- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166415
- eISBN:
- 9780199784783
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166418.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book provides accurate, accessible translations of three classics of medieval Indian Buddhist mysticism: the “couplet-treasuries” of the great tantric masters Saraha, Kanha, and Tilopa. Since ...
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This book provides accurate, accessible translations of three classics of medieval Indian Buddhist mysticism: the “couplet-treasuries” of the great tantric masters Saraha, Kanha, and Tilopa. Since their composition around 1000 CE, these poems have exerted a powerful influence on spiritual life, as well as poetry and song, in India, Nepal, and Tibet. The book offers new translations of the poetry aiming to capture the sense and spirit of the poems in the original. It also offers an introduction that summarizes the latest scholarship, situating the poems in their historical context.Less
This book provides accurate, accessible translations of three classics of medieval Indian Buddhist mysticism: the “couplet-treasuries” of the great tantric masters Saraha, Kanha, and Tilopa. Since their composition around 1000 CE, these poems have exerted a powerful influence on spiritual life, as well as poetry and song, in India, Nepal, and Tibet. The book offers new translations of the poetry aiming to capture the sense and spirit of the poems in the original. It also offers an introduction that summarizes the latest scholarship, situating the poems in their historical context.
Roger R. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166415
- eISBN:
- 9780199784783
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166418.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the possible origins of the verses translated in this book: the three surviving Apabhramśa-language collections of rhyming couplets, ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the possible origins of the verses translated in this book: the three surviving Apabhramśa-language collections of rhyming couplets, dohākosa, literally “treasuries of dohā” attributed to three Buddhist tantric masters who probably lived in northern India sometime around 1000 CE: Saraha, Kānha, and Tilopa. Conflicting accounts about the lives and uncertainties about their relation to the written works are described. Known facts about these three Treasuries and the men who are believed to have composed them are also presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the possible origins of the verses translated in this book: the three surviving Apabhramśa-language collections of rhyming couplets, dohākosa, literally “treasuries of dohā” attributed to three Buddhist tantric masters who probably lived in northern India sometime around 1000 CE: Saraha, Kānha, and Tilopa. Conflicting accounts about the lives and uncertainties about their relation to the written works are described. Known facts about these three Treasuries and the men who are believed to have composed them are also presented.
Roger R. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166415
- eISBN:
- 9780199784783
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166418.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
A translation of verses by Saraha is presented.
A translation of verses by Saraha is presented.
Roger R. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166415
- eISBN:
- 9780199784783
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166418.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
A translation of verses by Kānha is presented.
A translation of verses by Kānha is presented.
Roger R. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166415
- eISBN:
- 9780199784783
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166418.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
A translation of verses by Tilopa is presented.
A translation of verses by Tilopa is presented.
Gil Loescher
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246915
- eISBN:
- 9780191599781
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246912.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Two political events at the centre of world politics in the mid‐ to late‐1950s—the Hungarian Revolution and the subsequent intervention by the USSR and the Algerian War of National Independence ...
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Two political events at the centre of world politics in the mid‐ to late‐1950s—the Hungarian Revolution and the subsequent intervention by the USSR and the Algerian War of National Independence against France—transformed the UNHCR. The roles played by the second UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Auguste Lindt, in both refugee crises resulted in fundamental changes in UNHCR's orientation and its international reputation. The crises in Hungary and Algeria constituted a bridgehead leading to future institutional growth and autonomy for the UNHCR. The UNHCR also expanded into the developing world through programmes assisting refugees from The Peoples Republic of China in Hong Kong and Tibetan refugees.Less
Two political events at the centre of world politics in the mid‐ to late‐1950s—the Hungarian Revolution and the subsequent intervention by the USSR and the Algerian War of National Independence against France—transformed the UNHCR. The roles played by the second UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Auguste Lindt, in both refugee crises resulted in fundamental changes in UNHCR's orientation and its international reputation. The crises in Hungary and Algeria constituted a bridgehead leading to future institutional growth and autonomy for the UNHCR. The UNHCR also expanded into the developing world through programmes assisting refugees from The Peoples Republic of China in Hong Kong and Tibetan refugees.
Frances Garrett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195380040
- eISBN:
- 9780199869077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195380040.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, World Religions
This chapter examines different models of fetal growth in premodern religious and medical Tibetan embryological narratives, which describe causal forces such as karma, the natural elements, the ...
