
Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary examines the religious biography of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859-1934), the most significant modern figure representing the Tibetan Bön religion-a vital minority tradition that is underrepresented in Tibetan studies. The work is based on fieldwork conducted in eastern Tibet and in the Bön exile community in India, where traditional Tibetan scholars collaborated closely on the project. Utilizing close readings of two versions of Shardza's life-story, along with oral history collected in Bön communities, this book presents and interprets the biographical image of this major figure, culminating with an English translation of his life story.William M. Gorvine argues that the disciple-biographer's literary portrait not only enacts and shapes religious ideals to foster faith among its readership, but also attempts to quell tensions that had developed among his original audience. Among the Bön community today, Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen has come to be unequivocally revered for an impressive textual legacy and a saintly death. During his lifetime, however, he faced prominent critics within his own lineage who went so far as to issue polemical attacks against him. As Gorvine shows, the biographical texts that inform us about Shardza's life are best understood when read on multiple registers, with attention given to the ways in which the religious ideals on display reflect the broader literary, cultural, and historical contexts within which they were envisioned and articulated.
This work investigates how the biographical accounts of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen function as both a vehicle for religious ideals and a tool for navigating internal sectarian tensions within the Bön tradition. William M. Gorvine, a scholar of Tibetan religion, utilizes a combination of textual analysis and ethnographic fieldwork to examine how the saint's life story was constructed by his disciples. The book argues that these narratives were crafted to solidify the subject's status as a saint while simultaneously addressing the polemical challenges he faced from critics during his lifetime.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars of Tibetan studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the underrepresented field of Bön research. Experts highlight the author's methodological rigor in balancing textual analysis with contemporary oral history to provide a nuanced view of religious hagiography.
Page Count:
325
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190914629
ISBN-13:
9780190914622
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