The Jesuit missionary Ippolito Desideri’s engagement with Tibetan Buddhism in his Tibetan writings combine a profound understanding of its philosophy and theology with a closely-argued, penetrating critique of some of its tenets, particularly rebirth and emptiness. This critique is articulated in the two treatises most ably and lucidly translated here by Donald Lopez and Thupten Jinpa, and their excellent introduction and notes provide the intellectual and historical context needed to fully appreciate Desideri’s arguments. <i>Dispelling the Darkness</i> is an important contribution to our understanding of the ongoing encounter between Tibetan Buddhism and Christianity.

- Michael Sweet, author of <i>Mission to Tibet</i>,

<i>Dispelling the Darkness</i> brilliantly makes available the remarkable Ippolito Desideri, the Jesuit missionary and scholar who in a few short years achieved great erudition in Tibetan language and culture and wrote several of the first treatises, in Italian and Tibetan, about the country, its society and religions. His <i>Essence of the Christian Religion</i> and <i>Inquiry concerning the Doctrines of Previous Lives and Emptiness</i> at long last receive due attention here, by expert translations from the original Tibetan and by masterful contextual essays putting Desideri’s work in the context of Tibetan and European, Buddhist and Christian beliefs and practices. Donald Lopez and Thupten Jinpa are to be congratulated for enhancing our knowledge of Desideri in such meticulous and insightful detail, thus shedding clear light on a remarkable moment in the encounter of Europe and Asia and the great drama of the Jesuits in Asia.

- Francis X. Clooney, Harvard University,

We, and all who are interested in the Jesuits, the history of missions, Buddhism, Tibet, and the art of translation, are indebted to the authors of this sumptuous volume for translating the texts (selections from the monumental <i>Inquiry </i>and the whole of the more manageable <i>Essence</i>) into flowing English, and providing introductions both to the tragic story of Desideri and to his writings.

- John Arnold, Church Times