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This chapter examines different models of fetal growth in premodern religious and medical Tibetan embryological narratives, which describe causal forces such as karma, the natural elements, the energetic winds, and the wisdom of a Buddha. Embryology is presented as a means for Tibetan thinkers to define acceptable paradigms for change and growth and a theoretical model for addressing other issues of vital concern to Buddhists.Less
This chapter examines different models of fetal growth in premodern religious and medical Tibetan embryological narratives, which describe causal forces such as karma, the natural elements, the energetic winds, and the wisdom of a Buddha. Embryology is presented as a means for Tibetan thinkers to define acceptable paradigms for change and growth and a theoretical model for addressing other issues of vital concern to Buddhists.
Charles Ramble
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195154146
- eISBN:
- 9780199868513
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154146.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book is a study of religion in a Tibetanised community of highland Nepal. The village of Te, in Mustang District, is nominally Buddhist: until recent times it had a tradition of Sakyapa ...
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This book is a study of religion in a Tibetanised community of highland Nepal. The village of Te, in Mustang District, is nominally Buddhist: until recent times it had a tradition of Sakyapa monasticism, and depends on Nyingmapa tantric priests for ritual and clerical services. However, it also has a thriving cult of territorial divinities involving the performance of animal sacrifices. At first glance, Te appears to be a fundamentally pagan community attempting to preserve its traditions against the efforts of Tibetan Buddhist missionaries. However, a closer investigation reveals that this picture of simple ideological opposition is untenable. A combination of ethnographic observation and a close study of the community's archives—which date back to the 17th century—reveals an altogether more complex picture. Documentary evidence indicates that clan solidarity was gradually replaced by a sense of shared community. The creation of this community was an active process involving the designation of public resources, the production of written laws, a change in the inheritance pattern, and the emergence of ceremonies that entailed the piecemeal adoption of Buddhist rituals and dramatised episodes from Te's history. This complex is best understood in terms of civil religion, a concept developed by Rousseau and later elaborated by writers such as Robert Bellah and Gerald Parsons. While this reified community is ultimately the product of the individuals of which it is composed, it is perceived and represented as an autonomous, “transcendent” entity with a reciprocal influence on their lives.Less
This book is a study of religion in a Tibetanised community of highland Nepal. The village of Te, in Mustang District, is nominally Buddhist: until recent times it had a tradition of Sakyapa monasticism, and depends on Nyingmapa tantric priests for ritual and clerical services. However, it also has a thriving cult of territorial divinities involving the performance of animal sacrifices. At first glance, Te appears to be a fundamentally pagan community attempting to preserve its traditions against the efforts of Tibetan Buddhist missionaries. However, a closer investigation reveals that this picture of simple ideological opposition is untenable. A combination of ethnographic observation and a close study of the community's archives—which date back to the 17th century—reveals an altogether more complex picture. Documentary evidence indicates that clan solidarity was gradually replaced by a sense of shared community. The creation of this community was an active process involving the designation of public resources, the production of written laws, a change in the inheritance pattern, and the emergence of ceremonies that entailed the piecemeal adoption of Buddhist rituals and dramatised episodes from Te's history. This complex is best understood in terms of civil religion, a concept developed by Rousseau and later elaborated by writers such as Robert Bellah and Gerald Parsons. While this reified community is ultimately the product of the individuals of which it is composed, it is perceived and represented as an autonomous, “transcendent” entity with a reciprocal influence on their lives.
Trent Pomplun
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195377866
- eISBN:
- 9780199869466
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195377866.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book is the first full‐length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684–1733), a Jesuit missionary who traveled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721. Based on close readings of a wide range of ...
