DOCSLIB.ORG

Indo-Tibetan Buddhism As Education by Sonia Macpherson

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Indo-Tibetan Buddhism As Education by Sonia Macpherson A path of learning: Indo-Tibetan Buddhism as education by Sonia MacPherson B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1985 A Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Centre for Studies in Curriculum and Instruction) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April 2000 © Sonia (Seonaigh) Ann MacPherson, 2000 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This study chronicles a non-modern pedagogical tradition, Indo-Tibetan (Gelugpa) Buddhist education, as it negotiates a modern, global context in exile in India. As an enlightenment tradition, Buddhism emphasizes investigative inquiry over scriptural orthodoxy and belief, making it compatible with some aspects of modern, secular culture. This is a study of the relationship between these two educational cultures within one educational institution—Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute of Dialectics in the Indian Himalayas. The text itself is arranged in the form of a mandala, which is divided into five sections or stages of learning: intention, path, inference, experience, and realization. The intention section highlights the value of cultural and educational diversity, and includes a brief synopsis of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist educational history. The path section describes specific Buddhist approaches to ethnography and social research. The inference chapter is the empirical (ethnographic) component of the study, and considers the practice of dialectical debate as a case of what Wittgenstein called a "language game." This chapter includes photographic documentation and the text of a public (Western-style) debate held at Dolma Ling on the subject of the merits of their traditional debate system. The experience chapter considers the unique role of direct perception (experience) in Buddhism, and how it can be educated through combined meditational and testimonial practices. The author explores the tendency to segregate experiential from rational paths, especially when liminal experiences of suffering, bliss, and death are involved. She concludes that such experiences strain our powers of reason and, in some cases, representation, resulting in a tendency to marginalize such experiences within formal, rational education systems and their knowledge bases. Narrative, poetic, and direct experiential methods of meditation are better suited to deal with these subjects. The "realization" chapter discusses conceptions of realization, praxis and embodiment, that is, rational inferences translated into direct experience and action, as of particular relevance to educators. In the Buddhist view, such realizations are the desired end of all inquiry. This end is accomplished through creative and direct "conversations" (testimonies, dialogues) between reason and direct experience on the path of learning. ii Table of Contents: Abstract P- » List of Figures P- vii Preface P viii Acknowledgements p ix PRELIMINARIES ...embarking on a journey p 1 Chapter one: WHITE ...intention p 16 White luminous gates P 17 "We exchange time for experience." p. 20 I. Introduction p. 26 A. Culture, time, globalization p. 26 B. Education in the global local/e p. 34 C. Traditions of invention and education p. 37 D. The role of desire p. 42 E. Freedom in modernity/ies P- 44 F. Questions to guide our inquiry p. 49 1. Comparative theories of learning and knowledge p. 49 2. The outcome and purpose of knowledge p. 51 3. The relation between tradition and modernity in "global" education p. 52 4. Gender in Tibetan monastic and "global" Education p. 52 5. Intercivilization dialogue on "freedom" and "creativity" p. 53 II. Tibetan education: Historical and contemporary contexts p. 54 A. Historical context p. 55 B. Contemporary context p. 60 1. Tibet p. 60 2. In exile in India, Nepal, and elsewhere p. 64 3. DolmaLing p. 67 iii Chapter two: YELLOW ...path p 75 Oblique yellow paths P- 76 The path of research P 83 I. The research path as an "educational journey" p. 83 II. Grounds P 86 A. Ethics P- 86 B. Intention p. 88 C. Epistemology P- 93 1. A question of trust p 93 2. Enlightenment