Tibetan Mythology/History?

I'm considering a new campaign setting, centering on many of the mythological aspects of Tibet and China. My theory works around the idea of a Psion-ruled larger society dominating/integrating with a smaller, shaman-ruled society. It's not meant to be a direct analog, but incorporating some of the various complex elements (for example, the Chinese see themselves as liberating the Tibetans from backwardness, while the Tibetans seem themselves as being exploited for their resources and marginalized, among other things).

However, I'm not terribly familiar with some good works (preferably written) that detail the historical relationship of those two nations (and I mean more than just 1959 and the Cultural Revolution's attempt to annihilate Tibetan Buddhism) over time. I'm also not really up on Tibetan Mythology, it's interaction with Chinese Mythology, and how it interacts (if different) with Tibetan Buddhism. If Tibetan mythology IS simply their local Buddhist beliefs, that's fine, too.

I realize that I can google this and use Amazon to do some research, but I'm hoping that my fellow ENWorlders have some insight beyond that, and some recommendations to make.

There is a wonderful book called The Religions of Tibet - I can't, unfortunately, remember the writer's name and my copy of the book is in the States at the moment - that gives a very good overview of pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion and then Tibetan Buddhism, both pre and post Chinese take over. Tibetan Buddhism incorporated a lot of the original Tibetan religious beliefs, so it's kind of a syncretic religion in that regard.

The book was written in the 50's I believe.

Chris

Books:

Religions of Tibet

Religions of Tibet in Practice

Tibetan Civilization

Websites:

A Brief Overview of Tibetan Mythology

General Mythology Resource

IMHO, the book to read is "Civilized Shamans" by Geoffrey Samuel (IIRC). It's an historical/anthropological approach to the (in many ways, seamless) integration of Buddhist philosophy and the indigenous shamanism/animism which is found in Tibet. It also refers extensively to the historical relationships between Tibet and China, and between Tibet and India.

Sounds like a fascinating basis for a campaign, though. Good luck!

Thanks for the references, folks. This is exactly the sort of material I was looking for. I'd like to try my hand at a campaign setting that has a very different flavor from standard D&D (not that I don't still love standard D&D...I'm just looking to go a different direction for a little while, and National Geographic inspired me.

I like the inherent conflict and potential moral dillemmas from that kind of setup. It's a complex relationship, and I'd live to see what it spawns.

I've done some Tibetan studies on my own- may I recommend Indestructable Truth and Secret of the Vajra World , both by Reginald Ray... Ray is a professor of Buddhist studies at Naropa University, and those two books are the textbooks he wrote for his courses- I've seen no more complete overview of the Tibetan tradition than those two books.

Also, if you can find a copy, there's a tibetan novel that's been translated into English- The Tale of the Incomparable Prince . I highly recommend it- as I read it, I couldn't help but think what a great game setting it would make...