About: | Jim Rheingans |
Position: | Key Researcher |
Nodes: | Identities and Religions |
Religious identities, such as the differentiation into the four (or sometimes five) “religious traditions” (chos lugs), are omnipresent in today’s presentation of Tibetan Buddhism. When discussing these the religious construct of the instructions, vows, and treatises transmitted; but also understand that distinct school identities became only more solidified from the 15th and 16th centuries onward. Initial research has ventured into some contributing factors for such differentiation (political developments, doctrinal systematization) as well as studied few of the multitude of localized sects and persona – but a thorough cultural-historical understanding is still wanting. Based on to be translated primary textual sources (hagiographies, religious histories, instructions, pilgrimage guides etc.) this case study aims to examine how such religious identities emerged during this period: It will select two key traditions cum locations, investigating five hypothetically crucial factors that also lend themselves to comparative analysis across Eurasia: (1) How monasticism and different monastic curricula were organised; (2) how and why, in tension and/or conjunction with monasticism, so called ‘yogic’ cultures/sub-cultures systematised meditative curricula and engaged in scholarship; (3) how through establishing collected writings and religious narratives more distinct sectarian identities were promoted; (4) how political interests likely solidified said identities; and (5) how previously localized schools established transregional institutional networks that reached beyond the Tibetan plateau. Due to the considerable influence across Central and East Asia of the Tibetan form of Buddhism, as well as transcultural entanglements with the Indian subcontinent, results are further expected to connect with these fields. The case study is thus related to TWG 3 and 5, further case studies of Sub-Node 3A (Kellner, Mirning), and Sub-Node 2A (Hugon, Mirning).