epistemologies p. 94 a) Western enlightenment epistemologies p. 96 b) Buddhist epistemology and enlightenment p. 102 III. Paths P- 106 A. Apprenticing the path p. 106 B. The conceptual/experiential divide p. 108 1. Reason and direct experience p. 109 2. Realization and embodiment p. Ill C. Mindfulness P 113 IV. Fruits P H5 A. Wellbeing P- 115 B. The realization of emptiness as interdependence p. 121 C. Compassion and wisdom p- 122 V. Conclusion p. 123 Chapter three: RED ...inference p. 129 Red fire, flowing blood p. 130 Debating dialectical debate: Reasoning education at Dolma Ling p. 134 I. Introduction p. 134 II. Historical and social contexts p. 138 III. Textual and oral practices in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist education p. 142 IV. The monastic Curriculum p. 144 V. Introductory texts and topics p. 146 VI. The language game of dialectical debate p. 146 A. Words and sentences p 149 1. Words as definitions, divisions, and illustrations p. 149 a) The language tree of "Colours and so forth" p. 150 2. Sentences: The logic, grammar, and discourse moves p. 151 a) The logic p. 151 b) The "grammar" p. 153 c) The discourse moves p. 154 B. Instruments p. 158 1. Gestures p. 158 2. Patterns p. 166 C. Contexts p. 167 iv D. Characteristic activity p. 167 1. As an educational activity p. 167 a) Daily activities and groupings p. 167 b) Annual activities and groupings p. 168 c) Longterm activities and groupings p. 169 2. As a socializing activity p. 170 a) As socialization into competition/cooperation p. 170 b) As socializing peer support p. 171 c) As socializing through apprenticeship and guided participation p. 171 d) As socializing and sublimating emotions p. 174 e) As gender-socializing activity p. 176 f) As socialization into community p. 181 3. Debate as integrated cognitive activity p. 181 4. Debate as dialectical (dialogic) activity p. 182 E. Antecedent training and learning in which rules are imparted p. 183 F. Use of components of the language-game p. 183 G. Its point or purpose p. 183 V. Debating dialectics: The views of the nuns of Dolma Ling p. 184 Chapter four: GREEN ...experience p 209 Remembering green. Kangra wheatfieldnotes on skydancing & other feats of grace p. 210 Songs of experience p. 227 I. The nuns' experiences P- 229 A. Osel Khargyen p. 230 B. Metok Yangsom p. 235 C. Ngawayng Sangdrol, the nun who never made it to Dolma Ling p. 238 D. Kunsang Dolma p. 240 E. The Lithang nuns p. 242 II. Experience p. 246 III. Liminal experiences: Suffering, bliss, and death p. 252 A. Suffering p. 253 B. Bliss p. 258 C. Death p. 262 IV. Educating experience p. 264 A. Educating emotions: Testimony and meditation p. 266 1. Testimony p. 266 2. Meditation p. 269 B. Educating powers of reflection: Analytical meditations p. 273 C. Educating attention: Single-pointed and mindfulness meditation p. 274 1. Single-pointed meditation p. 275 2. Mindfulness meditation p. 275 D. Educating the bodymind: Tantric meditation p. 277 V. Gendering experience p. 281 v Chapter five: BLUE ...realization p. 286 A spacious blue P 287 Realizations p. 290 I. The conceptual/perceptual divide P- 290 II. Freedom in debate p 294 III. Realization p. 301 POST-SCRIPT ...on completing a journey p. 305 Post-script on completing a journey p. 306 A. A path of learning p. 306 B. Pedagogical methods p. 307 1. aspiration, ritual p. 307 2. explicit, examined, and apprenticed processes p. 307 3. dialogue, analytical meditation p. 307 4. mindfulness, single-pointed, or Tantric meditation p. 307 5. the event—bodhicitta, mahamudra, and interdependence ... p. 307 REFERENCES p. 312 vi FIGURES: Photographs and charts 1. A stone path in the Kangra Valley near Dolma Ling p. 1 2. Ground plan of a sample (Zhi khro) mandala p. 14 3. Three-dimensional structures of Zhi khro mandala p. 15 4. White pictures (White Tara, Kangra wheatfields, Dolma Ling nunnery) p. 19 5. Yellow pictures (HH the Dalai Lama, Sera monks, margolds & bee) p. 82 6. Red pictures (the nuns of Dolma Ling) p. 133 7. Diagram I: Conversation decision-making tree p. 136 8. Figure I: Definitions, divisions, & illustrations for "Colours and so forth" p. 152 9. Sarnath University ruins in Sarnath, near Varanasi, UP, India p. 159 10. "Learning to debate" in classrooms and courtyards p. 160 11. "Peer