Tibetan renaissance : Tantric Buddhism in the rebirth of Tibetan culture
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? This work explores how the translation and spread of esoteric Buddhist texts shaped Tibetan society and led to its rise as the center of Buddhist culture throughout Asia, replacing India.
xiv, 596 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
9780231134705, 9780231134712, 0231134703, 0231134711
56319859
Introduction
Early medieval India and esoteric rhapsody
Demise of dynasty and a poorly lit path
Renaissance and reformation: Eastern Vinaya Monks
Translators as the new aristocracy
Drokmi: doyen of central Tibetan translators
Treasure texts, the imperial legacy and the great perfection
Late eleventh century: from esoteric lineages to clan temples
Early twelfth century: a confident Tibetan Buddhism
Late twelfth to early thirteenth century: ethical crises, international prestige, and institutional maturation
Conclusion and epilogue: victory of the clan structure, late Tantric Buddhism, and the neoconservative vision