Steps toward a Tibetan Understanding of Purity
A Semantic and Textual Analysis
- World Religions
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Though of little concern to most westerners, notions of what is considered clean and unclean, pure and impure are of great importance to many cultures. Both ritual and moral purity and impurity are significant concerns for Tibetan Buddhists and Buddhists at large, being foundational to how they live their everyday lives. Steps Towards a Tibetan Understanding of Purity provides a detailed analysis of Tibetan conceptions of purity and purification through a careful examination of salient Tibetan texts across a wide range of genres. The practical applications of this study articulate ways to contextualize the good news of Jesus in a Tibetan Buddhist context with an emphasis on the gospel of purification. Such an approach provides the reader with renewed impetus to share the gospel in meaningful and relevant ways to a Buddhist audience while also providing additional insights into the worldview of Tibetans.
Endorsements (4)
“Morrison offers a masterclass in Tibetan Buddhism, introducing its theology, forms, and practices, making sense of a complicated religion. Impeccably researched, this book’s chief contribution is the unpacking of the concepts of purity and pollution, a worldview which is both familiar to all cultures but needs specific nuancing in this context. This category not only powerfully speaks to Eastern cultures, but it can help Christians add a much-needed dimension to the gospel as well.”
“Morrison has put the time into carefully studying Tibetan purity texts, so he is positioned to have deep conversations about Christianity and Buddhism with Tibetans. This work expands on the dyadic category of purity and pollution by showing how purity is connected to merit, faith, and power in Tibet. This is a superb example of how a Christian worker can present Jesus Christ in a way that makes sense to those of other religious backgrounds.”
“Jim Morrison takes us beyond Eugene Nida’s ‘guilt, fear, and shame’ to include hygienic language—purity/pollution. Often minimized in missions considering its prominence in Scripture and major religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, First Nations), this well-researched book fills the gap in the religious realm. Thorough, trustworthy, timely.”
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