142419 UE The Tantra Section in Sahajavajra‘s Sthitisamasa (2022S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie

Continuous assessment of course work

Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Registration is open from Tu 01.02.2022 08:00 to Mo 28.02.2022 10:00
Deregistration possible until Th 31.03.2022 23:59

Details

max. 24 participants

Language: English

Lecturers

Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Classes

Fr 13:00-14:30, digital!, ab 4.3.

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this introductory course we get to know the Indian and Tibetan idioms of the Buddhist yoginītantras, also called “mother tantras” (Tib. Ma rgyud) in Tibetan Buddhism. For this purpose, we will primarily read the tantric chapter of Sahajavajra’s “Summary of Positions” (Sthitismāsa). There is not much known about the life of Sahajavajra, except that he became one of Maitrīpa’s (986-1063) four heart disciples after he had been defeated in debate. The strong Kālacakra influence in the tantric part of the Sthitisamāsa, it quotes twenty and a half verses from the Sekoddeśa, raises some doubt whether our text was by the same Sahajavajra who authored the commentary on the Tattvadaśaka. Yet, in verse 6.18ab of the Sthitisamāsa, Sahajavajra claims, which is tell-tale sign for the doctrinal differences with Kālacakra that Sahajavajra shares with his teacher Maitrīpa.
We will read my preliminary edition of the Sanskrit (NGMPP reel no. B 24/4, fols. 11-17) and the Tibetan based on the Derge and Peking Bstan ’gyur Tengyur, as well the the Dpal spungs edition.

Assessment and permitted materials

The assessment is based on:
Essay 50%
Class participation 30%
Presentation in class 20%

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

A minimum of 4 semesters of Sanskrit and/or 4 semesters of classical Tibetan.

Examination topics

Preparing an annotated translation on a text passage of reasonable size from Sahajavajra's text

Reading list

Grönbold, Günther 1969, Ṣaḍaṅgayoga: Raviśrījñāna’s Guṇabharaṇī nāma Ṣaḍaṅgayogaṭippaṇī mit Text, Übersetzung und literaturhistorischem Hintergrund. Munich.

Guenther, Herbert 1993, Ecstatic Spontaneity: Saraha’s Three Cycles of Dohā. Berkeley: Asian Humanity Press.

Mathes, Klaus-Dieter, 2019, “*Sahajavajra’s integration of Tantra into mainstream Buddhism: An analysis of his *Tattvadaśakaṭīkā and *Sthitisamāsa.” In Tantric Communities in Context, edited by Nina Mirnig, Marion Rastelli, and Vincent Eltschinger. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 137–69.

Matsuda, K. 1995, “Sahajavajra´s Manual on Buddhism (Sthitisamuccaya): The Discovery of its Sanskrit Manuscripts”, JIBS, vol. 63, no. 2, 848-843 (= 205-10).

Orofino, Giacomella, 1994, Sekoddeśa. A Cirtical Edition of the Tibetan Translations. Serie Orientale Roma 72. Rome: IsMEO

Sferra, Francesco 2000, The Ṣaḍaṅgayoga by Anupamarakṣita: With Raviśrījñāna’s Guṇabharaṇīnā- maṣaḍaṅgayogaṭippaṇī. Text and annotated translation. Serie Orientale Roma LXXXV. Roma: Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente. Rome: Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente.

Association in the course directory

BA12b UEa

PM12b Literary Genres and Forms of Language in Tibetan I (10 ECTS)

South Asian, Tibetology and Buddhist Studies ➡ Bachelor Languages and Cultures of South Asia and Tibet (629 [2] - Version 2011)

Last modified: Th 03.03.2022 15:28