DOCSLIB.ORG

Imaging the Dalai Lama

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Imaging the Dalai Lama Portraits of the Dalai Lama in Tibet and Beyond DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Sarah Jean Magnatta (née Getzelman) Graduate Program in History of Art The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Lisa Florman, PhD, Advisor Christian Kleinbub, PhD Namiko Kunimoto, PhD Copyright by Sarah Magnatta 2014 i Abstract The Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most recognizable religious figures. He is known by many as the exiled Buddhist leader of Tibet; others simply understand that he is a man of great wisdom. This new international audience might not realize that Tenzin Gyatso—the man they recognize as the Dalai Lama—is actually the fourteenth in a lineage of spiritual teachers. These teachers were (and are) recognized as incarnations of an enlightened being, Avalokiteśvara. As such, the Dalai Lama’s image requires the same reverence given to that of the Buddha. Although the Dalai Lama recognizes the great power which comes with his title, he often refers to himself as a simple monk. A collection of his speeches from 2010 uses the Dalai Lama’s own categorizations of human being, monk, and Dalai Lama in its divisions of lectures.1 My dissertation similarly uses the same type of division (man, monk, and political leader) in order to clarify different components of the Dalai Lama’s role; I propose, however, that these divisions can be found in the visual representations of the Dalai Lama. My research seeks to explore imagery of the Dalai Lamas, evaluating both intended functions of the image as well as audience reception. Further, I explore new avenues of Dalai Lama imagery—specifically those created in the recent past and 1 Tenzin Gyatso with Sofia Stril-Rever, My Spiritual Journey (New York: Harper Collins, 2010). ii especially those found on the internet—to compare and contrast their functions and audiences to those of the earlier portraits. I begin the dissertation by exploring religious and devotional imagery of the Dalai Lamas. The images I have selected are not an exhaustive overview of all early Dalai Lama portraiture; rather, I have selected imagery that is representative of the common characteristics found in such imagery. This section provides background on the function of “traditional” imagery. I also explore the three roles of the Dalai Lamas—man, monk, and political leader—as they are highlighted in various degrees in such imagery. I then turn to early documentary photography of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dalai Lamas. I explore the ways in which this new media changed the type of imagery acceptable to Tibetan audiences. What did it mean to the individual practitioner who now had access to an image of an incarnate buddha—an image relic? How did (and does) the practice of consecration factor in to new types of imagery? Could (and can) a photograph be used in the same manner as a thangka? Departure from Tibet in 1959 brought the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to the international stage—a role not held by the previous thirteen title holders. Tenzin Gyatso quickly became a different type of symbol to the global community that embraced him. At first, he was a symbol for the so-called “free world” against Chinese Communism. Later, through his message of non-violence, he became a symbol of peace to the West, but, at the same time, a symbol of dissension to the Communist regime, as exemplified by the 1996 ban on his images. The final chapters in this dissertation explore the “image” of the Dalai Lama as constructed by his own office (official photography, internet iii expansion, etc.) as well as the “image” of Tenzin Gyatso portrayed by the Chinese government. Today, one finds that the role of the institution of the Dalai Lama has changed. The original practice of creating portraits of lineage masters within the Tibetan tradition has given way to today’s multifaceted explosion of imagery of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Different audiences, media, and contexts for his image coincide with the leader’s shifting role in the political, social, and religious spheres. This dissertation evaluates each of these contexts. Which aspects of his imagery showcase the human nature of the man? How are these types of images accepted by his religious audience? His international audience? Much imagery certainly highlights Tenzin Gyatso’s role as a monk. How do these representations affect his role as a political figure? Given that Tenzon Gyatso is the only master teacher of the Geluk sect with worldwide renown, how has his status as international icon (and the responsibilities inherent in that role) changed the manner in which his image—and his teachings—are received by practitioners? This dissertation attempts to elucidate, amidst the proliferation of interest in and images of Tenzin Gyatso, both the similarities and differences between portrayals of him and those of the previous thirteen Dalai Lamas, and to draw what conclusions it can from that evidence. iv Dedication For Alfie v Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the Philanthropic Educational Organization. I am honored to join the ranks of PEO fellows who have received funding for dissertation writing. I would also like to acknowledge the