RLST 180: Rituals of Buddhist Tantra

RLST 180: Rituals of Buddhist Tantra

Brief Outline of Class

Buddhism has often been described as a philosophical tradition based on systems of logic and reasoning (said to reflect the original teachings of the Buddha as described in Buddhist texts), one that largely rejects ritual practices as mere superstition. More recently, however, we have come to understand the central role ritual has played throughout the history of Buddhism’s development and its spread across different cultural regions. Rituals, we find, pervade nearly all aspects of Buddhist life from monasticism to lay culture and from elite scholasticism to family practice; rituals, we now know, are inscribed in the very texts that were said to shun them. This seminar explores Buddhist ritual traditions, focusing on the cultural centers of India and Tibet and examining both theoretical frameworks and practical applications. The seminar begins with a brief introduction to the ritual field of pre-Buddhist India before covering the traditions of early Buddhism in India as well as later Mahāyāna developments in India and Tibet, including monastic protocol, social and institution-sponsored practices, cults of the book, and the use of prayer and mantra. A large portion of the course will be devoted to exploring the rich traditions of Buddhist tantra in India and Tibet, focusing on their ritual communities and the practices they developed and transmitted.

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