Teaching Tibet: Appendices A-G

Index

 * APPENDICIES	69
 * APPENDIX A – BLOOM’S TAXONOMY (REVISED)	69
 * APPENDIX B – LESSON PLANS (FINAL)	70
 * APPENDIX C: EXHAUSTIVE EXPLICATION OF CURRICULUM	91
 * APPENDIX D: READINGS	101
 * APPENDIX E: NOTES & REACTIONS	101
 * APPENDIX F: STUDENT RESPONSES & FEEDBACK	122

Appendix A: Bloom's Taxonomy (Revised)
Remember	Understand	Apply	Analyze	Evaluate	Create Factual Conceptual Procedural Meta-Cognitive

Appendix B: Lesson Plans (Final)
Introduction to Tibet – History Religion Culture and Politics Class #1 – Introduction – Lecture/Socratic

1. Greetings, introductions, etc. 2. Review Syllabus 3. Questions: a. What do you know about Tibet? b. When did you first hear about Tibet? c. What do you think about China’s relationship with Tibet? d. What do you know about Buddhism? e. How have you seen ‘Eastern’ things (like Buddhism and Tibet) portrayed? 4. Talk about bias a. I do not believe that there can be no such thing as bias, that one can be completely objective and keep ideology out of the things they teach. Whether done consciously or not, ideas and opinion get pulled into the equation when teaching, so it is important to explain my position: i. I am teaching this course primarily because I hope to help educate and preserve knowledge about Tibetan culture – I believe that it is something worth preserving. Not that this knowledge remains static or that it can be guaranteed in every instance, but that there is a commitment to continually learn about Tibet, as it continues to unfold. ii. I am teaching this course out of utmost respect to Tibetans and their plight, and I will try my best to present our investigation in a respectful way. iii. You do not have to take my presentation of Tibet as truth – in fact, you should not. The perspective on Tibet you will find in this course is but one of many. iv. Some of the texts and films we will be reading and watching are written with a strong political purpose and intent, and we must always be aware of the perspectives of the writers we will consult. v. More than anything, I advocate being critical of your learning experience. Question the writers, question the approach, not in an accusatory way, but rather investigate the who, what, where, when, how and why of what you are reading. 5. Talk about my goals & student goals for the course a. My Goals i. Provide participants with a firm, basic level of understanding of Tibetan histories, religions, cultures and politics. ii. Provide participants with this understanding in auditory, visual, conceptual and other ways. iii. To teach that an exploration of Tibet is necessarily an exploration of perspectives about Tibet. iv. To express respect for Tibet, and also to drive home the point that we cannot generalize or fit all of Tibet in a neat little package – it is far too complex for such simplification. b. Student Goals? 6. Talk about authenticity & respect a. It is absolutely essential to talk about other cultures with respect, as I mentioned before. When I was designing this course, I often had issues with trying to teach about what Tibet is “really like,” because I find that is not so simple. i. It is hard to pin down exactly what Tibet “is” or “was,” because this suggests that it can be summarized and generalized, and that these generalizations will hold true in every instance. Instead, I plan to offer some trends which have been prominent, but certainly do not stick in every situation. ii. Equally important, I am going to try my best to teach questions upon questions, rather than answers upon answers. A lot of my questions about Tibet still don’t have answers, and most of them never will. 7. Reading Excerpts Out Loud a. “Khabachen: The Land of Snow” (p. 33-45) from Thubten Jigme Norbu’s Tibet (General wider view of Tibetans & beliefs). b. Portions of “Introduction” (p. 5-6) from Melvyn C. Goldstein & Matthew T. Kapstein’s Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet: Religious Revival and Cultural Identity (Tibet in general & importance of Buddhism in Tibetan society). c. Portion of “Chapter 1” (p. 3-5) from Tashi Tsering’s The Struggle for Modern Tibet (View of remorse over Tibet’s old traditional society). d. “Honored Among Thieves” by Nagpa Karma Lhundup (p. 49) from Brian Harris’ Tibetan Voices (Views of life among brigands in western Tibet, specifically Changtang). e. “To the Nomad Camps” by Jamyang Sakya from Harris’ Tibetan Voices (views of life among nomads). f. “The Sleeper Awakes” by Lobsang Gyaltso from Harris’ Tibetan Voices (views of nomad life, and Tibetan humor). g. “Muslim Neighbors” by Tsering Dolkar Yuthok from Harris’ Tibetan Voices (views of Buddhist-Muslim relations in Lhasa).