funding I received from The Ohio State University that allowed me to conduct research in Tibet as well as the Tibetan exile communities in India, Switzerland, and the United States. I am eternally grateful to my advisor, Lisa Florman, and committee members, Christian Kleinbub and Namiko Kunimoto, for helping me with the final stages of this journey. Many thanks also to Cosimo Giovine for his expert editing suggestions and Sarah Richardson for her support and content critique. I would also like to express my sincerest appreciation for the professors at the University of Denver for consistently supporting me throughout the last few years of this process. Finally, I am so grateful for a family that has supported me—both emotionally and financially—so that I could finish this project and degree. During those many moments of frustration, my husband had a key phrase to remind me to look beyond the negative and appreciate the positive… “What would the Dalai Lama do?” vi Vita 2001................................................................B.A. Art History, University of Colorado 2005................................................................M.A. Art History, University of Denver 2005-2006 ......................................................University Fellow, Department of History of Art, The Ohio State University 2007-2008 ......................................................Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow, The Ohio State University 2009................................................................Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of History of Art, The Ohio State University 2010-2011 .....................................................Philanthropic Educational Organization Fellow, Dissertation Research and Writing 2010-2011 .....................................................Instructor, Department of History of Art, University of Colorado, Denver 2011-2014…………………………………...Lecturer, School of Art and Art History, University of Denver 2014 …………………………………………Lecturer, Department of Art and Art History, University of Colorado, Boulder Publications Getzelman, Sarah. “Forbidden Image: The 1996 Chinese Ban on the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s Image,” Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, vol. 1 no. 8 (Winter 2008). Fields of Study Major Fields: Himalayan art, South Asian art, Buddhist art vii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ ii Dedication ............................................................................................................................ v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. vi Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 11 Terminology and Translations ...................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: Traditional Portraits from the Sixteenth Century to the 1950’s: Painting and Sculpture ....................................................................................................................... 21 History of the Dalai Lama Institution ........................................................................... 24 The Third Dalai Lama: Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588) .................................................... 33 The Fifth Dalai Lama: Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682) .................................. 39 The Seventh Dalai Lama: Kelsang Gyatso (1708-1757) .............................................. 47 The Thirteenth Dalai Lama: Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933) .......................................... 53 viii The Fourteenth Dalai Lama: Tenzin Gyatso (1935- ) ..................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Living on the Edge: Welfare and the Urban Poor in 1930S Beijing
    Social History ISSN: 0307-1022 (Print) 1470-1200 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rshi20 Living on the edge: welfare and the urban poor in 1930s Beijing Marjorie Dryburgh To cite this article: Marjorie Dryburgh (2016) Living on the edge: welfare and the urban poor in 1930s Beijing, Social History, 41:1, 14-33, DOI: 10.1080/03071022.2015.1108708 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071022.2015.1108708 © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Published online: 29 Jan 2016. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 489 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rshi20 Download by: [Royal Hallamshire Hospital] Date: 04 July 2016, At: 08:50 SOCIAL HISTORY, 2016 VOL. 41, NO. 1, 14–33 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071022.2015.1108708 Living on the edge: welfare and the urban poor in 1930s Beijing Marjorie Dryburgh University of Sheffield ABSTRACT KEYWORDS This article examines poverty and welfare provision in early Beijing; China; poverty; twentieth-century Beijing as dialogue and transaction between the twentieth century; welfare city government and the urban poor. Earlier studies of the Chinese urban have tended to emphasize the material aspects of urban development, and the efforts of planners and city governments to modernize China’s cities, rather than the human experience of the city. This article draws on the extensive archives of the Beijing Municipal Government Social Affairs Bureau to extend our understanding of the experience of poverty and the agency of the poor.
