142261 SE A Non-sectarian Sakya Scholar in a Time of Crisis (2026S)

This seminar examines the newly available extensive hagiography of Dagpo Tashi Namgyal, The Spiritual Biography of the Omniscient bKra shis rnam rgyal (Kun mkhyen bkra shis rnam rgyal gyi rnam par mthar pa), composed by his nephew Karma Thrinlepa (1456–1539).
Dagpo Tashi Namgyal represents a fascinating case study in fifteenth-century Tibetan religious identity and institutional development. A versatile scholar-meditator, he received training across what would later become distinct sectarian boundaries—studying with the renowned Sakya master Rongtön (1367–1449), absorbing Tsongkhapa’s teachings, and maintaining connections with Kagyu masters. This broad education – sometimes viewed as controversial – shaped his role as Rongtön’s successor at the Sakya-affiliated monastery of Nālendra, where he became celebrated for his Abhisamayālaṁkāra teachings while simultaneously serving as a lineage holder for tantric practices including the path and fruit (lam ’bras).
Through close reading of his text, students will improve their skills in classical Tibetan with a variegated text type and explore how Tashi Namgyal's non-sectarian blend of scholastic and meditative training intersected with—and perhaps challenged—emerging notions of proper religious affiliation. The seminar will consider broader questions about the nature of scholarly identity in fifteenth-century Tibet and examine how religio-political developments during this period contributed to the gradual solidification of school boundaries as socio-political entities.