Introduction to Tibet: History Religion Culture and Politics Class #2: A First Glimpse of Tibet – Lecture/Storytelling

1. Introduction: Today, I would like to give you an opening look of Tibet. Some of you maybe already have seen films and images that show Tibet. Some of you may be Tibetan and don’t need pictures to get a sense of what this place is like. Regardless, I have chosen some images and I’ve also selected some specific readings from Tibetans and westerners alike that will hopefully give you a broad spectrum, a very wide brushstroke, of perspectives on Tibet. First, I am going to start with a few basic facts about Tibet…anything you’d find in a National Geographic or Almanac. 2. Questions to keep in mind today: a. How do these perspectives on Tibet differ? How are they the same? b. What common themes do you hear repeated? c. Who is the author, and what perspective are they coming from? 3. Tibet: Basics a. Location: Central Asia, northeast of India, Nepal and the Himalayan mountain range, southwest of Mongolia, neighbor of China. b. The Tibetan plateau rises avg. 12,000 feet above sea level. It is nearly the size of Western Europe, and only contained about 6 million people in 1950. c. The staple crop is barley, though it usually only grows in valleys. Most of the rivers in South Asia originate in Tibet, and the plateau is known for its rich mineral deposits, enormous forests and staggering mountain passes. d. The main religion is Buddhism, although a similar pre-Buddhist tradition known as Bön exists in Tibet, as well as Islam. e. Tibet has had many border conflicts with China, and has found itself controlled by (and controlling) China throughout history. We’ll get to more of this later. f. Tibet has a long history of agrarian settlements as well as nomadic peoples. Cities such as Tsang City, Lhasa, Tashilhunpo are examples of urban living. Until 1950, the lifestyle was very much devoid of technology; the wheel was outlawed (except for prayer wheels) until the Chinese invaded. g. Tibet takes much of its religion, culture and foods from its neighbors, especially India, Mongolia and China. 4. Students reading excerpts aloud a. Portion of “Khabachen: The Land of Snow” (p. 40-45) from Thubten Jigme Norbu’s Tibet (General wider view of Tibetans & beliefs). b. Portion of “Introduction” (p. 9) by Colin M. Turnbull from Thubten Jigme Norbu’s Tibet (General wider view of Tibetans & beliefs). c. Portion of “Leopard Cubs” (p. 12-17) from Mikel Dunham’s Buddha’s Warriors (Views of life in eastern Tibet, specifically SE region, Kham). d. Portion of “Tibet As it Used to Be” (p. 15-17) from A. Tom Grunfeld’s The Making of Modern Tibet (denouncing the old regime). e. “The Begging Classes” (p. 71) from Harris’ Tibetan Voices (describing the existence of beggars and the lower classes). f. Portion of “In Communist China” (p. 101) from Tenzin Gyatso (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama)’s Freedom in Exile (positive views of the old order of Tibet). g. “Tibet” (p. 6-7) from Chris Mullin and Phuntsog Wangyal’s The Tibetans (denouncing Tibetan Buddhism, monasticism, etc.). h. “Disguised in the Market” from Harris’ Tibetan Voices (contrary views of Mullin/Wangyal re. the seclusion of HHDL. 5. Questions a. What do you make of each passage? b. What do you see as being important? What strikes you, or appeals to you? c. What picture does this paint of Tibet? d. Compare someone like Grunfeld and Mullin/Wangyal to what HHDL says about Tibet and the ‘old order’. e. How does one reconcile such divergent views of Tibet and Tibetans? Does one? f. Did you find any racist/orientalist comments in any of these passages? 6. Final Comments a. The sources I am using are many, and each perspective is powerfully distinct and differs vastly from its other accompanying examples. As often as people like (or try) to stereotype Tibet, the point here is that no two perspectives on anything are exactly the same. Tibet did have less contact with other nations, which leads many to believe that Tibetan culture was very concrete and seemingly of a singular nature. b. But there are remarkable differences between the beliefs and feelings of different Tibetans (although not all these authors are, in fact, Tibetan). Some of these authors make more judgments than others. Some are critical and some are nostalgic over the traditional Tibet that existed before China. These differences in opinion are important, and this is really what I hope to teach above all: that nothing is as simple or straight-forward as we might try to make it be. I hope to teach questions rather than answers. 7. Final Questions: a. What are the main points you drew from today’s class? b. What went over well, what didn’t you grasp? c. What would you like to see more of in this class?

Introduction To Tibet – History, Religion, Culture and Politics Class #3: Buddhism – Socratic/Group Interaction/Mixed Lecture

--Finish talking about the 3 excerpts (15m) --Pass around attendance sheet --Introduce any new people

Today, we will begin our exploration of Tibet with an exploration of Buddhism. I chose to take this approach, because it has been my experience that much of Tibet has been bound by the fabric of Buddhism, so to begin to understand the first thing about Tibet, one has to understand Buddhism – or at least some of it.