    [Show full text]
  • The Dakini Project
    UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2014 The Dakini Project Kimberley Harris Idol University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the American Literature Commons, and the Comparative Literature Commons Repository Citation Idol, Kimberley Harris, "The Dakini Project" (2014). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2094. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/5836113 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE DAKINI PROJECT: TRACKING THE “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” IN DETECTIVE FICTION By Kimberley Harris Idol Bachelor of Arts in Literature Mount Saint Mary’s College 1989 Master of Science in Education Mount Saint Mary’s College 1994 Master of Arts in Literature California State University, Northridge 2005 Master of Fine Arts University
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group GAJAH
    NUMBER 46 2017 GAJAHJournal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group GAJAH Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group Number 46 (2017) The journal is intended as a medium of communication on issues that concern the management and conservation of Asian elephants both in the wild and in captivity. It is a means by which everyone concerned with the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), whether members of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group or not, can communicate their research results, experiences, ideas and perceptions freely, so that the conservation of Asian elephants can benefit. All articles published in Gajah reflect the individual views of the authors and not necessarily that of the editorial board or the Asian Elephant Specialist Group. Editor Dr. Jennifer Pastorini Centre for Conservation and Research 26/7 C2 Road, Kodigahawewa Julpallama, Tissamaharama Sri Lanka e-mail: [email protected] Editorial Board Dr. Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando School of Geography Centre for Conservation and Research University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus 26/7 C2 Road, Kodigahawewa Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Kajang, Selangor Julpallama, Tissamaharama Malaysia Sri Lanka e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Varun R. Goswami Heidi Riddle Wildlife Conservation Society Riddles Elephant & Wildlife Sanctuary 551, 7th Main Road P.O. Box 715 Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Kodigehall Greenbrier, Arkansas 72058 Bengaluru - 560 097 USA India e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Dr. T. N. C. Vidya
    [Show full text]
  • His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to Visit University of Redlands in Rare U.S
    His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to visit University of Redlands in rare U.S. tour March 18, 2015 The University of Redlands will welcome His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, to campus March 24, 2015, as the only Southern California stop on his third trip to the United States. Reigniting a years-long connection with the University and special bond with students, the Karmapa will interact with Redlands students, faculty, and alumni and accept an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, presented by University President Ralph Kuncl. He will then offer a public lecture, "Living Interdependence," at 7 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The Karmapa heads the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and guides millions of Buddhists around the world. At the age of 14, he made a dramatic escape from Tibet to India to be near His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his own lineage teachers. Currently 29 years old, the Karmapa is a leader of the new century. He created an eco- monastic movement with over 55 monasteries across the Himalayan region acting as centers of environmental activism. Leading on women's issues, he recently announced plans to establish full ordination for women, a step that will change the future of Tibetan Buddhism. His latest book, The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out, co-edited by University of Redlands Professor of Religious Studies and Virginia C. Hunsaker Distinguished Teaching Chair, Karen Derris, the Karmapa speaks to the younger generation on the major challenges facing society today, including gender issues, food justice, rampant consumerism and the environmental crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • VT Module6 Lineage Text Major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
    THE MAJOR SCHOOLS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM By Pema Khandro A BIRD’S EYE VIEW 1. NYINGMA LINEAGE a. Pema Khandro’s lineage. Literally means: ancient school or old school. Nyingmapas rely on the old tantras or the original interpretation of Tantra as it was given from Padmasambhava. b. Founded in 8th century by Padmasambhava, an Indian Yogi who synthesized the teachings of the Indian MahaSiddhas, the Buddhist Tantras, and Dzogchen. He gave this teaching (known as Vajrayana) in Tibet. c. Systemizes Buddhist philosophy and practice into 9 Yanas. The Inner Tantras (what Pema Khandro Rinpoche teaches primarily) are the last three. d. It is not a centralized hierarchy like the Sarma (new translation schools), which have a figure head similar to the Pope. Instead, the Nyingma tradition is de-centralized, with every Lama is the head of their own sangha. There are many different lineages within the Nyingma. e. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is the emphasis in the Tibetan Yogi tradition – the Ngakpa tradition. However, once the Sarma translations set the tone for monasticism in Tibet, the Nyingmas also developed a monastic and institutionalized segment of the tradition. But many Nyingmas are Ngakpas or non-monastic practitioners. f. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is that it is characterized by treasure revelations (gterma). These are visionary revelations of updated communications of the Vajrayana teachings. Ultimately treasure revelations are the same dharma principles but spoken in new ways, at new times and new places to new people. Because of these each treasure tradition is unique, this is the major reason behind the diversity within the Nyingma.