instruction" among the nuns p. 161 12. The monk teachers and debate dialogues p. 162 13. "Tantric arts:" The nuns learning and practising Tantric arts p. 163 14. "Learning Tibetan secular and religious music" p. 164 15. "Responding to contemporary issues:" Debating debate; refugee children ... p. 165 16. Green pictures (a bird in Bodh Gaya; scenes from the Kangra Valley) p. 226 17. Blue pictures (Tibetan flag; Tibetan Children's Village students) p. 289 vii PREFACE: I use various designations for Buddhism in this text, and the reader should consider Buddhism identified as designating the scope of the claim made. So, if I say the more generic "Buddhism," then this indicates that the claim is being made for all paths of Buddhism.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Call of the Siren: Bod, Baútisos, Baîtai, and Related Names (Studies in Historical Geography II)
    The Call of the Siren: Bod, Baútisos, Baîtai, and Related Names (Studies in Historical Geography II) Bettina Zeisler (Universität Tübingen) 1. Introduction eographical or ethnical names, like ethnical identities, are like slippery fishes: one can hardly catch them, even less, pin them G down for ever. The ‘Germans’, for example, are called so only by English speakers. The name may have belonged to a tribe in Bel- gium, but was then applied by the Romans to various tribes of North- ern Europe.1 As a tribal or linguistic label, ‘German (ic)’ also applies to the English or to the Dutch, the latter bearing in English the same des- ignation that the Germans claim for themselves: ‘deutsch’. This by the way, may have meant nothing but ‘being part of the people’.2 The French call them ‘Allemands’, just because one of the many Germanic – and in that case, German – tribes, the Allemannen, settled in their neighbourhood. The French, on the other hand, are called so, because a Germanic and, in that case again, German tribe, the ‘Franken’ (origi- nally meaning the ‘avid’, ‘audacious’, later the ‘free’ people) moved into France, and became the ruling elite.3 The situation is similar or even worse in other parts of the world. Personal names may become ethnic names, as in the case of the Tuyu- hun. 4 Names of neighbouring tribes might be projected onto their overlords, as in the case of the Ḥaža, who were conquered by the Tuyuhun, the latter then being called Ḥaža by the Tibetans. Ethnic names may become geographical names, but then, place names may travel along with ethnic groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Big Love: Mandala Magazine Article
    LAMA YESHE, PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE, NEPAL, 1980. PHOTO BY TOM CASTLES, COURTESY OF LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE. 26 MANDALA | July - December 2019 A MONUMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: THE MAKING OF Big Love BY LAURA MILLER The creation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe’s official biography has been a monumental task. Work on the forthcoming book, Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, has spanned three decades. To understand the significance of this project as it draws to a close, Mandala talked to three key people, all early students of Lama Yeshe, about the production of the book: Adele Hulse, Big Love’s author; Peter Kedge, who initiated and helped fund the project; and Nicholas Ribush, who is overseeing the book’s publication at the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe begins with a refugee Tibetan monks. Together, the two lamas encountered their simple dedication: “This book is dedicated to you, the reader. first Western student, Zina Rachevsky, in 1967 in Darjeeling. The If you met Lama during your life, may you feel his presence here. following year, they went to Nepal, where they soon established If you never met Lama, then come with us—walk up the hill to Kopan Monastery on the outskirts of Kathmandu and later Kopan and meet Lama Yeshe, as thousands did, without knowing founded the international FPMT organization. anything of Buddhism or Tibet. That came later.” “Since then, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been to many Within the biography’s nearly 1,400 pages, Lama Yeshe comes countries and now has a great reputation and has received many to life.