1. Assessment – Questions before/writing @ end. o What is the goal of Buddhism? Is the path the goal? Is the goal at the end of the path? o Is Buddhism a philosophy or a religion? 2. Socratic (5m) questioning: prior to this reading, o What did you know about Buddhism? o How has Buddhism been presented to you in the past? When did you first learn about it? 3. Group Activity: The first 3 noble truths. (10m/20m) o Depending on how many students are present, it would be great to have them break up into groups and discuss the first three of the Four Noble Truths. E.g., if there are six students, break them up into groups of two, and have each group discuss and write down what they see as being the most important aspects of the first three Noble Truths. 4. Essential aspects of the Four Noble Truths o The Truth of Dukkha: What is “dukkha”? What kinds of notions does this word encompass? How many different kinds of dukkha are there, and how do they differ? ß Dukkha is a word that is often translated as “suffering,” but such translations are misleading, and create much of the inaccurate notions that Buddhism is a pessimistic tradition. A better translation is to leave the word untranslated, and to keep in mind that it connotes wider philosophical meanings like dissatisfaction, insubstantiality, impermanence, etc., as we read about for today. ß This truth exposes the reality of everyday life. It suggests that we run around in this life trying vainly to attach our hopes for some kind of ultimate peace, happiness or refuge on ephemeral things like objects, people, sense pleasures and the like. o The Truth of the source of Dukkha: What causes dukkha? ß The source of this Dukkha is due to our delusions and ignorances about two things. • Ourselves – We are very strange creatures. We see what we want to see, we hear what we want to hear. We are subjective and look at the world through our own lenses, giving ourselves the false idea that there is some dichotomy between subject and object. We see ourselves as being fundamentally separate from those surrounding us, and are prone to acts of selfishness and greed. This greed comes in the form of a very powerful thirst that we have to accumulate, acquire and possess more pleasurable experiences. • The world around us – We think that objects around us are permanent, and will provide endless amounts of comfort and joy. We see pleasurable sensual experiences as being the primary goal and, thinking that these pleasures are happiness, we grasp onto them. We develop attachment for certain experiences, and aversion towards others. o The Truth of the cessation of Dukkha (Nirvana): what is the end to dukkha? ß Nirvana refers to the blowing out of the flame of suffering. When one has conquered and eliminated all the sources of Dukkha, one has understood Nirvana. This is an important point. Nirvana is not attained or grasped, but rather it is understood. It is the mountain path; the mountain does not change dependent on whether or not you walk towards it, but rather, it is always there. ß The way to understanding the truth of Nirvana is to realize that the self does not exist in its own right, and that, in fact, nothing in this world exists of its own right. When analyzed to its core, one finds that the person has no core—no soul, no partless particle that serves as a bearer of parts. Fully understanding this in a non-linguistic, non-symbolic way is the key to understanding the truth of Nirvana. • But one cannot reach this point without first going through the path. ß To be Enlightened means to be completely free of suffering and its causes, to have blown out the candle of cyclic existence, to be free from karma, and to be completely free from delusion and ignorance, brimming with compassion for all beings. And, of course, to have understood the ineffable. ß Today we’ll be discussing only three of the four truths, because the fourth has some more philosophically significant themes, and we’ll be exploring those tomorrow. o This is the Buddhist path, in its most basic form, the way to become a Buddha. 5. TRANSITION: All of this begs the question: who was the Buddha? o Work out the history & life of the Buddha with students (5m) o The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama, approximately 2551 years ago, in current-day Nepal. Important aspects: ß Kept in the palaces by the King ß Four life-altering sights • Sickly being, old person, a corpse and a renunciate ß Great renunciation ß Great asceticism ß The middle path ß Enlightenment ß Teachings ß Sangha ß Death o I chose to speak about the Dharma first, because even the Buddha said that after his passing, his holy teaching would be the primary source on how to reach buddhahood. While the Buddha is an essential as the teacher of these revelations, even he viewed his Dharma to be more important than himself. o TRANSITION: He taught that, for the followers of his word, the Dharma should be the guide. Who are his followers? 6. Among Buddhists, there are two different kinds: monks and laypersons. o Laypersons take the most basic of vows – not to kill, steal, practice sexual misconduct, speak in a way that is divisive, harsh, unnecessary or untruthful, and in many cases, to avoid intoxicants of any kind. o Monks follow much stricter guidelines, avoiding tall, soft beds, perfumes, jewelry, foods after noon, and other parts of life that are deemed to be luxurious. The goal here is to eschew sense pleasures and the trappings and fetters of life that encourage the creation of attachment and aversion in our minds, and also to commit one’s life to altruistic deeds. o The biggest distinction here is that of the different kinds of vows and oaths that monks and laypersons take. 7. When one is to become a Buddhist, one must take refuge in three essential elements of Buddhism: o The Buddha (the historical Buddha as well as the prospect of one’s own Buddhahood) – the doctor o The Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) – the medicine o The Sangha (the community of monks and nuns) – the team of nurses o These elements are referred to as the triple-gem of Buddhism. Only with these three working together, and only by taking refuge in these three can one really engage on the Buddhist path. Taking refuge is committing oneself to the path, as well as requesting protection from these three sources. o What does it mean to take refuge? Taking refuge is having faith in the guidance of the Buddha, his teachings, and the monastic community which diligently helps to uphold and remind us of these teachings. Buddhism does not really require that you take a leap of faith, or that you suspend your disbelief until you get used to it. Buddhism’s faith is one built on a strong foundation of experiential knowledge. One must not take the words of the Buddha at face value, but rather investigate deeply as to the degree of their truth. If you understand and agree with the Dharma, the Buddha says, practice it. o TRANSITION: There are three categories of the Dharma 8. The Buddha’s teaching can be grouped into mainly three categories: Sutra, Shastra and Tantra. o Sutra refers to the actual words of the Buddha. All Sutras begin with the phrase, “Thus did I hear.” They outline the Dharma and the full corpus of the Buddha’s actually spoken teachings. o Shastra refers to teachings or commentaries based off of the Sutras. Works drawing from the Dharma, but that are not of the Buddha’s own composition are Shastras. o Tantra refers to texts and teachings found in the Vajrayana branch of Buddhism, which outline a much faster path towards Enlightenment. 9. Buddhism consists of three branches: Sravakyana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. o Sravakyana – This is the oldest vehicle of Buddhism, and has existed since the Buddha’s time. ß It follows that the disciple (the sravaka) is seeking out Enlightenment for their own uses to free themselves from the endless rounds of death and rebirth. o The Mahayana came about right around 0 C.E., suggesting that the true goal of any Buddhist disciple is to attain Enlightenment in order to liberate other beings from their own sufferings. ß There is a uniquely compassionate nature of this second kind of Buddhism. The Mahayana has what is called the bodhisattva ideal – that a being can become Enlightened and then not pass away, but choose to be reborn in order to help others. Everything is done for the benefit of all sentient beings. A typical figure of this compassionate intent is that of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, who has 1,000 arms to help everyone from their pain. o The Vajrayana came about circa 500 C.E., and can be seen as a subset of the Mahayana branch, given that the underlying altruistic motivation is still present, however there is a different approach towards realizing Nirvana. ß In the Vajrayana branch, there are various internal and external rituals that one undergoes in order to utilize the negative and positive energies and mental states as method for spiritual attainment. 10. ASSESSMENT: Do some writing o I want students to spend 5-10 minutes writing down some ideas. ß What went over well this class? What information came across most clearly? ß What didn’t come across so clearly? ß Were there any specific parts that students liked/disliked? ß What could I do better in the future to make the class more effective?

