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Served as volume editor (‘general editor’), co-author, and author of the introduction (pp. 1-19).
Now the 2020 2nd edition, which replaces the one you see here, is available: Go to https://www.bdrc.io/blog/2020/12/21/dan-martins-tibetan-histories/
Byin 'bebs 'the descent of blessings' is an ecstatic state and expression of faith among the Bon community in Reb gong County, Rma lho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China, associated with the biannual Chos thog chen mo ritual. After 1958, the descent of blessings was not seen again until 1999. Bon adherants believe that blessings will descend if they are in the presence of a sufficiently powerful deity or bla ma and if their faith is strong enough. The ecstatic state is evident in dramatic changes in facial expressions, crying, laughing, dancing, jumping, the making of ritual gestures, and spontaneous uttering of prayers. This article introduces the Bon community of Reb gong, examines the descent of blessings in its ritual context, presents the phenomenon's recent history, and provides first-person accounts from those who have experienced the descent of blessings.
PIATS 2006: Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter 2006 and Oxford 2003
In this paper (Acta Orientalia, 2006 [in French]), I introduce mNyam med Shes rab rgyal mtshan (1356-1415), one of the greatest philosophers of the Tibetan Bon religion in link with the Buddhist contemporary context. I especially inquire in his (supposed) connections with the Sa skya pa philosopher Rong ston Śā kya rgyal mtshan. The paper includes an edition and a translation of the first chapter of the Sa lam rang ’grel by Shes rab rgyal mtshan. The most important conclusion is that, in the history of Tibetan thought, Bon should neither be regarded as a relic of a pre-Buddhic religion, nor as mere plagiarism of Buddhism, nor even as an isolated cultural sphere, but as having always interfered in a dynamic and creative way with Buddhism in Tibet. Shes rab rgyal mtshan is obviously very much aware of the evolutions of Buddhist though in Tibet in his times, and it is not enough to say that he integrates them, or reacts to them — but he might well have been one of their very active agents, though the influence of Bon thinkers on the evolution Buddhist doctrines will be long and difficult to establish precisely. A more extensive and up-to-date version of this paper is about to be published (2018).
Based on a paper at the International Conference, Exploring Tibet’s History and Culture, 19th–21st November 2009, Delhi University and the Central University for Tibetan Studies (CUTS); extracted from “William of Ockham, etc.”, Paris 2010
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