SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2016 Watch Chöd Self: An Examination of Chöd, Its Practitioners, and Its Music Weston Conner SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Asian Studies Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Other Religion Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the Sociology of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Conner, Weston, "Watch Chöd Self: An Examination of Chöd, Its Practitioners, and Its Music" (2016). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2499. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2499 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Watch Chöd Self An Examination of Chöd, Its Practitioners, and Its Music Conner, Weston Academic Directors: Decleer, Hubert and Yonnetti, Eben Project Advisor: Decleer, Hubert Muhlenberg College Music and Anthropology Boudha, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples, SIT Study Abroad, Fall 2016 1 Abstract The practice of Chöd is a form of Vajrayāna meditation that involves cutting one’s attachment to one’s self and compassionately offering one’s body as a feast for various deities and spirits. This study examines the practice of Chöd in the context of Boudha, Kathmandu, where there is a large community of Chödpas, Chöd practioners.