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Building a Tradition: The Lives of Mar-pa the Translator
Author Ducher, Cécile (著)
Date2017
Pages326
PublisherIndus Verlag
Publisher Url https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/
LocationMunchen, Germany [慕尼黑, 德國]
SeriesCollectanea Himalayica: studies on the history and culture of the Himalayas and Tibet, 1865-5327
Series No.5
Content type書籍=Book
Language英文=English
NoteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 307-326).
KeywordTibet; History; Biography; Bka'-brgyud-pa; Mar-pa
AbstractMar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros (1000–1081) is the founding figure of the Bka'-brgyud school of Tibetan Buddhism, which still occupies today an important place in the Tibetan religious landscape. He was a translator of many tantric instructions and is a pivotal figure in the later transference of Buddhism to Tibet. Being one of the most well-known Tibetans, both in Tibet and abroad, his statue is present in almost every Bka'-brgyud temple, and his life story is frequently given as an edifying example. Yet, a close scrutiny of the literary sources available to approach his life reveals how little we know about him for certain. This monograph examines the corpus of Mar-pa's biographies in order to map out the genesis of this literary tradition, in which more than thirty independent texts are now identified. The first part is an introduction to Mar-pa's life and to the genre of hagiography. In the second and main part, all biographies available are placed in a chronological and logical order, organized according to the metaphor of a house. This architectural image illustrates the way the biographies have been approached, from the earliest to the latest, in order to place the reader at the place of the writer: what could he know when he wrote, and what did he build on? Each significant biography is thus presented individually and in relation with the other works in order to understand what place it occupies in this biographical tradition. The third part is a selection of a few cornerstones in Mar-pa's biographies: Mar-pa's songs; verbs indicative of indirect speech that mark the author's presence in the biography; Mar-pa's status as a reincarnation; the practice of entering another's body (grong 'jug); and Mar-pa's relationships with Nāropā and with Gnyos Lo-tsā-ba. In the appendices, the reader will find translations of two of the earliest biographies of Mar-pa, redacted by Ngam-rdzong ston-pa (12th c.) and Rngog Mdo-sde (1078–1154). These two translations provide fascinating alternatives to the well-known biography of Mar-pa composed by Gtsang-smyon He-ru-ka in the early 16th century and mark the beginnings of Mar-pa's biographical tradition. Thus the book presents a welcome addition to the growing literature on the early Bka'-brgyud-pas and is the first to deal in detail with this major religious figure of the second spread of Buddhism in Tibet.
Table of contentsContents
Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
Mar-pa's life
Mar-pa and his time
What sources, for which historical reconstruction?
Why are hagiographies written?
Why study Mar-pa's life?
Mar-pa's Life Stories
The foundations : biographies of the 12th and early 13th centuries
Major foundations
Biography composed by Ngam-rdzong ston-pa Byang-chub-rgyal-po
The Rngog biographies
Mar-pa's collected works published in the 'Bri gung bka' brgyud chos mdzod chen mo
Biographies composed by early Rngog clan members in the Mar pa lo tsā'i gsung 'bum
Biographies of the Aural Transmission
Minor foundations
Biography attributed to Sgam-po-pa Bsod-nams-rin-chen (1079-1153)
Biography composed by Bla-ma Zhang (1123-1193)
Golden rosaries of the 'Brug-pa lineage
The ground floor : biographies of the 13th century
Biography composed by Don-mo ri-pa (b. 1203) [circa 1245]
Biography composed by Rgyal-thang-pa Bde-chen-rdo-rje [1258-1266]
Biography attributed to "U-rgyan-pa"
The walls : biographies of the 14th and 15th centuries
Some short biographical passages
Biography in the Deb ther dmarpo by 'Tshal-pa Kun-dga'-rdo-rje (1309-1364) [1346]
Biography composed by Mkha'-spyod-dbang-po (1350-1405)
Opening Eyes, the religious history composed by Bsod-nams-rgyal-mtshan-dpal-bzang-po (1386-1434) [1418]
Mar-pa's biography in two Rngog clan rosaries
The Lho rong chos 'byung' religious history composed by Rtag-tshag Tshe-dbang-rgyal [1446 (rev. 1451)]
Religious history composed by Kun-dga'-dpal-'byor (1428-1476)
Biography composed by Mi-bskyod-rdo-rje [late 15th century]
Deb ther sngon po, religious history composed by 'Gos Lo-tsā-ba Gzhon-nu-dpal (1392-1481) [1476]
The roof : biography composed by Gtsang-smyon Heruka (1452-1507) [1505]
Later developments : biographies written after the standard version
Biography from a rosary by Rgod-tshang-ras-pa (1482-1559)
Biography from a rosary by Kun-dga'-rin-chen (1475-1527) [1508]
Biographies composed by Dpa'-bo II Gtsug-lag-phreng-ba (1504-1566)
The Scholar's Feast [1545-1565]
The Venerable Mar-pa's Hagiography, Expression of his Miraculous Deeds [1563]
Religious history composed by Padma-dkar-po (1527-1592) [1575]
Religious history composed by Ngag-dbang-rnam-rgyal (1571-1626) [1609]
Comparative biography by Kah-thog Rig-'dzin Tshe-dbang nor-bu (1698-1755) [1742 (rev. 1746)]
Rosary of Crystal Gems, religious history composed by 'Be-lo Tshe-dbang-kun-khyab and Si-tu 08 Chos-kyi-'byung-gnas (1700-1774) [1775]
Conclusion
The evolution of a few key points in Mar-pa's biographies
Marks of the spoken word in the biographies
Mar-pa's songs
Quotative verbs marking the author's presence in the biography
Evolution of the characters
The central character : Mar-pa
Mar-pa as an emanation
The practice of entering another's body (grong 'jug)
Two secondary characters of importance
Nāropā
Gnyos
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix 1 : Diplomatic Edition of Ngam-rdzong ston-pa's Biography of Mar-pa as Found in Mon-rtse-pa's Golden Rosary
Appendix 2 : Translation of Ngam-rdzong ston-pa's Biography of Mar-pa
Appendix 3 : Translation of Rngog Mdo-sde's Biography of Mar-pa
Appendix 4 : Chart of Mar-pa's Songs in the Biographies
Appendix 5 : Mar-pa's Dates
Bibliography
Primary sources : Mar-pa's biographies in Tibetan
Primary sources : other Tibetan texts
Secondary sources : Western-language books and articles.
ISBN9783940659040 (cloth); 3940659045
DOI10.5282/ubm/epub.41307
Related reviews
  1. Book Review: Building a Tradition: The Lives of Mar-pa the Translator by Cécile Ducher / Larsson, Stefan (評論)
  2. Mar pa’s Life Seen through the Prism of His Many Biographies: A Review of Cécile Ducher’s Building a Tradition the Lives of Mar-pa the Translator / Vitali, Roberto (評論)
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Created date2023.07.18
Modified date2023.07.18



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