Tibetan Renaissance

Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture

Ronald M. Davidson

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Year: 2005
• eBook ISBN: 9780231508896
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Asian History

How did a society on the edge of collapse and dominated by wandering bands of armed men give way to a vibrant Buddhist culture, led by yogins and scholars? Ronald M. Davidson explores how the translation and spread of esoteric Buddhist texts dramatically shaped Tibetan society and led to its rise as the center of Buddhist culture throughout Asia, replacing India as the perceived source of religious ideology and tradition. During the Tibetan Renaissance (950-1200 C.E.), monks and yogins translated an enormous number of Indian Buddhist texts. They employed the evolving literature and practices of esoteric Buddhism as the basis to reconstruct Tibetan religious, cultural, and political institutions. Many translators achieved the de facto status of feudal lords and while not always loyal to their Buddhist vows, these figures helped solidify political power in the hands of religious authorities and began a process that led to the Dalai Lama's theocracy. Davidson's vivid portraits of the monks, priests, popular preachers, yogins, and aristocratic clans who changed Tibetan society and culture further enhance his perspectives on the tensions and transformations that characterized medieval Tibet.

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents 
• Preface
• List of Maps, Figures, and Tables
• Pronunciation Guide
• Introduction
• 1. Early Medieval India and the Esoteric Rhapsody
• 2. The Demise of Dynasty and a Poorly Lit Path
• 3. Renaissance and Reformation: The Eastern Vinaya Monks
• 4. Translators as the New Aristocracy
• 5. Drokmi: The Doyen of Central Tibetan Translators
• 6. Treasure Texts, the Imperial Legacy, and the Great Perfection
• 7. The Late Eleventh Century: From Esoteric Lineages to Clan Temples
• 8. The Early Twelfth Century: A Confident Tibetan Buddhism
• 9. The Late Twelfth to Early Thirteenth Century: Ethical Crises, International Prestige, and Institutional Maturation
• 10. Conclusion and Epilogue: The Victory of the Clan Structure, Late Tantric Buddhism, and the Neoconservative Vision
• Notes
• Glossary
• Tibetan Orthographic Equivalents
• Appendix 1: Eastern Vinaya Temples, Cave Temples, and Residences in the Mid-Eleventh Century
• Appendix 2: Translation and Text of the Root Text of the *Mārgaphala
• Appendix 3: A Concordance of Early Commentaries on the Root Text of the *Mārgaphala
• Notes to Appendices
• Abbreviations
• Bibliography
• Index