    [Show full text]
  • Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet
    BILINGUAL EDUCATION POLICY IN TIBET The Systematic Replacement of Tibetan Language with Mandarin Chinese Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................1 Tibetan Language ...............................................................3 Background on Tibet .........................................................4 Impact of The Dominance of Mandarin Chinese ...........5 Tibetan Autonomy .............................................................7 LINGUISTIC RIGHTS ..............................................................14 History of the PRC’s Minority Language Policies in the PRC ........................................................................14 Analysis of PRC Laws on Minority Language Rights ..22 Language Rights as Human Rights .................................27 EDUCATION RIGHTS & POLICY ...........................................35 Background on PRC Education Policies and Perceptions of Tibetan Culture ...........................................................35 History of Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet ...........38 Bilingual Education Policy ............................................58 Failings of the Bilingual Education Policy in Tibet ...63 Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education Policy .............70 ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION POLICY ....................................................................................73 Failure to Uphold Laws ...................................................73
    [Show full text]
  • THE SECURITISATION of TIBETAN BUDDHISM in COMMUNIST CHINA Abstract
    ПОЛИТИКОЛОГИЈА РЕЛИГИЈЕ бр. 2/2012 год VI • POLITICS AND RELIGION • POLITOLOGIE DES RELIGIONS • Nº 2/2012 Vol. VI ___________________________________________________________________________ Tsering Topgyal 1 Прегледни рад Royal Holloway University of London UDK: 243.4:323(510)”1949/...” United Kingdom THE SECURITISATION OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM IN COMMUNIST CHINA Abstract This article examines the troubled relationship between Tibetan Buddhism and the Chinese state since 1949. In the history of this relationship, a cyclical pattern of Chinese attempts, both violently assimilative and subtly corrosive, to control Tibetan Buddhism and a multifaceted Tibetan resistance to defend their religious heritage, will be revealed. This article will develop a security-based logic for that cyclical dynamic. For these purposes, a two-level analytical framework will be applied. First, the framework of the insecurity dilemma will be used to draw the broad outlines of the historical cycles of repression and resistance. However, the insecurity dilemma does not look inside the concept of security and it is not helpful to establish how Tibetan Buddhism became a security issue in the first place and continues to retain that status. The theory of securitisation is best suited to perform this analytical task. As such, the cycles of Chinese repression and Tibetan resistance fundamentally originate from the incessant securitisation of Tibetan Buddhism by the Chinese state and its apparatchiks. The paper also considers the why, how, and who of this securitisation, setting the stage for a future research project taking up the analytical effort to study the why, how and who of a potential desecuritisation of all things Tibetan, including Tibetan Buddhism, and its benefits for resolving the protracted Sino- Tibetan conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Karmapa Karma Pakshi (1206-1283)
    CUỘC ĐỜI SIÊU VIỆT CỦA 16 VỊ TỔ KARMAPA TÂY TẠNG Biên soạn: Karma Thinley Rinpoche Nguyên tác: The History of Sixteen Karmapas of Tibet Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje XVI Karma Thinley Rinpoche - Việt dịch: Nguyễn An Cư Thiện Tri Thức 2543-1999 THIỆN TRI THỨC MỤC LỤC LỜI NÓI ĐẦU ............................................................................................ 7 LỜI TỰA ..................................................................................................... 9 DẪN NHẬP .............................................................................................. 12 NỀN TẢNG LỊCH SỬ VÀ LÝ THUYẾT ................................................ 39 Chương I: KARMAPA DUSUM KHYENPA (1110-1193) ...................... 64 Chương II: KARMAPA KARMA PAKSHI (1206-1283) ......................... 70 Chương III: KARMAPA RANGJUNG DORJE (1284-1339) .................. 78 Chương IV: KARMAPA ROLPE DORJE (1340-1383) ........................... 84 Chương V: KARMAPA DEZHIN SHEGPA (1384-1415) ........................ 95 Chương VI: KARMAPA THONGWA DONDEN (1416-1453) ............. 102 Chương VII: KARMAPA CHODRAG GYALTSHO (1454-1506) ........ 106 Chương VIII: KARMAPA MIKYO DORJE (1507-1554) ..................... 112 Chương IX: KARMAPA WANGCHUK DORJE (1555-1603) .............. 122 Chương X: KARMAPA CHOYING DORJE (1604-1674) .................... 129 Chương XI: KARMAPA YESHE DORJE (1676-1702) ......................... 135 Chương XII: KARMAPA CHANGCHUB DORJE (1703-1732) ........... 138 Chương XIII: KARMAPA DUDUL DORJE (1733-1797) ....................