    [Show full text]
  • Trafficking in Persons for Begging - Romania Study
    TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS FOR BEGGING - ROMANIA STUDY - National Agency against Trafficking in Persons Publication co-financed by Switzerland through the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme to Reduce Economic and Social Disparities within the Enlarged European Union. Coordinator: Romulus-Nicolae Ungureanu Authors: Adelina Tamaş Alina Moise Claudia Preduţ Nadia Medvichi Special thanks are dedicated to the persons who were involved with the field work, data collection and interviewing, without whom the present study would not be realized: Adrian Vlădoiu Ana-Maria Cordun Cosmina Mariş Cristina Zaharia Iulia Boeriu Iuliana Leah Laurenţiu Dincă Maria Marcu Mihaela Niţă Nicoleta Someşan Special thanks go to Jöelle Moret, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland, who gave external support to the study in a professional manner and important inputs to the final version. Many thanks also to Cristina Dragota, Adrian Petrescu, and Tanja Brombacher who helped us with fruitful information to revise the final report. The research team also give thanks to all the experts who agreed to be involved in our research and provided useful data and information to better approach this topic of trafficking in persons for begging. The study is dedicated to all the persons who suffered from maltreatment and for those who were willing to cooperate as research subjects, with the hope that the concentrated efforts of all, will assist to stop this type of trafficking and no one will suffer further. 2 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS FOR BEGGING – ROMANIA STUDY The responsibility for the opinions expressed and the concepts treated within the study are solely the responsibility of the research team and does not reflect the position of Swiss Confederation.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Lion-Face Dakini Feast Gathering on the 25Th Day of Each Lunar Month
    NYINGMA KATHOK BUDDHIST CENTRE PRAYER TEXT RED LION-FACE DAKINI FEAST GATHERING ON THE 25TH DAY OF EACH LUNAR MONTH PAGE 1 VERSES OF SUPPLICATION TO THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS ARYAS When commencing any activity, by reciting these verses of auspiciousness once at the start, the activity will be accomplished smoothly and in accordance with one’s wishes. Therefore these verses should be given attention to. OM NANG SID NAM DAG RANG ZHIN LHUN DRUB PI TA SHI CHHOG CHUI ZHING NA ZHUG PA YI SANG GYE CHHO TANG GEN DUN PHAG PI TSHOG KUN LA CHHAN TSHAL DAG CHAG TA SHI SHOG Om, To the Buddhas, the Dharmas and Sanghas, The aryan assembly dwelling in the auspicious realms in the ten directions Where apparent existences are pure and spontaneously existent, I prostrate to them all and thus may there be auspiciousness for us all. DRON MI GYAL PO TSAL TEN THON DRUB GONG JAM PI GYEN PAL GE THRAG PAL DAM PA KUN LA GONG PA GYA CHHER THRAG PA CHEN King Of The Lamp, Enlightened Mind Of Stable Power Accomplishing Aims, Glorious Adornment Of Love, Glorious Sacred One Whose Virtues Are Renowned, Vastly Renowned In Giving Attention To All, PAGE 2 LHUN PO TAR PHAG TSAL THRAG PAL TANG NI SEM CHEN THAM CHE LA GONG THRAG PI PAL YID TSHIM DZED PA TSAL RAB THRAG PAL TE TSHEN TSAM THO PE TA SHI PAL PHEL WA DE WAR SHEG PA GYED LA CHHAN TSHAL LO Glorious One Renowned As Strong And Exalted Like Sumeru, Glorious One Renowned In Giving Attention To All Sentient Beings, Glorious One Renowned As Strong And Exalted Who Satisfies Beings' Minds, Merely hearing your names increases auspiciousness and success, Homage to the eight Sugatas.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99
    Buddhism / Dalai Lama 99 Activating Bodhichitta and A Meditation on Compassion His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Gonsar Rinpoche The awakening mind is the unsurpassable way to collect merit. To purify obstacles bodhicitta is supreme. For protection from interferences bodhicitta is supreme. It is the unique, all-encompassing method. Every kind of ordinary and supra-mundane power can be accomplished through bodhicitta. Thus, it is absolutely precious. Although compassion is cultivated in one’s own mind, the embodiment of it is the deity known as Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chan-re- PY: 1979,2006 zig). The various aspects that are visualized in meditation practices and 5.5 X 8.5 represented in images and paintings are merely the interpretative forms of 80 pages Avalokitephvara, whereas the actual definitive form is compassion itself. ` 140 paperback ISBN: 81-86470-52-2 Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Edited by Donald S.Lopez,Jr. Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s gentle and profoundly eloquent instruction for developing the basis of the spiritual path: a compassionate motive. With extraordinary grace and insight, His Holiness shows how the Tibetan Buddist teachings on compassion can be practiced in our daily lives through simple meditations that directly relate to past and present PY: 2008 relationships. 5.5 X 8.5 This illuminating and highly accessible guide offers techniques for 178 pages deepening and heightening compassion in our lives and the world around ` 215 paperback us. ISBN: 81-86470-68-9 Commentary on the Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Translated by Acharya Nyima Tsering Ngulchu Gyalse Thogmed Zangpo’s The Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most popular texts, incorporated in the Mind Training text and also able to be explained according to the Lam Rim tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • And Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet
    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 The Raven and the Serpent: "The Great All- Pervading R#hula" Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet Cameron Bailey Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE RAVEN AND THE SERPENT: “THE GREAT ALL-PERVADING RHULA” AND DMONIC BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND TIBET By CAMERON BAILEY A Thesis submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Religion Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2012 Cameron Bailey defended this thesis on April 2, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Bryan Cuevas Professor Directing Thesis Jimmy Yu Committee Member Kathleen Erndl Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii For my parents iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank, first and foremost, my adviser Dr. Bryan Cuevas who has guided me through the process of writing this thesis, and introduced me to most of the sources used in it. My growth as a scholar is almost entirely due to his influence. I would also like to thank Dr. Jimmy Yu, Dr. Kathleen Erndl, and Dr. Joseph Hellweg. If there is anything worthwhile in this work, it is undoubtedly due to their instruction. I also wish to thank my former undergraduate advisor at Indiana University, Dr. Richard Nance, who inspired me to become a scholar of Buddhism.