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This book is the first full‐length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684–1733), a Jesuit missionary who traveled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721. Based on close readings of a wide range of primary sources in Tibetan, Italian, and Latin, it follows Desideri's journey across the great Western deserts of Tibet, his entry into the court of the Mongol chieftain Lhazang Khan, and his flight across Eastern Tibet during the wars that shook Tibet during the early eighteenth century. While telling of these events, Desideri relates the dramatic encounter between his Thomist philosophy and the scholasticism of the Geluk monks; the personal conflict between his own Roman Catholic beliefs and his appreciation of Tibetan religion and culture; and the travails of a variety of colorful characters whose political intrigues led to the invasion of Zünghar Mongols of 1717 and the establishment of the Manchu protectorate in 1720. As the Tibetans fought among themselves, the missionary waged his own war against demons, sorcerers, and rival scholastic philosophers. Towering over all in the mind of the missionary was the “fabulous idol” Avalokiteśvara and its embodiment in the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. In describing his spiritual warfare against the Tibetan “pope,” the missionary offers a unique glimpse into theological problem of the salvation of non‐Christians in early modern theology; the curious—and highly controversial—appeal of Hermetic philosophy in the Asian missions; the political underbelly of the Chinese Rites Controversy; and the persistent European fascination with the land of snows.Less
This book is the first full‐length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684–1733), a Jesuit missionary who traveled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721. Based on close readings of a wide range of primary sources in Tibetan, Italian, and Latin, it follows Desideri's journey across the great Western deserts of Tibet, his entry into the court of the Mongol chieftain Lhazang Khan, and his flight across Eastern Tibet during the wars that shook Tibet during the early eighteenth century. While telling of these events, Desideri relates the dramatic encounter between his Thomist philosophy and the scholasticism of the Geluk monks; the personal conflict between his own Roman Catholic beliefs and his appreciation of Tibetan religion and culture; and the travails of a variety of colorful characters whose political intrigues led to the invasion of Zünghar Mongols of 1717 and the establishment of the Manchu protectorate in 1720. As the Tibetans fought among themselves, the missionary waged his own war against demons, sorcerers, and rival scholastic philosophers. Towering over all in the mind of the missionary was the “fabulous idol” Avalokiteśvara and its embodiment in the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. In describing his spiritual warfare against the Tibetan “pope,” the missionary offers a unique glimpse into theological problem of the salvation of non‐Christians in early modern theology; the curious—and highly controversial—appeal of Hermetic philosophy in the Asian missions; the political underbelly of the Chinese Rites Controversy; and the persistent European fascination with the land of snows.
Charles Ramble
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195154146
- eISBN:
- 9780199868513
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154146.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The original aim of the research that led to this book was to explore the confrontation between Buddhism and Himalayan “pagan” religion, based on the sacrificial cult of territorial gods. It was ...
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The original aim of the research that led to this book was to explore the confrontation between Buddhism and Himalayan “pagan” religion, based on the sacrificial cult of territorial gods. It was hypothesised that such a study might shed light on the interaction between Buddhism and indigenous religion in early Tibet. When this hypothesis was found to be misleadingly simple, the inquiry shifted to the way in which both Buddhism and pagan religion were just two components of a complex “civil religion,” revealed by the history of the community, its social institutions, and the dialectical relationship between the individual and the collective. The theoretical position adopted here is essentially a Durkheimian perspective as modified by authors such as Berger and Luckmann. A discussion of the concept of civil religion and the main literature on the subject is followed by an outline of the book's chapters.Less
The original aim of the research that led to this book was to explore the confrontation between Buddhism and Himalayan “pagan” religion, based on the sacrificial cult of territorial gods. It was hypothesised that such a study might shed light on the interaction between Buddhism and indigenous religion in early Tibet. When this hypothesis was found to be misleadingly simple, the inquiry shifted to the way in which both Buddhism and pagan religion were just two components of a complex “civil religion,” revealed by the history of the community, its social institutions, and the dialectical relationship between the individual and the collective. The theoretical position adopted here is essentially a Durkheimian perspective as modified by authors such as Berger and Luckmann. A discussion of the concept of civil religion and the main literature on the subject is followed by an outline of the book's chapters.
Holly Gayley
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231180528
- eISBN:
- 9780231542753
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231180528.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Love Letters from Golok chronicles the courtship between two Buddhist tantric masters, Tare Lhamo (1938–2002) and Namtrul Rinpoche (1944–2011), and their passion for reinvigorating Buddhism in ...