    [Show full text]
  • The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: a Strategic and Historical Analysis
    ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: A Strategic and Historical Analysis Tenzin Dorjee ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES Cover photos: (l) John Ackerly, 1987, (r) Invisible Tibet Blog SERIES EDITOR: Maciej Bartkowski John Ackerly’s photo of the first major demonstration in Lhasa in 1987 CONTACT: [email protected] became an emblem for the Tibet movement. The monk Jampa Tenzin, who is being lifted by fellow protesters, had just rushed into a burning VOLUME EDITORS: Hardy Merriman, Amber French, police station to rescue Tibetan detainees. With his arms charred by the Cassandra Balfour flames, he falls in and out of consciousness even as he leads the crowd CONTACT: [email protected] in chanting pro-independence slogans. The photographer John Ackerly Other volumes in this series: became a Tibet advocate and eventually President of the International Campaign for Tibet (1999 to 2009). To read more about John Ackerly’s The Power of Staying Put: Nonviolent Resistance experience in Tibet, see his book co-authored by Blake Kerr, Sky Burial: against Armed Groups in Colombia, Juan Masullo An Eyewitness Account of China’s Brutal Crackdown in Tibet. (2015) Invisible Tibet Blog’s photo was taken during the 2008 Tibetan uprising, The Maldives Democracy Experience (2008-13): when Tibetans across the three historical provinces of Tibet rose up From Authoritarianism to Democracy and Back, to protest Chinese rule. The protests began on March 10, 2008, a few Velezinee Aishath (2015) months ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, and quickly became the largest, most sustained nonviolent movement Tibet has witnessed. Published by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict The designations used and material presented in this publication do P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibet: Why It Is Important to China? a Geographic Perspective by Paul Kaliszewski Cranbrook Kingswood Boys Middle School
    Unit Plan Tibet: Why it is Important to China? A Geographic Perspective By Paul Kaliszewski Cranbrook Kingswood Boys Middle School Introduction The following five day unit plan focuses on the importance of the Plateau of Tibet, generally, and the Tibetan Autonomous Republic (TAR), specifically, to the People’s Republic of China from a geographical perspective. While there has been much recent scholarship on Tibet at the university level, Tibet remains an area either largely ignored in K-12 curricula or, if covered, is presented in a very romantic, biased (usually, anti-Chinese) manner. The purpose of this unit is to demonstrate the importance of the TAR to China in geo-political terms in order to better understand China’s stance on this often highly contentious area. The unit will comprise five, 45 minute class periods, designed for use in grades 6 or 7. However, at the teacher’s discretion, the lesson could be modified for any secondary (6-12) curriculum. Standards are based on the State of Michigan’s Proposed Social Studies Content Expectations for Grade 6. Objective: To use skills of geographic inquiry and analysis to answer important questions about relationships between people, their cultures, and their environment, in their community and within the larger world context. Day 1 Activities: Hand out KWLQ chart (see attached) and conduct a KWLQ activity, asking students to list in column 1 as many facts as they can about what they know about the physical and human geography of Tibet and the Tibetan Plateau. Review with students, creating a master list that will be saved.
