Projects
Three illuminated manuscripts on “Tibetan geomancy” (sa dpyad).
Several years ago, the Bavarian State Library acquired three illustrated manuscripts on geomancy (Cod. Tibet. 895, 896, 897) from Mongolia. They were most probably written in the 19th or 20th century. The author is unknown, but an initial analysis of the texts makes it clear that they are based on chapter 32 of the Vaiḍūrya dkar po, a work by Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653–1705). The author arranged the texts according to three subjects: places that are suitable for construction, places that are unsuitable for construction and the succession of the “earth enemies” (sa dgra). The study of the manuscripts should contribute to research on Tibetan geomancy and Sino-Tibetan divination (nag rtsis).
The biography of Ngawang Tsering (1657-1734)
Ngawang Tsering was a famous Buddhist Yogin from Zanskar/ Ladakh in the Western Himalaya, who has left an extraordinary autobiography. In this work, he describes in great detail his childhood, his hard life and his confrontations with his stepmother.
These accounts of his childhood, especially his daily life, are unusual in Tibetan biographies and autobiographies, which are generally written as hagiographies and do not provide details of the experiences of daily life.
This biography as a whole allows not only insights into the early life of this member of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, but also into his later activities, activities that had a lasting influence on the religious life in Zanskar and Ladakh in the 18th century.
Frauenheilkunde in der tibetischen Medizinliteratur/Women's medicine in Tibetan medical literature
Funding Organisation: DAAD (2015-2018)
Implementation: Isabella Würthner, M.A.
Tibetan medicine, the "knowledge of healing" (gso ba'i rig pa) is considered a Buddhist science based on concepts such as ignorance. From this primary cause of disease arise the three mind poisons of greed, hatred and delusion, which in turn are directly related to the three humors (nyes pa gsum) "wind" (rlung), "bile" (mkhris pa) and "phlegm" (bad kan). The humors are considered components of the body and their imbalance results in the respective diseases.
The standard work for the basics of Tibetan medicine is the so-called "Four Tantras" (rgyud bzhi), on which the training of Tibetan doctors in the autonomous region and in exile is still based today. The Four Tantras are divided into different chapters, with women's/ gynaecological diseases (mo nad) being mainly treated in the third tantra (man ngag rgyud).
The aim of this thesis is the philological analysis and translation of the chapters on gynaecological diseases together with selected commentary literature such as the Mes po'i shal lung of Blo-gros rgyal-po (1509-1579) and Vaiḍūrya sngon po of sde srid Sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho (1653-1705). This basic research is intended to give us an insight into the Tibetan view of gynaecological diseases and to open up the corresponding medical vocabulary. The philological work will be supplemented by field research with Tibetan doctors in India.
Life and work of the scholar Shes rab rgya mtsho (1884-1968)
Conducted by: Judith Petry, M.A.
The Tibetan scholar Sherab Gyatso (Shes rab rgya mtsho, 1884-1968) from Amdo was asked by the 13th Dalai Lama to rework the works of Bu-ston Rin-chen-grub because of his outstanding reputation. He was subsequently given the responsibility of revising the Lhasa-bKa'-'gyur. He himself was the author of several texts on various subjects (collected and published by the Qinghai Nationalities Press). He was a colourful personality and very active. Thus he taught at 'Bras-spungs Monastery and supervised the "debating examinations" there and also in Se-ra and dGa'-ldan. At the invitation of the Chinese government, he travelled to the then capital Nanjing after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, later lectured at major state universities in the PRC, gave teachings on Tibetan Buddhism and held several offices: he was Vice President of Qinghai Province, Deputy for Qinghai in the National People's Congress and Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Society. As President of the Society for the Promotion of Tibetan Culture, he tried to mediate between Chinese and Tibetan culture. From 1939, Sherab Gyatso was busy building a school at his home monastery dGa'-ldan 'Phel-gyas gling in the rDo-sbis region of Amdo. There, ordained monks studied Buddhism and the Tibetan and Chinese languages together with Tibetan and Chinese lay people. Sherab Gyatso tried to combine the Tibetan tradition of Buddhist education with the modern Chinese education system.
The basis for this research project is the biography of lHa rams pa sKal bzang rgya mtsho: „rJe btsun dam pa shes rab rgya mtso‘i rnam thar“ (2010), the publication of Phun tshog's „Dge bshes Shes rab rgya mtsho dang Rdo sbis grwa tshang“ (1998) and the collected works of Sherab Gyatso „rJe brtsun shes rab rgya mtsho ‘jam dpal dgyes pa‘i blo gros kyi gsung rtsom“ (1984).
One aim of the paper is to explore whether (and if so, how) Sherab Gyatso influenced Sino-Tibetan schooling and the general dialogue between Tibet and China in the years before the communists seized power.