Biographies under review:Note: The list is in chronological order based on when the biography was written. 14th Century Rinchen Namgyal, Dratshadpa. A Handful of Flowers: A brief biography of Buton Rinchen Drub. (1290-1364, written 1366). Hans van der Bogaert (trans.). Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1996. 15th Century Heruka, Tsangnyon … [Read more...]
TIBET 101
A Brief Introduction to the Historic Region of Tibet and Tibet's Rich Culture Rachel Bleau A website introducing Tibet to those interested with no prior knowledge, through the tool of a quiz. For those more advanced, an advanced quiz is available too! … [Read more...]
Sacred Space
Online essay by Alex Whitman, Sacred Space. Tibet’s srin mo legend has been invoked at key moments of political flux, offering actors new modes of relating to–and benefiting from–a common imperial past. The fight against the demoness is continuously played out in sacred spaces, where institutional duty and virtue are intimately tied to the fulfillment of the imperial … [Read more...]
Tibetan Medicine
A blog by Michael Argenziano, Tibetan Medicine: Past, Present, Future An excerpt: Ancient Tibetan Medicine: From Bön to Buddhism Medicine has been believed to be an integral part of Tibetan culture as early as the inception of the Bön tradition, centuries before the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet. According to several Bön texts, the founder of the Bön religion, … [Read more...]
Lepcha: A Case Study of Tibetanization in the Borderlands
Alex Whitman HSEA4812 S17 Dr. Tuttle Final Paper Lepcha: A Case Study of Tibetanization in the Borderlands Abstract The Lepcha people (self-referentially the Rong) are commonly recognized as the first inhabitants of Sikkim. The Lepcha claim to indigeneity lies closely in the historical linkage between Mount Khangchendzonga and Lepcha religious tradition, which … [Read more...]
Tibet Chronology
The Periodization of Tibetan History: General Chronology This timeline includes dates of influential Tibetan figures and major political eras. At this point it does not attempt to represent the whole of the Tibetan cultural region, nor does it portray Tibetan history from a variety of subject-specific rubrics – art, medicine, literature, politics – in any systematic fashion. We … [Read more...]
Dilemmas in Writing National Histories: The Case for China and Tibet
Dilemmas in Writing National Histories: The Case for China and Tibet The website is designed to incite discussion and debate on the ways we construct and imagine national identity through historical narratives. Initially, the project developed from a seminar which explored theories of nationalism in order to analyze competing representations of Chinese and Tibetan history. … [Read more...]
Ruling Inner Asia from Beijing: Lamas and Emperors
A WIKISCHOLARS WEBSITE Late imperial China was marked by a multi-ethnic tradition of rulership that built on the foundations of the so-called “conquest dynasties.” This site will survey the central people, places, art and institutions that made Tibetan Buddhism as a religious ideology central to late imperial efforts at making China a multi-ethnic state. This … [Read more...]