    [Show full text]
  • Educating the Heart
    Approaching Tibetan Studies About Tibet Geography of Tibet Geographical Tibet Names: Bod (Tibetan name) Historical Tibet (refers to the larger, pre-1959 Tibet, see heavy black line marked on Tibet: A Political Map) Tibet Autonomous Region or Political Tibet (refers to the portion of Tibet named by People’s Republic of China in 1965, see bolded broken line on Tibet: A Political Map) Khawachen (literary Tibetan name meaning “Abode of Snows”) Xizang (the historical Chinese name for meaning “Western Treasure House”) Land of Snows (Western term) Capital: Lhasa Provinces: U-Tsang (Central & Southern Tibet) Kham (Eastern Tibet) Amdo (Northeastern Tibet) Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, most of the Tibetan Provinces of Amdo and Kham have been absorbed into the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan Main Towns: Llasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, Chamdo Area: 2,200,000 Sq. kilometers/850,000 sq. miles Elevation: Average 12-15,000 feet Tibet is located on a large plateau called the Tibetan Plateau. Borders: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma (south) China (west, north, east) Major Mountains Himalaya (range to south & west) and Ranges Kunlun (range to north) Chomolungma (Mt. Everest) 29,028 ft. Highest peak in the world Kailas (sacred mountain in western Tibet to Buddhists, Hindus & Jains) The Tibetan Plateau is surrounded by some of the world’s highest mountain ranges. Major Rivers: Ma Chu (Huzng He/Yellow Dri Chu (Yangtze) Za Chu (Mekong) Ngul Chu (Salween) Tsangpo (Bramaputra) Ganges Sutlej Indus Almost all of the major rivers in Asia have their source in Tibet. Therefore, the ecology of Tibet directly impacts the ecology of East, Southeast and South Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Communist Party As Living Buddha: the Crisis Facing Tibetan Religion Under Chinese Control
    ICT-Europe ICT-Deutschland e.V. ICT-Brussels Vijzelstraat 77 Schönhauser Allee 163 11, Rue de la Linière 1825 Jefferson Place, NW 1017HG Amsterdam 10435 Berlin 1060 Brussels Washington, DC 20036 The Netherlands Germany Belgium T +1 202 785 1515 T +31 (0)20 3308265 T +49 (0)30 27879086 T +32 (0)2 6094410 F +1 202 785 4343 F +31 (0)20 3308266 F +49 (0)30 27879087 F +32 (0)2 6094432 E [email protected] E [email protected] E [email protected] E [email protected] www.savetibet.org The International Campaign for Tibet is a non-profit membership organization that monitors and promotes internationally recognized human rights in Tibet. ICT was founded in 1988 and has offices in Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels. The Communist Party as Living Buddha: The crisis facing Tibetan religion under Chinese control ©2007 by the International Campaign for Tibet Printed in the USA Design: William Whitehead Design www.WmWhiteheadDesign.com THE COMMUNIST PARTY AS LIVING BUDDHA THE CRISIS FACING TIBETAN RELIGION UNDER CHINESE CONTROL A report by the International Campaign for Tibet Washington, DC l Amsterdam l Berlin l Brussels www.savetibet.org Tibet Autonomous Region Party chief Zhang Qingli recently labeled THE COMMUNIST PARTY AS LIVING BUDDHA the Chinese Communist Party a ‘living Buddha’ and a ‘parent’ to the Tibetan people. (Xinhuanet, March 2, 2007) THE CRISIS FACING TIBETAN RELIGION UNDER CHINESE CONTROL Cover: An image of the 11 th Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, seen in a monastery in eastern Tibet near a photograph of the Dalai Lama.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā
    Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Mindfulness Studies Theses (GSASS) Spring 5-6-2020 Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā Kyung Peggy Meill [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Meill, Kyung Peggy, "Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā" (2020). Mindfulness Studies Theses. 29. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses/29 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mindfulness Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. DIVERSITY IN THE WOMEN OF THE THERĪGĀTHĀ i Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā Kyung Peggy Kim Meill Lesley University May 2020 Dr. Melissa Jean and Dr. Andrew Olendzki DIVERSITY IN THE WOMEN OF THE THERĪGĀTHĀ ii Abstract A literary work provides a window into the world of a writer, revealing her most intimate and forthright perspectives, beliefs, and emotions – this within a scope of a certain time and place that shapes the milieu of her life. The Therīgāthā, an anthology of 73 poems found in the Pali canon, is an example of such an asseveration, composed by theris (women elders of wisdom or senior disciples), some of the first Buddhist nuns who lived in the time of the Buddha 2500 years ago. The gathas (songs or poems) impart significant details concerning early Buddhism and some of its integral elements of mental and spiritual development.