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Love Letters from Golok chronicles the courtship between two Buddhist tantric masters, Tare Lhamo (1938–2002) and Namtrul Rinpoche (1944–2011), and their passion for reinvigorating Buddhism in eastern Tibet during the post-Mao era. In fifty-six letters exchanged from 1978 to 1980, Tare Lhamo and Namtrul Rinpoche envisioned a shared destiny to "heal the damage" done to Buddhism during the years leading up to and including the Cultural Revolution. Holly Gayley retrieves the personal and prophetic dimensions of their courtship and its consummation in a twenty-year religious career that informs issues of gender and agency in Buddhism, cultural preservation among Tibetan communities, and alternative histories for minorities in China. The correspondence between Tare Lhamo and Namtrul Rinpoche is the first collection of "love letters" to come to light in Tibetan literature. Blending tantric imagery with poetic and folk song styles, their letters have a fresh vernacular tone comparable to the love songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama, but with an eastern Tibetan flavor. Gayley reads these letters against hagiographic writings about the couple, supplemented by field research, to illuminate representational strategies that serve to narrate cultural trauma in a redemptive key, quite unlike Chinese scar literature or the testimonials of exile Tibetans. With special attention to Tare Lhamo's role as a tantric heroine and her hagiographic fusion with Namtrul Rinpoche, Gayley vividly shows how Buddhist masters have adapted Tibetan literary genres to share private intimacies and address contemporary social concerns.Less
Love Letters from Golok chronicles the courtship between two Buddhist tantric masters, Tare Lhamo (1938–2002) and Namtrul Rinpoche (1944–2011), and their passion for reinvigorating Buddhism in eastern Tibet during the post-Mao era. In fifty-six letters exchanged from 1978 to 1980, Tare Lhamo and Namtrul Rinpoche envisioned a shared destiny to "heal the damage" done to Buddhism during the years leading up to and including the Cultural Revolution. Holly Gayley retrieves the personal and prophetic dimensions of their courtship and its consummation in a twenty-year religious career that informs issues of gender and agency in Buddhism, cultural preservation among Tibetan communities, and alternative histories for minorities in China. The correspondence between Tare Lhamo and Namtrul Rinpoche is the first collection of "love letters" to come to light in Tibetan literature. Blending tantric imagery with poetic and folk song styles, their letters have a fresh vernacular tone comparable to the love songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama, but with an eastern Tibetan flavor. Gayley reads these letters against hagiographic writings about the couple, supplemented by field research, to illuminate representational strategies that serve to narrate cultural trauma in a redemptive key, quite unlike Chinese scar literature or the testimonials of exile Tibetans. With special attention to Tare Lhamo's role as a tantric heroine and her hagiographic fusion with Namtrul Rinpoche, Gayley vividly shows how Buddhist masters have adapted Tibetan literary genres to share private intimacies and address contemporary social concerns.
Charles Goodman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195375190
- eISBN:
- 9780199871377
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375190.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This Introduction starts by discussing the aim of the book which is to provide a systematic, philosophical exploration of the nature of Buddhist ethics, drawing on sources from South Asia and Tibet. ...
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This Introduction starts by discussing the aim of the book which is to provide a systematic, philosophical exploration of the nature of Buddhist ethics, drawing on sources from South Asia and Tibet. The book aims to be a contribution to the history of philosophy by exploring the importance Buddhist texts have to the conversation of contemporary ethics.Less
This Introduction starts by discussing the aim of the book which is to provide a systematic, philosophical exploration of the nature of Buddhist ethics, drawing on sources from South Asia and Tibet. The book aims to be a contribution to the history of philosophy by exploring the importance Buddhist texts have to the conversation of contemporary ethics.
Todd Lewis and Subarna Tuladhar
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195341829
- eISBN:
- 9780199866816
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341829.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Original details and interwoven plot textures extend the story of Nanda, begun in the last chapter. Siddhārtha spent his youth with Nanda; Nanda leaves home to greet his much‐beloved cousin. Once ...
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Original details and interwoven plot textures extend the story of Nanda, begun in the last chapter. Siddhārtha spent his youth with Nanda; Nanda leaves home to greet his much‐beloved cousin. Once near the Buddha, Nanda accepts the invitation to become a monk. Yet he is haunted by the memory of and desire for his beautiful wife, to whom he made a promise to return. Basing his narrative on a canonical account, one in which Siddhārtha is aggressive in using his supernormal powers to train a disciple, the poet adds details to the story that transpose it in the Himalayan region. The poetical highlight is the description of the beauty of Tribistap, a thinly veiled account of idealized Nepal and Tibet. The Buddha convinces Nanda to stay in the sangha; Nanda finally reaches enlightenment, having seen the futility of seeking heavenly maidens and the need to renounce attachments.Less
Original details and interwoven plot textures extend the story of Nanda, begun in the last chapter. Siddhārtha spent his youth with Nanda; Nanda leaves home to greet his much‐beloved cousin. Once near the Buddha, Nanda accepts the invitation to become a monk. Yet he is haunted by the memory of and desire for his beautiful wife, to whom he made a promise to return. Basing his narrative on a canonical account, one in which Siddhārtha is aggressive in using his supernormal powers to train a disciple, the poet adds details to the story that transpose it in the Himalayan region. The poetical highlight is the description of the beauty of Tribistap, a thinly veiled account of idealized Nepal and Tibet. The Buddha convinces Nanda to stay in the sangha; Nanda finally reaches enlightenment, having seen the futility of seeking heavenly maidens and the need to renounce attachments.
