanding men of letters, of whom G.A. Combe was an example. In fashioning Paul Sherap's account into a book he was fastidious in retaining both the flavour of the observations and their acuity.

"G.A. Combe himself was a Buddhist scholar of note; he devotes the first chapter of the book to an explanation of Buddhism in Tibet. His grasp and interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism reflect those of contemporary Western authorities, of whom L.A. Waddell's investigative report, first published in 1895 under the title "The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism with its Mystic Cults, Symbolism and Mythology" was, at the time accepted as the definitive work on the subject.

"But today Waddell's views have, in important respects, been superseded. Present day understanding of Tibetan Buddhism is different. Norma Levine, herself a Vajrayana practitioner, is an authority in this field. In the scholarly essay which follows (this introduction) she presents the current view. Her essay illumines not only Paul Sherap's enchanting narrative, but also the extent of Western understanding of Tibetan Buddhism. As such it is an important statement."
    -- from the introduction by John Pugh

"It is with great pleasure that I accede to Mr. Combe's request to write a short introduction to his book. There are many books on Tibet written by Europeans from the European point of view, but only a few which reflect the Tibetan standpoint.

"As befits their nomadic ancestry, Tibetans are adventurous and fond of travel. In the present work we are introduced to a Tibetan, who runs away from home when still young boy, and travels day after day, month after month, across this difficult mountain land, attaching himself first to one party and then another. Like many of his race he has a quick, receptive mind, and his accounts of what he sees and feels and does, show us Tibet form the inside. It reproduces, in fact, the Tibetan atmosphere with simple fidelity and charm.

"I would fain hope that A Tibetan on Tibet will give to others as much pleasure as it has given to me."
    -- from the foreword by Sir Charles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G.
      Author of Tibet: Past and Present
      Late British Political Representative in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim.

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