    [Show full text]
  • Reform in Tibet
    REFORM IN TIBET AS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT By Luo Jia A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Education Graduate Department of Sociology & Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Luo Jia (2009) ii REFORM IN TIBET AS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT Master of Education, 2009 Luo Jia Graduate Department of Sociology & Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Abstract Reform as a social process is underresearched in the case of Tibet. This study addresses this gap using Social Movement Theory, which sees social change as a complex process involving various Tibetan social groups and external reformers, the Communist Party of China (CPC). This approach was applied by comparing recruitment and mobilization efforts of several key internal and external reform movements in 20th century Tibetan history. Findings include that internal reform failures can be explained by their narrow social and geographic basis and limited mass appeal. Moreover, initial CPC reforms succeeded through recruitment and mobilization across Tibetan regions and social groupings. Subsequent reforms failed due to decreased attention to recruitment and mass mobilization of Tibetans. A major implication of the study is that understanding social reform in today‟s Tibet requires a SM Theory approach, which currently is lacking among scholars of the Tibetan question and political representatives of both sides. iii Acknowledgements While finishing this work, I thought it is not enough simply to say thanks because the support of many people are behind this research such as family, professors, helpers, and all the people whose work is related to this work.
    [Show full text]
  • HBRC06HT Reply Form Test
    DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IMPACTING THE FLIGHT OF CROSSING: TIBETAN REFUGEES l 2006 REPORT ICT-Europe ICT-Deutschland e.V. ICT-Brussels Vijzelstraat 77 Schönhauser Allee 163 11, Rue de la Liniere 1825 Jefferson Place, NW 1017HG Amsterdam 10435 Berlin 1060 Brussels Washington, DC 20036 The Netherlands Germany Belgium T +1 202 785 1515 T +31 (0)20 3308265 T +49 (0)30 27879086 T +32 (0)2 6094410 F +1 202 785 4343 F +31 (0)20 3308266 F +49 (0)30 27879087 F +32 (0)2 6094432 E [email protected] E [email protected] E [email protected] E [email protected] www.savetibet.org The International Campaign for Tibet is a non-profit membership organization that monitors and promotes internationally recognized human rights in Tibet. ICT was founded in 1988 and has offices in Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels. Dangerous Crossing: Conditions Impacting the Flight of Tibetan Refugees l 2006 Update ©2007 by the International Campaign for Tibet Printed in the USA ISBN: 1-879245-26-4 Design: William Whitehead Design www.WmWhiteheadDesign.com A report by the International Campaign for Tibet Washington, DC l Amsterdam l Berlin l Brussels www.savetibet.org INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET DANGEROUS CROSSING CONDITIONS IMPACTING THE FLIGHT OF TIBETAN REFUGEES l 2006 REPORT CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 THE NANGPA PASS SHOOTING 5 Shooting Carried Out According To ‘Normal Border Management’ 11 Rescue of a Tibetan 14 How I Survived the Nangpa Shooting 16 A Dream of the Dalai Lama 19 Breaking the News of the Nangpa Pass Shooting 24 International Response
    [Show full text]