Trent Pomplun
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195377866
- eISBN:
- 9780199869466
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195377866.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This introduction summarizes the history of research on Ippolito Desideri and situates it within larger trends in Tibetan Studies and the historiography of the Society of Jesus. It argues that recent ...
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This introduction summarizes the history of research on Ippolito Desideri and situates it within larger trends in Tibetan Studies and the historiography of the Society of Jesus. It argues that recent works in Tibetan Studies that make Desideri an emblem of an alleged Western fantasy about Tibet often participate in rather common fantasies about Jesuits and the Society of Jesus. It also exposes one of the salient rhetorical strategies in recent works on the Jesuit missions (namely, that they are finally, just now, escaping the confines of hagiography) to be a longstanding feature of Jesuit historiography that has its own political agenda.Less
This introduction summarizes the history of research on Ippolito Desideri and situates it within larger trends in Tibetan Studies and the historiography of the Society of Jesus. It argues that recent works in Tibetan Studies that make Desideri an emblem of an alleged Western fantasy about Tibet often participate in rather common fantasies about Jesuits and the Society of Jesus. It also exposes one of the salient rhetorical strategies in recent works on the Jesuit missions (namely, that they are finally, just now, escaping the confines of hagiography) to be a longstanding feature of Jesuit historiography that has its own political agenda.
Trent Pomplun
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195377866
- eISBN:
- 9780199869466
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195377866.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter provides back story. Desideri sails for India, arrives in Goa, meets Manoel Freyre, ascends into Ladakh, and enters Lhasa. This chapter shows how Desideri's rather exuberant letters ...
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This chapter provides back story. Desideri sails for India, arrives in Goa, meets Manoel Freyre, ascends into Ladakh, and enters Lhasa. This chapter shows how Desideri's rather exuberant letters follow the themes of the Spiritual Exercises and express the spirituality of the missions. It also shows how Europeans viewed Tibet before Desideri and Freyre embarked on their mission and discusses some of the salient myths about the land of snows already in circulation. While in Ladakh, the two Jesuits will also argue about whether to continue to Lhasa, an episode that will later illuminate some of the political mysteries of Desideri's career that will be discussed in the fifth chapter.Less
This chapter provides back story. Desideri sails for India, arrives in Goa, meets Manoel Freyre, ascends into Ladakh, and enters Lhasa. This chapter shows how Desideri's rather exuberant letters follow the themes of the Spiritual Exercises and express the spirituality of the missions. It also shows how Europeans viewed Tibet before Desideri and Freyre embarked on their mission and discusses some of the salient myths about the land of snows already in circulation. While in Ladakh, the two Jesuits will also argue about whether to continue to Lhasa, an episode that will later illuminate some of the political mysteries of Desideri's career that will be discussed in the fifth chapter.
Trent Pomplun
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195377866
- eISBN:
- 9780199869466
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195377866.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Desideri flees the capital to escape the Zünghar invasion of 1717 in the fourth chapter, which will largely be taken up by Desideri's narrative of the carnage that followed. This chapter outlines the ...
