Tibetan Buddhism; visionary revelation; mountain deities' cult; sacred place; environment; Dechen Osel Dorje; religious life and customs; Tibet; China
摘要
In this article I examine conceptions of the environment in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Treasure revelation that I propose are founded upon systems of exchange and relationality. Tibetan religious specialists known as Treasure revealers do not simply remove a Treasure from its place; they often leave a ‘replacement Treasure’ intended to appease both the local protective deity believed to be in charge of guarding the Buddhist Treasure and nourishing the local environment. I demonstrate that the logic of Treasure revelation is based on forming an interdependent exchange between humans and the land they inhabit. The source of the Treasure becomes a place deserving respect, protection, and devotion on both religious and ecological levels. I call this phenomenon ‘the ecology of revelation’, and I maintain that this is a fundamental socio-religious ethic characterized by respect for the environment and awareness of humans’ connection to it.
目次
The Lay of the Land 466 Visions and Rituals: Extracting the Dharmafrom the Land 468 Nectars and Clay Talismans: Ingesting the Soil, Wearing the Soil 472 Sacred Mountains as Sites of Exchange between Tibetan Buddhism and the Environment 473 Towards a Tibetan Ecology or Concept of Environmental Sustainability? 477 References 478