Site mapAbout usConsultative CommitteeAsk LibrarianContributionCopyrightCitation GuidelineDonationHome        

CatalogAuthor AuthorityGoogle
Search engineFulltextScripturesLanguage LessonsLinks
 


Extra service
Tools
Export
The Hidden Treasures of Sgam-po-gdar Mountain: A History of the Zhi-khro Revelations of Karma-Gling-pa and the Making of the "Tibetan Book of the Dead"
Author Cuevas, Bryan Jare
Date2000.12
Pages540
PublisherUniversity of Virginia
Publisher Url http://www.biola.edu/sics/
LocationCharlottesville, VA, US [夏律第鎮, 維吉尼亞州, 美國]
Content type書籍=Book
Language英文=English
KeywordTibetan Book of the Dead; Karma-Gling-Pa; Sgam-Po-Gdar Mountain; Revelations; Zhi-khro
AbstractThis is a historical study of an influential collection of Tibetan funerary texts which has long been popularized in America and Europe as The Tibetan Book of the Dead . Until now the history of the Tibetan texts upon which this book was based has not been well documented, and hence the origin and diffusion of the Tibetan tradition has been understood only vaguely. The principal goal of the study was thus to document for the first time the manner in which the original collection had been articulated and transmitted within its own religious and social contexts.

It is demonstrated that the so-called Book of the Dead is actually a fluid compendium of related books from different historical periods reaching as far back as the fourteenth century. Ostensibly, the texts were designed for use in Tibetan Buddhist funeral rituals and describe the experiences to be expected at the moment of death, during a perilous and prolonged postmortem phase called bardo , and during the confused journey into a new existence. By the latter half of the fifteenth century, the core texts had been arranged and codified into a coherent liturgical program. Over time this ritual system was supplemented and adapted to meet the local demands of diverse communities, and was ultimately transmitted throughout Tibet and beyond her borders. The program eventually became one of the most pervasive forms of Tibetan Buddhist funeral liturgy.

It is concluded that the Tibetan texts accompanying this ritual service are actually derived from a single textual arrangement which was first standardized in the late seventeenth century. This standard version became the editio princeps of most of the subsequent Tibetan-language editions, and served as the basis for the first western-language translation in 1927 by Kazi Dawa Samdup and Walter Y. Evans-Wentz.

This work contributes to the study of broader aspects of the transmission of religious ideas, the production and distribution of religious texts, and the influence of institutions on religious practice within Tibet and surrounding regions.


It is demonstrated that the so-called Book of the Dead is actually a fluid compendium of related books from different historical periods reaching as far back as the fourteenth century. Ostensibly, the texts were designed for use in Tibetan Buddhist funeral rituals and describe the experiences to be expected at the moment of death, during a perilous and prolonged postmortem phase called bardo , and during the confused journey into a new existence. By the latter half of the fifteenth century, the core texts had been arranged and codified into a coherent liturgical program. Over time this ritual system was supplemented and adapted to meet the local demands of diverse communities, and was ultimately transmitted throughout Tibet and beyond her borders. The program eventually became one of the most pervasive forms of Tibetan Buddhist funeral liturgy.

It is concluded that the Tibetan texts accompanying this ritual service are actually derived from a single textual arrangement which was first standardized in the late seventeenth century. This standard version became the editio princeps of most of the subsequent Tibetan-language editions, and served as the basis for the first western-language translation in 1927 by Kazi Dawa Samdup and Walter Y. Evans-Wentz.

This work contributes to the study of broader aspects of the transmission of religious ideas, the production and distribution of religious texts, and the influence of institutions on religious practice within Tibet and surrounding regions.

ISBN9780599810716
Hits891
Created date2008.04.25



Best viewed with Chrome, Firefox, Safari(Mac) but not supported IE

Notice

You are leaving our website for The full text resources provided by the above database or electronic journals may not be displayed due to the domain restrictions or fee-charging download problems.

Record correction

Please delete and correct directly in the form below, and click "Apply" at the bottom.
(When receiving your information, we will check and correct the mistake as soon as possible.)

Serial No.
158844

Search History (Only show 10 bibliography limited)
Search Criteria Field Codes
Search CriteriaBrowse