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Desideri flees the capital to escape the Zünghar invasion of 1717 in the fourth chapter, which will largely be taken up by Desideri's narrative of the carnage that followed. This chapter outlines the dominant ideological and political myths of seventeenth and early eighteenth century Tibet, especially those involving the Dalai Lamas, and addresses the missionary's understanding of the uniquely Tibetan understanding of reincarnation. This approach synthesizes much of the new research being done in Tibetan Studies today and introduces the reader to many of the ideas that the young Jesuit would later present to his European readers. The violent political struggles of seventeenth and eighteenth‐century Tibet also allow the reader to discern the political motives behind Desideri's writing that will be outlined in the fifth chapter and will set the stage for an assessment of his capacities as an historian.Less
Desideri flees the capital to escape the Zünghar invasion of 1717 in the fourth chapter, which will largely be taken up by Desideri's narrative of the carnage that followed. This chapter outlines the dominant ideological and political myths of seventeenth and early eighteenth century Tibet, especially those involving the Dalai Lamas, and addresses the missionary's understanding of the uniquely Tibetan understanding of reincarnation. This approach synthesizes much of the new research being done in Tibetan Studies today and introduces the reader to many of the ideas that the young Jesuit would later present to his European readers. The violent political struggles of seventeenth and eighteenth‐century Tibet also allow the reader to discern the political motives behind Desideri's writing that will be outlined in the fifth chapter and will set the stage for an assessment of his capacities as an historian.
Tsering Woeser and Lixiong Wang
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208111
- eISBN:
- 9789888268191
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208111.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Political History
Tsering Woeser and Wang Lixiong are widely regarded as the most eloquent, insightful writers on contemporary Tibet. Their reportage on the economic exploitation, environmental degradation, cultural ...
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Tsering Woeser and Wang Lixiong are widely regarded as the most eloquent, insightful writers on contemporary Tibet. Their reportage on the economic exploitation, environmental degradation, cultural destruction and political subjugation that plague the increasingly Han Chinese-dominated Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is as powerful as it is profound, ardent and analytical in equal measure, and not in the least bit ideological. Voices from Tibet assembles and reportage in translation that captures many facets of the upheavals wrought by a rising China upon a sacred land and its pious people. With the TAR in a virtual lockdown after the 2008 unrest, this book sheds important light on the simmering frustrations that touched off the unrest and Beijing’s relentless control tactics in its wake. The authors also interrogate long-standing assumptions about Tibetans’ political future. Woeser’s and Wang’s writings represent a rare Chinese view sympathetic to Tibetan causes. Their powerful testimony should resonate in many places confronting threats of cultural subjugation and economic domination by an external power.Less
Tsering Woeser and Wang Lixiong are widely regarded as the most eloquent, insightful writers on contemporary Tibet. Their reportage on the economic exploitation, environmental degradation, cultural destruction and political subjugation that plague the increasingly Han Chinese-dominated Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is as powerful as it is profound, ardent and analytical in equal measure, and not in the least bit ideological. Voices from Tibet assembles and reportage in translation that captures many facets of the upheavals wrought by a rising China upon a sacred land and its pious people. With the TAR in a virtual lockdown after the 2008 unrest, this book sheds important light on the simmering frustrations that touched off the unrest and Beijing’s relentless control tactics in its wake. The authors also interrogate long-standing assumptions about Tibetans’ political future. Woeser’s and Wang’s writings represent a rare Chinese view sympathetic to Tibetan causes. Their powerful testimony should resonate in many places confronting threats of cultural subjugation and economic domination by an external power.
Keila Diehl
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520230439
- eISBN:
- 9780520936003
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520230439.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This book uses music to understand the experiences of Tibetans living in Dharamsala, a town in the Indian Himalayas that for more than forty years has been home to Tibet's government-in-exile. The ...
