Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan SocietiesCivilized Shamans examines the nature and evolution of religion in Tibetan societies from the ninth century up to the Chinese occupation in 1950. Geoffrey Samuel argues that religion in these societies developed as a dynamic amalgam of strands of Indian Buddhism and the indigenous spirit-cults of Tibet. Samuel stresses the diversity of Tibetan societies, demonstrating that central Tibet, the Dalai Lama's government at Lhasa, and the great monastic institutions around Lhasa formed only a part of the context within which Tibetan Buddhism matured. Employing anthropological research, historical inquiry, rich interview material, and a deep understanding of religious texts, the author explores the relationship between Tibet's social and political institutions and the emergence of new modes of consciousness that characterize Tibetan Buddhist spirituality. Samuel identifies the two main orientations of this religion as clerical (primarily monastic) and shamanic (associated with Tantric yoga). The specific form that Buddhism has taken in Tibet is rooted in the pursuit of enlightenment by a minority of the people - lamas, monks, and yogins - and the desire for shamanic services (in quest of health, long life, and prosperity) by the majority. Shamanic traditions of achieving altered states of consciousness have been incorporated into Tantric Buddhism, which aims to communicate with Tantric deities through yoga. The author contends that this incorporation forms the basis for much of the Tibetan lamas' role in their society and that their subtle scholarship reflects the many ways in which they have reconciled the shamanic and clerical orientations. This book, the first full account of TibetanBuddhism in two decades, ranges as no other study has over several disciplines and languages, incorporating historical and anthropological discussion. Viewing Tibetan Buddhism as one of the great spiritual and psychological achievements of humanity, Samuel analyzes a complex society that combines the literacy and rationality associated with centralized states with the shamanic processes more familiar among tribal peoples. |
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Page 35
... king , the king is forced by Guru Rimpoch'e's great power to prostrate to the lama ( Douglas and Bays 1978 , vol . 2 , 376-383 ) . That this - worldly power is associated with the attainment of higher levels on the Buddhist spiritual ...
... king , the king is forced by Guru Rimpoch'e's great power to prostrate to the lama ( Douglas and Bays 1978 , vol . 2 , 376-383 ) . That this - worldly power is associated with the attainment of higher levels on the Buddhist spiritual ...
Page 170
... King Trisong Detsen did not request him , partly through the king's neglect , and partly also through malicious gossip originating . from the anti - Buddhist ministers , which placed the king and Guru Rimpoch'e in a difficult position ...
... King Trisong Detsen did not request him , partly through the king's neglect , and partly also through malicious gossip originating . from the anti - Buddhist ministers , which placed the king and Guru Rimpoch'e in a difficult position ...
Page 185
... king of obstructive foes . Perform therefore your appointed task . You are the country - god of the four regions of Ü and Tsang . You are the god of Tr'isong Detsen , the Divine Son , the King who was Protector of the Doctrine . You are ...
... king of obstructive foes . Perform therefore your appointed task . You are the country - god of the four regions of Ü and Tsang . You are the god of Tr'isong Detsen , the Divine Son , the King who was Protector of the Doctrine . You are ...
Contents
Shamanic and Clerical Buddhism | 3 |
PART | 5 |
A Comparison | 24 |
Copyright | |
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5th Dalai Lama agricultural Amdo areas Avalokitesvara Aziz betan Bhutan Bodhi bodhicitta Bön Bönpo Buddha Buddhist celibate centers central Tibet century ch'öpa Chapter Chinese clerical communities context cultural patterns Dalai Lama Derge Dingri Dolpo Dorjé Drugpa Dzogch'en dzong early Ekvall Enlightenment Fürer-Haimendorf Gelugpa Gelugpa gompa geshé Goldstein gompa Guru Rimpoch'e hereditary lama households Indian K'am Kagyüdpa Karma king Ladakh Lama's Lhasa Lhasa government lineages Mahāyāna major meditation Milarepa monastery monastic gompa monks Nepal nomadic Norbu Nyarong Nyingmapa Orientation Panch'en pastoralist political practitioners prajñā premodern period rebirth region reincarnate lama relationship religious Rimed Rimed movement ritual River role rulers Sakya Sakyapa samsāra shamanic Sherpa siddhas Snellgrove Sūtras Tantra Tantric Tantric deities Tantric practice teachings Teichman terma tertön texts Theravadin Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan population Tibetan religion Tibetan societies tion tradition trapa Trashi Lhunpo tribes trulku Trungpa Tsang Tsongk'apa Vajrayāna village Western yogic yogins