Next class, we’ll be discussing some of the more complex and intricate elements of Buddhist philosophy and practice. HAND OUT READINGS!

Introduction to Tibet – History, Religion, Culture and Politics Class #4: Buddhism II – Mixed Lecture/Group discussion/Socratic method

At the end of the last class, we talked about the first three Noble Truths, the Dharma and the Sangha, and the life of the Buddha specifically. Today, I’d like to talk about a few more important basic aspects of Buddhism like the difference between monks and laypeople, the three jewels and what it means to ‘go for refuge.’ After this, we’re going to delve a little deeper into some of the more complicated aspects of Buddhist philosophy. We will be investigating these elements through three different lenses: impermanence, interdependence and selflessness. ALSO, I’d like to thank you for your comments, they’re helping me out a lot, and I’d like to see your continued feedback. Also, I’d just like to take a moment to thank you all for taking part in this…sometimes I feel a little selfish, because I really am trying to become a better teacher, and you are all helping me so much.

BRIEF lecture – I want to explain 3 things…the 3 kinds of Dharma, the 3 jewels, and going for refuge. (5-10m) - The Buddha said his Dharma was the most important aspect to keep in mind after his death, but what exactly is the Dharma? o Sutra, Shastra Tantra (explain) - But the Dharma is not the only element of Buddhism. Generally understood to be the most essential aspects are the three precious jewels, o Buddha o Dharma o Sangha (we talked about this already a bit) - When one becomes a Buddhist (whether a monk or a layperson), one must go for refuge to the triple jewel, not only as a sign of respect and dedication, but there is very much an attitude of protection. You are going for refuge, as you would from a storm. - ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE ON?