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This book uses music to understand the experiences of Tibetans living in Dharamsala, a town in the Indian Himalayas that for more than forty years has been home to Tibet's government-in-exile. The Dalai Lama's presence lends Dharamsala's Tibetans a feeling of being “in place”, but at the same time they have physically and psychologically constructed Dharamsala as “not Tibet”, as a temporary resting place to which many are unable or unwilling to become attached. Not surprisingly, this community struggles with notions of home, displacement, ethnic identity, and assimilation. This ethnography explores the contradictory realities of cultural homogenization, hybridity, and concern about ethnic purity as they are negotiated in the everyday lives of individuals. In this way, the book complicates explanations of culture change provided by the popular idea of “global flow”. This narrative argues that the exiles' focus on cultural preservation, while crucial, has contributed to the development of essentialist ideas of what is truly “Tibetan”. As a result, “foreign” or “modern” practices that have gained deep relevance for Tibetan refugees have been devalued. The book scrutinizes this tension in the discussion of the refugees' enthusiasm for songs from blockbuster Hindi films, the popularity of Western rock and roll among Tibetan youth, and the emergence of a new genre of modern Tibetan music. The insights presented here into the soundscape of Dharamsala is enriched by personal experiences as the keyboard player for a Tibetan refugee rock group called the Yak Band.Less
This book uses music to understand the experiences of Tibetans living in Dharamsala, a town in the Indian Himalayas that for more than forty years has been home to Tibet's government-in-exile. The Dalai Lama's presence lends Dharamsala's Tibetans a feeling of being “in place”, but at the same time they have physically and psychologically constructed Dharamsala as “not Tibet”, as a temporary resting place to which many are unable or unwilling to become attached. Not surprisingly, this community struggles with notions of home, displacement, ethnic identity, and assimilation. This ethnography explores the contradictory realities of cultural homogenization, hybridity, and concern about ethnic purity as they are negotiated in the everyday lives of individuals. In this way, the book complicates explanations of culture change provided by the popular idea of “global flow”. This narrative argues that the exiles' focus on cultural preservation, while crucial, has contributed to the development of essentialist ideas of what is truly “Tibetan”. As a result, “foreign” or “modern” practices that have gained deep relevance for Tibetan refugees have been devalued. The book scrutinizes this tension in the discussion of the refugees' enthusiasm for songs from blockbuster Hindi films, the popularity of Western rock and roll among Tibetan youth, and the emergence of a new genre of modern Tibetan music. The insights presented here into the soundscape of Dharamsala is enriched by personal experiences as the keyboard player for a Tibetan refugee rock group called the Yak Band.
Christopher I. Beckwith
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691155319
- eISBN:
- 9781400845170
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691155319.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter examines the essential elements that produced a full scientific culture in Western Europe by comparing the constituent elements in the one culture in which it developed with other ...
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This chapter examines the essential elements that produced a full scientific culture in Western Europe by comparing the constituent elements in the one culture in which it developed with other cultures that had the same constitutive elements but did not develop science. These are the control cases, which include India, Tibet, China, and the Byzantine Empire. The first civilization in the world to develop a full scientific culture was medieval Western Europe. It led directly to the scientific revolution—during which some changes to the details of the constituent elements took place—and continued on down to modern science. The essential elements of medieval science were introduced to Western Europe via Classical Arabic civilization. The chapter describes the appearance of science in Medieval Latin Europe and the decline of science in the medieval Islamic world.Less
This chapter examines the essential elements that produced a full scientific culture in Western Europe by comparing the constituent elements in the one culture in which it developed with other cultures that had the same constitutive elements but did not develop science. These are the control cases, which include India, Tibet, China, and the Byzantine Empire. The first civilization in the world to develop a full scientific culture was medieval Western Europe. It led directly to the scientific revolution—during which some changes to the details of the constituent elements took place—and continued on down to modern science. The essential elements of medieval science were introduced to Western Europe via Classical Arabic civilization. The chapter describes the appearance of science in Medieval Latin Europe and the decline of science in the medieval Islamic world.
Fernanda Pirie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199580910
- eISBN:
- 9780191723025
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199580910.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Comparative Law
This chapter analyzes a legal code found among nomadic pastoralists in eastern Tibet. This code consists of directions and prescriptions relating to different areas of tribal life and specifies ...
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This chapter analyzes a legal code found among nomadic pastoralists in eastern Tibet. This code consists of directions and prescriptions relating to different areas of tribal life and specifies compensation payments to be made after a death or injury. Its provisions diverge significantly, however, from the practices of mediation that actually take place among these tribes. It is argued that the expressive nature of its content is more significant than its instrumental value. Its provisions represent a type of civilization to which the Tibetan tribes and their leaders aspired. The legal form is, for them, a means of linking social norms and practices to a supervening moral order and, as such, the code can be regarded as significant, quite apart from any impact it has upon legal practices.Less
This chapter analyzes a legal code found among nomadic pastoralists in eastern Tibet. This code consists of directions and prescriptions relating to different areas of tribal life and specifies compensation payments to be made after a death or injury. Its provisions diverge significantly, however, from the practices of mediation that actually take place among these tribes. It is argued that the expressive nature of its content is more significant than its instrumental value. Its provisions represent a type of civilization to which the Tibetan tribes and their leaders aspired. The legal form is, for them, a means of linking social norms and practices to a supervening moral order and, as such, the code can be regarded as significant, quite apart from any impact it has upon legal practices.
