This book focuses on the theme of magic in Tibetan contexts, encompassing both pre-modern and modern text-cultures as well as contemporary practices. It offers a new understanding of the identity and role of magical specialists in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Combining the theoretical approaches of anthropology, ethnography, religious and textual studies, the book aims to shed light on experiences, practices and practitioners that have been frequently marginalized by the normative mainstream monastic Buddhist
traditions and Western Buddhist scholarship, which focuses primarily on meditation and
philosophy.
The book explores the intersection between magic/folk practices and Tantra, a complex, socio-religious phenomenon associated not only with the religious and political elites who sponsored it, but also with 'marginal' ethnic groups and social milieus, as well as with lay communities at large, who resorted to ritual agents to fulfil their worldly needs.
Recenzijos
Magic and Tibet belong together. The perception of magic has been a problem for Western scholars who have not been able to cope with it. The orphan of philosophy and religion is finally treated with respect in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Tibet and the place of magic in it! * Daniel Berounsky, Associate Professor, Institute of Asian Studies, Charles University, Prague * This collection by established and emerging scholars broadens the field of the study of magic in Tibet in unique ways. Instead of delving on general discussions and theory, these essays examine key primary sources that altogether provide a coherent understanding of the practices, functions, agents, and aims of these little understood ritual secrets. No complete works have yet covered so much of the subject as does Tibetan Magic. * Marc Des Jardins, Associate Professor of East Asian Religions, Concordia University, Canada *
Daugiau informacijos
Presents new methodologies and theoretical frameworks for understanding the contested category of magic in Tibetan contexts.
Introduction, Cameron M. Bailey, Dongguk University, South Korea
and Aleksandra Wenta, University of Florence, Italy
Chapter 1: The Zla gsang beu bum: A Compendium of ritual magic and sorcery,
Amanda Nichole Brown, Florida State University, USA
Chapter 2: Magical Results of the Rituals in the Tara-mula-kalpas
Continuation Tantra, Susan Landesman, American Council of Learnt Societies
Fellow, USA
Chapter 3:The Vajrabhairavatantra: Materia Magica and Circulation of
Tantric Magical Recipes, Aleksandra Wenta, University of Florence, Italy
Chapter 4: The Magic that Lies Within Prayer: On Patterns of Magicity and
Resolute Aspirations (smon lam), Rolf Scheuermann, Heidelberg University,
Germany
Chapter 5: The Yogin's Familiars: Protector Deities as Magical Guides,
Cameron M. Bailey, Dongguk University, South Korea
Chapter 6: Emic perspectives on the transubstantiation of words in
Tibetan-script textual amulets, Valentina Punzi, University of Tartu,
Estonia
Chapter 7: The Magical Causality of Poison Casting and Cancer among Tibetan
Communities of Gyalthang, Eric D. Mortensen, Guilford College, UK
Chapter 8: Is there Magic in Gcod? An Expedition into (some of) the
Complexities of Sadhana-Text Enactments, Nike-Ann Schröder, Humboldt
University, Germany
Chapter 9: Trainings for Sorcery, Magic, Mystic, Philosophy for that which
is called the Great Accomplishment: Alexandra David-Neels Written and
Unwritten Tibetan Grimoires, Samuel Thévoz, University of Vienna, Austria
Afterword, Conceputalizing the magical Tibet and beyond, Nicolas Sihlč,
Centre for Himalayan Studies, France
Index
Aleksandra Wenta is Lecturer in Indology and Tibetology at the University of Florence, Italy.
Cameron Bailey is an independent scholar, USA.