    [Show full text]
  • Recounting the Fifth Dalai Lama's Rebirth Lineage
    Recounting the Fifth Dalai Lama’s Rebirth Lineage Nancy G. Lin1 (Vanderbilt University) Faced with something immensely large or unknown, of which we still do not know enough or of which we shall never know, the author proposes a list as a specimen, example, or indication, leaving the reader to imagine the rest. —Umberto Eco, The Infinity of Lists2 ncarnation lineages naming the past lives of eminent lamas have circulated since the twelfth century, that is, roughly I around the same time that the practice of identifying reincarnating Tibetan lamas, or tulkus (sprul sku), began.3 From the twelfth through eighteenth centuries it appears that incarnation or rebirth lineages (sku phreng, ’khrungs rabs, etc.) of eminent lamas rarely exceeded twenty members as presented in such sources as their auto/biographies, supplication prayers, and portraits; Dölpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292–1361), one such exception, had thirty-two. Among other eminent lamas who traced their previous lives to the distant Indic past, the lineages of Nyangrel Nyima Özer (Nyang ral Nyi ma ’od zer, 1124–1192) had up 1 I thank the organizers and participants of the USF Symposium on The Tulku Institution in Tibetan Buddhism, where this paper originated, along with those of the Harvard Buddhist Studies Forum—especially José Cabezón, Jake Dalton, Michael Sheehy, and Nicole Willock for the feedback and resources they shared. I am further indebted to Tony K. Stewart, Anand Taneja, Bryan Lowe, Dianna Bell, and Rae Erin Dachille for comments on drafted materials. I thank the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange for their generous support during the final stages of revision.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition
    REVISED EDITION John Powers ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 1 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 2 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 3 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism revised edition by John Powers Snow Lion Publications ithaca, new york • boulder, colorado ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 4 Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 • Ithaca, NY 14851 USA (607) 273-8519 • www.snowlionpub.com © 1995, 2007 by John Powers All rights reserved. First edition 1995 Second edition 2007 No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. Designed and typeset by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Powers, John, 1957- Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism / by John Powers. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-282-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-55939-282-7 (alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—China—Tibet. 2. Tibet (China)—Religion. I. Title. BQ7604.P69 2007 294.3’923—dc22 2007019309 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 5 Table of Contents Preface 11 Technical Note 17 Introduction 21 Part One: The Indian Background 1. Buddhism in India 31 The Buddha 31 The Buddha’s Life and Lives 34 Epilogue 56 2. Some Important Buddhist Doctrines 63 Cyclic Existence 63 Appearance and Reality 71 3. Meditation 81 The Role of Meditation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism 81 Stabilizing and Analytical Meditation 85 The Five Buddhist Paths 91 4.
    [Show full text]
  • A Promise for the Future: Children in Crossfire, Strategic Plan, 2011 – 2015
    Photo by Padraig Timoney A PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE: CHILDREN IN CROSSFIRE, STRATEGIC PLAN, 2011 – 2015. C:60% M:30% Y:68% K:8% C:32% M:84% Y:68% K:28% C:0% M:69% Y:100% K:0% C:91% M:57% Y:44% K:24% A Word from our Patron. “With the realisation of ones own potential and self-confidence in ones ability, one can build a better world. According to my own experience, self-confidence is very important. That sort of confidence is not a blind one; it is an awareness of ones own potential. On that basis, human beings can transform themselves by increasing the good qualities and reducing the negative qualities. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged. I commend your organisation for the exemplary work you are doing to protect and promote the rights of some of the world’s poorest children.” His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Patron of Children in Crossfire. ‘Courtesy of Office of Tibet’. Contact: Children in Crossfire, 2 St. Joseph’s Avenue, Derry/Londonderry, N.Ireland BT48 6 TH +44 (0) 28 71 269898, www.childrenincrossfire.org 2 From Tragedy to Triumph. In 1972, the founder and director of Children in Crossfire, Richard Moore, was blinded by a rubber bullet fired at point blank range into his face. Amazingly from childhood to the present day he has never allowed bitterness to stunt his development. “I learned to see life in a different way ..
    [Show full text]