Discussion Questions: - GENERAL: o What caught your attention? o What did you find interesting? o What didn’t you understand? - SPECIFIC o What comprises the human form? What are we made of? o What reincarnates if the soul is asserted to be nonexistent? o What, exactly, is emptiness? What are we empty of? o Is emptiness nihilistic? o Why is emptiness important? o Emptiness is form, form is emptiness. Emptiness is not other than form, form is not other than emptiness.

o The Truth of the path to the cessation of Dukkha (Magga) ß The path towards the cessation of Dukkha is often described in terms of the Noble Eightfold Path: • Right Understanding • Right Thought • Right Speech • Right Action • Right Livelihood • Right Effort • Right Mindfulness • Right Concentration ß These can be generally grouped into three major disciplines that must be followed in order to understand the Truth of Nirvana: • Conduct – how we behave…the grossest level • Meditation – the development of positive and concentrated states of mind • Wisdom – having the correct view and perception of oneself and the world. This point is especially important. Wisdom also involves the understanding of a central Buddhist concept of no-self. o No Self (anatman or annatta – check spelling –) is a complicated philosophy that suggests that there is no everlasting soul or permanent inherently existent bearer of parts that controls all the aspects of the sentient being. No self is the affirmation of the five aggregates – psycho-physical components – that make up this ephemeral existence.

Selflessness. This refers to an integral part of Buddhist belief, that there is no everlasting soul that is the bearer of parts, that we do not exist inherently. -No Self: Last time we talked about how Buddhism rejects the idea that there is a single soul or some self that exists independently of this body. -Through Enlightenment, the Buddha saw that by imposing a false sense of “me” “I” or “self,” humans designed their own demise. For whatever psychological or emotional reasons, we have invented some illusory “self” that we believe to be permanent and unchanging. -This begs two questions: -what are we made of, and -if, according to Buddhism, we are reborn and die constantly, what exactly, if not a soul, is reborn?

Interdependence: According to Buddhism, nothing happens without multiple conditions bringing about its result. I should stress here that it is really conditions, and not causes. Cause implies that there is a direct and singular reason for some being or phenomenon’s occurrence, but this can never be found. If I am reading and I want a light so that I can read more effectively, there are several conditions: 1. My wish for the light to be on 2. My flipping of the light switch itself 3. The cables and wiring being in good status 4. The actual atomic action happening within the bulb It should be noted that in none of these elements can one find a singular cause of the light turning on. If I simply had the will for the light to be activated, but the light switch was nowhere to be found, the wires had been cut, or the filament broken (preventing the atomic reaction within the bulb that yields the light), my efforts would be in vain.

Getting back to this burning question: what are we made of?

-Five Aggregates: We are composed of five psycho-physical elements called the aggregates. They are… o Form, which is the entirety of the realm of matter, internal and external, understood by the six sense faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind) o Sensations, in the forms of pleasant, neutral and unpleasant, also registered through the sense faculties o Perception, which is the recognition of physical and mental objects through the six sense faculties o Mental formations, the willful and volitional acts, both positive and negative. This comprises Karma, which are not (as we are often led to believe) the results of the actions we commit, but rather the actions themselves. The result is called “karmic fruit.” o Consciousness, the reaction or response that has an internal faculty as its basis and an external object as its object…so, the visual consciousness has the basis of the eye, and object of visual form. The consciousnesses arise dependent on these conditions of faculty & object, and vanishes when the specific stimulus does. o These elements are not to be understood as eternal parts of the body, or “partless particles,” but rather come together and disintegrate at every moment of life. ß This nature of human existence is often compared to a stream, or a candle flame, which flows continually and is never the same for two moments, and yet, is not different. There are many other analogies used to describe this unique relationship. A boy grows up to be a man of 60. The man is not the same as the boy, but still he is not another. A sprout grows out of a seed placed in the earth. The sprout is not the same as the seed, and yet did not come from anywhere other than the seed.

We read about the 12 links of codependent arising as explained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and we see further into the nature of existence in this world. The 12 links assert that nothing exists in its own right independent of other factors, which is precisely the point of the two truths of a philosophy called sunyata or emptiness.

Selflessness. Emptiness (snkrt. Sunyata) takes the concept of anatman and applies it to a much wider spectrum. It suggests that there is no inherently existent phenomena or being. -That we not only consist of the five aggregates, but that our existence is conditional upon all those who helped us along the way, down to the growers and harvesters of the foods we eat. But it does not stop there. -The pickers and the growers also depend on others, and their dependencies in turn depend on others, and so it goes; we are interconnected in every direction infinitely. Great scholars such as Nagarjuna have written extensively as to the full impact of ideas like emptiness. -The Two Truths of Sunyata says that there is a conventional and ultimate truth to life. -The conventional truth follows along everyday needs; I am “Will” This is a “table,” and so on. These are all dependent designations, and reflect the rules and conditions we rely on for our everyday existence. -The ultimate truth seeks to determine the ontological status of phenomena and beings, and finds that ultimately, there is none. I do not exist as a separate and independent being. I am not inherently existing because my existence is conditional on other elements, because I condition others, and so on. -This aspect of sunyata is very difficult to understand. It suggests that the ultimate truth about existence is not some hidden mystery lying behind each object, but rather that both the conventional and the ultimate are dependent on each other, like two sides of the same coin; there is a non-duality between these two truths. -It is best explained through the Heart Sutra, an essential Mahayana text that we read for today. It reads, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form.” In order for something to not exist ultimately, it must first exist conventionally, and vice versa. -We can see many manifestations of the two truths in other aspects of Buddhism. For example, in death and rebirth, we will see how the conventional and the ultimate come into play.

