Pema Tamang Here is a website created by Pema Tamang introducing the contemporary Tibetan female artist Pekar Monsal, one of the few established female figures of modern Tibetan art. Pekar Monsal advocates for gender equity and the empowerment of Tibetan women. Through numerous examples of Pekar Monsal’s artworks, the author analyses her artistic reflections on specific … [Read more...]
The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava
Bsam gtan gling pa (b.1655). The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava the Indian consort of Padmasambhava, Lama Chonam and Sangye Kandro (trans). Boston, Mass: Wisdom Publications, 1998. Summary by Jeffrey Khau Abstract The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava recounts the different manifestations of Pandaravasini with a focus on the life of Mandarava, a … [Read more...]
Delog: Journey to Realms beyond Death.
Delog: Journey to Realms beyond Death. Composed by Delog Dawa Drolma and Translated by Richard Barron (2002 [1995]). Summary by Gaskin Karlton Abstract In Delog: Journey to Realms Beyond Death, Dawa Drolma provides her account of her journey through the various realms that exist after death. Born in the early 20th century, Dawa Drolma lived most of her life in … [Read more...]
My Youth In Tibet
Abstract and Review of My Youth In Tibet: Recollections of a Tibetan Woman Sevahn Vorperian Abstract My Youth in Tibet is a two-part narrative written by Tseyang Sadutshang, the niece of the 5th Reting Rinpoche (Thupten Jampel Yishey Gyantsen; Tupten Jampel Yeshe Gyentsen) during the first half of the 20th century. Part 1 is Tseyang’s autobiography of her childhood in … [Read more...]
The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava
Natasha Sim Za-hor rgyal poʼi sras mo Lha-lcam Man-dha-ra-waʼi rnam par thar pa. The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava : the Indian consort of Padmasambhava / translated by Lama Chonam and Sangye Khandro ; introduction by Janet Gyatso. (Wisdom Press: 1998) Abstract: This text is perhaps best summed up by Janet Gyatso, in her introduction to this translation, when she … [Read more...]
Gendered Change: The Rise in Status of Female Monastics in the 1980s & 1990s
The sharp increase in opportunities in female monastics to earn higher Buddhist degrees after the Cultural Revolution reveals the reframing of Tibetan modernity through Buddhist morals: Larung Gar, Kala Rongo, Yarchen Gar, and Jangchub Choeling monasteries provide female monastics with the means to obtain Khenmo degrees, signaling a shift in Tibetan Buddhists. Elena Salzmann … [Read more...]
Mapping Women in Tibetan Buddhism
An online map resource by Julia Zeh. Excerpt: In addition to the Maps link which has posts related to the spaces occupied by Tibetan Buddhist women, this page is intended to give a little bit more information about the specific role women have played in Tibetan Buddhism. I found it very difficult to study women in Tibet, primarily because Tibetan written history often does … [Read more...]
Himalayan Hermitess
Annie Huntoon Using Himalayan Hermitess as a Text for Ninth Graders This past week I returned to Phillips Academy for a second interview with my former colleagues in the history department. While there, many questions came my way regarding further inclusion of China into the curriculum. As it stands now, the ninth graders spend about a week or two studying China as it … [Read more...]
Chronology of Travel in Asia & Tibet – Adventures of a Lady
The Adventures of a Lady in Tartary, Thibet, China & Kashmir by Mrs. Hervey Abstract: The Adventures of a Lady in Tartary, Thibet, China & Kashmir is a three-volume collection made up mostly of Mrs. Hervey’s journal, written during her journey through the Himalayas from March, 1850 to October, 1851. After traveling through India in the spring of 1852 (and writing … [Read more...]
The Headdress: Women’s Status Symbol
by Alexandra Cassutt for INTRO EAST ASIAN CIV: TIBET V2365- 001 While from the outset hundreds of years back Tibet's economy was run by and largely for patriarchal interests, there continues to this day a tradition of female adornment which expresses, through the use of a multitude of precious stones, a woman's status and that of her family. The women of the … [Read more...]