Buddhist Studies

This seminar provides an introduction to a broad range of Tibetan Buddhist texts, including chronicles and histories, biographical literature, doctrinal treatises, canonical texts, ritual manuals, pilgrimage guides, and liturgical texts. It is intended for graduate students interested in premodern Tibet from any perspective. Students are required to do all of the readings in the original classical Tibetan. It will also serve as a tools and methods for the study of Tibetan Buddhist literature, including standard lexical and bibliographic references, digital resources, and secondary literature in modern languages. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester to account for the needs and interests of particular students.

Spring 2018: This semester the seminar focuses on 14th century Great Perfection (rdzogs chen) literature. In particular, we will read excerpts from Rindzin Godem's influential treasure revelation, The Unimpeded Realization of Samantabhadra (kun tu bzang po'i dgongs pa zang thel). Godem's revelation started the Northern Treasures (byang gter) tradition and contributed to the final synthesis of the Great Perfection. The five volumes of The Unimpeded Realization contain a large variety of literature, so we will read texts on Dzokchen contemplation, philosophy, narratives, tantras, severance practice (gcod), liberation through wearing (btags grol) and so forth. To support our understanding of the primary sources, we will read relevant literature in English and discuss it in class, but the main focus will be on reading Tibetan texts.