Impermanence. You will recall from last class that Dukkha is most closely connected with this idea of impermanence and the ephemeral nature of this worldly life. o Death and Rebirth ß Given the repudiation of a soul, what, precisely is reborn? Beyond this physical, gross body, are the aggregates that come together and disintegrate with each moment of existence. These subtle energies, and the consciousness are what continue on. It is a flow that is unbroken (in the sense that it continues on from one life to the next), and yet it is constantly interrupted by the arising and disintegration of the five aggregates. ß The whole of this philosophy on death and rebirth is based on this idea of the continually flowing, and continually broken stream. • All of life is predicated on the moments that come before the current moment; all that comes before conditions the present. • So why would it not follow that even when this form dies away that our consciousness will continue on (broken and unbroken) into a new form? If the aggregates are constantly coming together and constantly disintegrating, what does it matter if they come together in a new form when the old one wears out? Continuity is the fabric of this worldly existence. • The idea of consciousness being continually broken, and yet continually unbroken presents us with yet another conventional-ultimate paradigm. Conventionally, we are the same entity from start to stop, and yet ultimately, there is nothing that is consistent about us even from one moment to the next. • What keeps us going throughout cyclic existence? We are driven by ignorance (about the nature of the self, the nature of the world), by our karmic actions, and by our unquenchable thirst to constantly be, become, to acquire and so forth. This drive and the delusions we have about the world keep us trapped within it, perpetually.

o Writing at the end of class…write a reaction to something that piqued your interest, and also give me some notes about how I can improve, how you feel the course is progressing, etc.

Introduction to Tibet: History, Religion Culture and Politics Class #5: The History of Tibetan Buddhism – Lecture

Today, we’re return to the topic of Tibet, after our brief exploration of Buddhism on the whole. Today, we will specifically be looking at how exactly Tibet came to be a home and a stronghold of Buddhist practice. I will give a lecture on the dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet, and afterwards, I have something interesting planned.

