"In an era of environmental crisis, narratives of 'hidden lands' are resonant. Understood as sanctuaries in times of calamity, Himalayan hidden lands or sbas yul have shaped the lives of many peoples of the region. Sbas yul are described by visionary lamas called 'treasure finders' who located hidden lands and wrote guidebooks to them. Scholarly understandings of sbas yul as places for spiritual cultivation and refuge from war have been complicated recently. Research now explores such themes as the political and economic role of 'treasure finders', the impact of sbas yul on indigenous populations, and the use of sbas yul for environmental protection and tourism. This book showcases recent scholarship on sbas yul from historical and contemporary perspectives"--
Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History showcases recent scholarship, photo essays, maps, and translations about hidden lands (sbas yul) across the Himalaya, from historical and contemporary perspectives.
| Preface |
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ix | |
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| Note on the Locations of the sbas yul |
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xiii | |
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xvi | |
| Editors and Contributors |
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xxiii | |
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PART 1 Introducing the sbas yul |
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Photo Essay: The Terrestrial Buddha Realm of sbasyul Padma bkod: A Visual Pilgrimage |
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3 | (48) |
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1 Hidden Lands of Tibet in Myth and History |
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51 | (44) |
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PART 2 The sbas yul over Time: Historical Perspectives |
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2 Healing Mountains and Hidden Lands |
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95 | (13) |
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3 Did sbasyul Play a Part in the Development of Tibetan Book Culture? |
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108 | (15) |
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4 Early Echoes of sbasyul Padma bkod in the Lifestory of Thang stong rgyal po |
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123 | (20) |
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5 Padma bkod through the Lens of Two Pilgrimage Guidebooks: Walking the Body of Rdo rje phag mo |
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143 | (19) |
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6 "A Great and Small Padma bkod": Guidebooks and Individual Journeys |
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162 | (23) |
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7 Prophecy and Fantastical Reality in Sle lung Bzhad pa'i rdo rje's Journey to Padma bkod |
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185 | (22) |
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8 The Shapeshifting Goddess: The Consecration of Padma bkod's Yang Sang Chu Region by the 20th-century gterston, Bdud `joms drag sngags gling pa' |
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207 | (22) |
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PART 3 The sbas yul in the Modern World: Ethnographic Perspectives |
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9 The Arising of Padma bkod in the Western World |
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229 | (27) |
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10 Voices from the Mountainside: Vernacular sbasyul in the Western Himalaya |
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256 | (20) |
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11 Pachakshiri: A Little-Known Hidden Land between Tsa ri and Padma bkod in the Eastern Himalaya |
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276 | (21) |
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12 How Is This Sacred Place Arrayed? Pacification, Increase, Magnetism, and Wrath in the Establishment of an Eastern Himalayan sbasyul |
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297 | (34) |
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Photo Essay: Glimpses of a Hidden Land: The sbasyul of Yol mo |
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315 | (16) |
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PART 4 Two Guidebooks to the Hidden Land of Padma Bkod |
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`Ja' tshon snying po's Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Padma bkod |
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331 | (11) |
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Bdud `joms gling pa's Hidden Sacred Land of Padma bkod' |
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342 | (5) |
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| Index |
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347 | |
Frances Garrett is Associate Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist at the University of Toronto. She has published on intersections between tantric practice, ritual knowledge and medical theory, as well as on the Gesar epic.
Geoffrey Samuel is Emeritus Professor at Cardiff University, Wales, U.K. and Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney, Australia, where he directs the Body, Health and Religion (BAHAR) Research Group. His academic career has been in social anthropology and religious studies. His current research interests include Tibetan yogic health practices, Tibetan medicine, and the dialogue between Buddhism and science.
Elizabeth McDougal, PhD candidate (due 2020), University of Sydney, has two Masters in Buddhist Studies and Indian Philosophy from University of Sydney and Banaras Hindu University, respectively. She has worked as a Tibetan-to-English translator for ten years and published several articles on the modernization of Tibetan Buddhism.
