gelukpa

Chandra Ehm's investigation into the foundations of the Geluk monastic curriculum The commentarial corpus of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, as we find it in the scholarship of the gelukpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, clearly outlines soteriological paths on how to achieve the religious goal of enlightenment. These scriptures are studied, debated, and contemplated for eight years in the context of the geshe studies by the monastic scholar. Based on two texts, authored by Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen and Longdol Lama, as well as the preliminary findings of my anthropological research, this talk will explore how these scriptural paradigms translate to institutional realities in the monastic seats, which role they take in the personal lives of the monastic virtuoso, and how they connect to their spiritual practice.

Chandra Ehm's investigation into the foundations of the Geluk monastic curriculum The commentarial corpus of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, as we find it in the scholarship of the gelukpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, clearly outlines soteriological paths on how to achieve the religious goal of enlightenment. These scriptures are studied, debated, and contemplated for eight years in the context of the geshe studies by the monastic scholar. Based on two texts, authored by Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen and Longdol Lama, as well as the preliminary findings of my anthropological research, this talk will explore how these scriptural paradigms translate to institutional realities in the monastic seats, which role they take in the personal lives of the monastic virtuoso, and how they connect to their spiritual practice.

Brenton Sullivan presents his new book "Building a Religious Empire: Tibetan Buddhism, Bureaucracy, and the Rise of the Gelukpa" and discuss the third chapter, "Institutionalizing Tantra", in more detail In his new book, "Building a Religious Empire Tibetan Buddhism, Bureaucracy, and the Rise of the Gelukpa (UPenn Press, 2020)" Sullivan utilizes constitutions written for Buddhist monasteries as well as Chinese and Tibetan historical materials to uncover the role of Buddhist prelates in legislating and administering their monasteries across Inner Asia. In this talk, he will focus in particular on the attention these prelates gave to domesticating tantra taking the streams of powerful mouth to ear practices meant for the liberation of the practitioner and bringing them into the confines of the monastery, where they serve the purposes of the institution.