Tibetan Ritual

by Jose Ignacio Cabezon

Overview

Ritual is one of the most pervasive religious phenomena in the Tibetan cultural world. Despite its ubiquity and importance to Tibetan cultural life, however, only in recent years has Tibetan ritual been given the attention it deserves. This is the first scholarly collection to focus on this important subject. Unique in its historical, geographical and disciplinary breadth, this book brings together eleven essays by an international cast of scholars working on ritual texts, institutions and practices in the greater Tibetan cultural world - Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia. While most of the chapters focus on Buddhism, two deal with ritual in Tibet's indigenous Bon religion. All of the essays are original to this volume. An extensive introduction by the editor provides a broad overview of Tibetan ritual and contextualizes the chapters within the field of Buddhist and Tibetan studies. The book should find use in advanced undergraduate courses and graduate seminars on Tibetan religion. It will also be of interest to students and scholars of ritual generally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195392821
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/08/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Contributors vii

Introduction José Ignacio Cabezón 1

1 Written Texts at the Juncture of the Local and the Global: Some Anthropological Considerations on a Local Corpus of Tannic Ritual Manuals (Lower Mustang, Nepal) Nicolas Sihlé 35

2 Tibetan Indigenous Myths and Rituals with Reference to the Ancient Bön Text: The Nyenbum (Gnyan'bum) Samten G. Karmay 53

3 Continuity and Change in Tibetan Mahayoga Ritual: Some Evidence from the Tabzhag (Thabs zhags) Manuscript and Other Dunhuang Texts Robert Mayer Cathy Cantwell 69

4 The Convergence of Theoretical and Practical Concerns in a Single Verse of the Guhyasamaja Tantra Yael Bentor 89

5 Chilu ('Chi bslu): Rituals for "Deceiving Death" Irmgard Mengele 103

6 Representations of Efficacy: The Ritual Expulsion of Mongol Armies in the Consolidation and Expansion of the Tsang (Gtsang) Dynasty James Gentry 131

7 The "Calf's Nipple" (Be'u bum) of Ju Mipam ('Ju Mi pham): A Handbook of Tibetan Ritual Magic Bryan J.Cuevas 165

8 Rites of the Deity Tamdrin (Rta mgrin) in Contemporary Bön: Transforming Poison and Eliminating Noxious Spirits with Burning Stones Marc des Jardins 187

9 Texts as Deities: Mongols' Rituals of Worshipping Sutras and Rituals of Accomplishing Various Goals by Means of Sutras Vesna Wallace 207

10 The Ritual Veneration of Mongolia's Mountains Jared Lindahl 225

11 Encounter with a Dream: Bhutanese Pilgrims in Tibet-Performing a Ritual? Françoise Pommaret 249

Bibliography 263

Index 291

Editorial Reviews

"Presents an excellent collection of essays that show how ritual is an integral part of everyday life in Tibet." —Buddhadharma

From the Publisher