1. Introduction a. Intro: For a long time, even until as late as 1992, Tibetan Buddhism has been referred to as “Lamaism,” suggesting that it is somehow different from Buddhism due to the emphasis on the role of the teacher, the Lama. In this way, it has been compared to Roman Catholicism in terms of hierarchy and structure, and is fairly pejorative. i. So, as we begin to talk about the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet, we should know from the start that it is so different from other traditions that some people have even suggested that it is another religion altogether, especially when examining the tantras, which we will talk more about later. 1. (A teacher of my sister’s even was heard speaking on multiple occasions that Tibetan Buddhism is some aberration of traditional pure Buddhism). b. Goals: I am trying to give you a sense of: i. how Buddhism came to Tibet. c. Questions: What do you know about Tibetan Buddhism? 2. The first dissemination a. Our text says that Buddhism began arriving in Tibet during the ninth and tenth centuries…but really, it was first introduced much, much earlier. b. Tibetans first came into contact with Buddhism by being so militarily powerful, ransacking Buddhist institutions in Central Asia. c. The first introduction of Buddhism to Tibet occurred in 233 C.E. when, according to legends, a Buddhist text and relics fell from the sky to the roof of king Totori Nyentsen, but no one understood them, as they were written in Sanskrit, nor was Tibetan an actual language at that point. d. To see the first real transmission Fast-forward about 400 years to about 640, with King Songtsen Gampo. Gampo was the great unifying king…he brought most of Tibet together, and wanted to extend his ties, get some allies and so he took two wives, one from Nepal (Bhrkuti) and one from China (Wengcheng). Please just keep in mind that that’s how they did things back in the day – not egalitarian by today’s standards. Each of them brought statues of Buddhist deities (pass out Askhobya and Sakyamuni), each of them is enshrined, bringing the first real transmission. e. He also helps create a formal Tibetan language. f. After Gampo dies, there are a series of Tibetan Buddhist leaders. The next one is named Trisong Detsen. He invites this amazing abbot Shantaraksita who is hassled by pre-Buddhist Bon deities and natural disasters. He is forced to leave, but suggests inviting Padmasambhava to Tibet to subdue the demons. g. Which Padmasambhava does as Dorje Drolo. This all takes place in the 8th century. i. Shantaraksita comes back, and he and Padmasambhava set up the first monastery at Samye (779). h. During this time, there is a great deal of translations going on, and many texts are being transmitted to Tibet. i. A couple kings later, Lang Darma, a Bon king, represses Buddhism. This ends the first dissemination period. i. During a theatrical performance, a Buddhist monk kills Lang Darma because the general idea among Buddhists was that he had been possessed by a demon, and needed to be freed from it. 3. Disunity a. This period is marked with political instability and the decline of the Tibetan empire. Nations get their land back, and the Tibetans retreat. This period lasts for about 200 years. 4. Stop and check a. Any questions? Should I slow down at all? 5. Second Dissemination a. Buddhism remained strong in western Tibet, and a king from the west, Tsenpo Khore decides he doesn’t want to be a king anymore…he wants to be a Buddhist monk. So he sends some great Tibetan disciples to India and Kashmir to study, and the two that survive are responsible for translating really important texts. End of tenth century b. The most important event is the arrival of a great master named Atisa (1042). He is invited by this king, who takes on the name Yeshe Ö and after a vision, decides to go to Tibet to help spread the Dharma. Atisa is a great master of the Tantras, and brings teachings of the Tantra to Tibet, writes many works for the benefit of Tibetans, and trains many disciples. He also begins the Kadampa order, so we see different sects are starting to form. 6. Development of Buddhism in Tibet a. Buddhism flourishes and different schools begin. The first is known as the Nyingmapa, which literally means “old.” Their lineage is traced back to Padmasambhava. A principal teaching of theirs is the Great Perfection, which suggests that the nature of the mind is clear and luminous…think back to Tathagatharba. They were not particularly engaged with politics, nor were they as hierarchical as some of the other sects. b. The Sakyapa sect i. traces its lineage back to one of the translators who studied under tantric master Virupa (hand out image of Virupa). TENTH CENTURY The Sakyapas have been always closely associated with the tantras; it is often said, “where there is the Sakyapa, there is tantra.” Virupa developed the Lam Dre (path and fruit) tantric practice which is a mainstay of the Sakyapa. It is the first Tantric path to full Enlightenment 1. Virupa was a great master and teacher at Nalanda university, the largest Buddhist institution that has ever existed. He began to study the tantras, and broke his monastic codes by drinking and cavorting with women. He was kicked out of Nalanda, and took to wandering and begging, following the tantras. He developed strong powers, so much so that in one instance, he bet someone that he could stop the sun, and did. ii. The Sakyapa were heavily involved with the Mongols when Genghis Khan and his descendents held some control over Tibet. The highest of the Sakyapa order, the Sakya Pandita was sent to Mongolia 1249 to teach the ruler and their descendants. c. The Kaguypa i. This school is connected with a Tibetan named Marpa the Translator 1012-1099. whose main disciple was the great Tibetan tantric yogi Milarepa (hand around image). This school also has the Karmapa, who is the third highest incarnation in Tibetan Buddhism, preceded by the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama. d. The Gelukpa i. This has no specific lineage, but is founded by Je Tsongkhapa 1357-1419 as a way to reify the vinaya. Tsongkhapa felt that the monks of the other schools had broken their monastic vows by having women and drinking and the like, so he set up a more intensive and strict monastic code, and founded this new sect. ii. This sect had political connections to Mongolia starting 1578, and one of the successors of Tsongkhapa, Sonam Gyatso was invited by Altan Khan to Mongolia. Altan was so amazed by Sonam that he gave him the title Ta le Lama – Ocean of wisdom. The Mongols of this particular tribe became Geluk Buddhists, and two generations later, helped the Gelukpas and the fifth Dalai Lama fight against the Karmapa’s forces, gaining power over U Tsang (political Tibet) 1642. e. How did Buddhism change as a result of being in Tibet? i. Context. A lot can be said for location. Tibet was removed from the world for a large part until 1950. Of course it wasn’t airtight, and had the most central influences from and cultural connections with India, China, Mongolia, & all of the trans-Himalayan countries and ethnicities. This group of influences has definitely changed the flavor of Tibet. 1. Because Buddhism evolved and grew alongside and in tandem with (there was NO separation of church and state – the two were one) society at large, it has been influenced by Tibet. ii. Due to the isolation, Tibetan Buddhism developed in a very secretive, closed way, but was heavily influenced by the masters who came from India. iii. The translators who turned a wealth of Sanskrit texts into a massive library of Tibetan Buddhist literature. No other culture has been so prolific with Buddhism as Tibetans have. Their attention to scriptural accuracy is unparalleled.

