| Although numerous books have been written on the | | | | deserves special attention within a study of the |
| teachings and philosophy of the Buddha, little is | | | | religious life of human history. The entire social, |
| known about the manner in which that philosophy is | | | | political and cultural history of Tibet and other central |
| put into practice, that is to say, how Buddhist monks | | | | Asian countries was greatly influenced by the |
| live and work and how the monastic system | | | | monasteries. |
| functions. The Tibetan monastic life, in particular, | | | | |