So, this concludes the history of the dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet. But what about all these unique schools and sub-traditions? I’d like you to break up into groups, and then we’re going to pick topics. The topics are: Nyingmapa sect	Lam Dre Tantra	Hevajra Tantra Kagyupa sect		Vairocana		Nine Vehicles of the Nyingmapa Sakyapa sect		Vimalamitra Gelukpa sect		Padmasambava Kadampa sect	Santaraksita Tantra (generally)	Atisa

I want each group to discover as much as they can and present as much as they can about their groups by next class. Prepare a small 5-10 minute presentation about what you have discovered and present it to the class. While you are doing this, I’d like you to have a few questions in mind. You don’t have to answer them as if it were some kind of study guide, but keep these in the back of your mind as you’re going through this:

What are the practices you’ve encountered? Why is your topic unique or important? What are some of the stereotypes you encounter surrounding Tibetan Buddhism in general, and also your own topic? What kinds of figures do you encounter? What kinds of stories do you encounter? What does this tell you about the ways in which religion and government, and also daily life were intertwined?

Introduction to Tibet: History, Religion, Culture and Politics Class # 7: Tibetan History I – Politics at Home – Socratic/Mixed Lecture

Today, we’re going to be moving into our discussion of Tibetan politics, starting with the ways in which Tibet’s governmental systems (or occasional lack thereof) have changed throughout history. For homework, I asked you to read a chapter out of one of my favorite books. This chapter briefly outlines Tibetan history from the imperial period up until Tibet had de facto independent status. I thought at first that I wanted to teach a class on Tibetan politics at home versus its international politics, but I realized that making such a divide was somewhat absurd…because it’s never that easy. So, I decided to divide it up between the imperial era versus the 40- (or so) year stretch where Tibet was functioning as an independent nation (although it had not been recognized by the international community as such). Then, next week, we’ll be covering the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet. I want to start off the class with some questions. • What kinds of larger political systems have you seen when examining Tibetan history? • How have these changes been seen in light of the Chinese claims over Tibet versus the Tibetans in Tibet, and in exile?

Some key bits: SIX kinds of governing -

• Three Dharma Kings & Lang Darma [Temporal and Spiritual leaders] o Songtsen Gampo – Unified and introduced Buddhism via two wives. o Trisong Detsen – Invited Padmasambhava and Shantaraksita. o Senalek o Relpachen – Invited many masters, was subordinate to the Sangha, helped to codify the translation techniques & improve accuracy. o Lang Darma – Persecuted the Buddhist tradition, assassinated by a Buddhist Monk. • Disunity [??] o general political chaos; areas ruled by chieftains, o Buddhism retreats to western Tibet, Bon flourishes in the central region. • Genghis Khan, Godan Khan and the Sakyapa rise to power. [Mongols Temporal leaders; Sakyas Spiritual leaders.] (1207-1372) o Godan Khan “invites” Sakya Pandita (Kunga Gyaltsen) to the Mongolian court. o Appoints the Sakyapa school as a sort of Regent for the Mongolian rule over Tibet. This continues through Kublai Khan, who conquers China and begins the Yuan dynasty (ca. 1279). The Ming dynasty replaces the Yuan. • Geluks vs. Karma Kagyu. [Rimpung and Tsangpa Temporal; Karma Kagyu & Geluks Spiritual] (1372-1644) o Central Tibet is ruled politically by the Princes of Rimpung, and later the Kings of Tsangpa. These figures back the Karma Kagyu sect of the Kaguypas. o Their opposition is the Gelukpa force in Central Tibet, founded by Je Tsongkhapa, backed by Altan Khan, and later Gushri Khan of the Qoshot tribe. o The Fifth Dalai Lama and Gushri take Lhasa from Tsangpa forces, and solidify their control. o The Manchu Qing Dynasty replaces the Ming (1644), • Geluks and the Qing. [Qing via Qoshot Mongols Temporal; Dalai Lamas Spiritual] – 7 Phases. (1644-1911) o 1. The Great Fifth dies and this news is hidden from public view for 14 years. His regent, Sangye Gyatso intrigues with the Dzungar Mongols, to offset the Qoshot Mongols. Dzungars are the largest threat to Qing, & lose their unifying campaign. Lobsang Khan, Qoshot son of Gushri executes the 6th Dalai Lama’s Regent, exercises more control over Tibet, assuming the title of “King of Tibet.” 6th Dalai Lama sent to exile, dies en route. o 2. Geluk monks invite Dzungar Mongols to oust the Qoshot. Dzungars win, but then ransack Lhasa and kill several monks. o 3. Qing army sent to Lhasa, with the aid of Polhanas and Khangchennas (western governors) kick out Dzungars, and set up a council of four ministers (kalon), of which Khangchennas is the leader. Other three ministers kill Khangchennas, attempt to kill Polhanas, but he flees, returns, and captures Lhasa. o 4. Qing send force that rules jointly with Polhanas via the ambans, Manchu “advisors.” 7th Dalai Lama sent into exile for conspiring with the Dzungars. Eventually is brought back only as a figurehead. Polhanas is a stable and effective ruler. o 5. Polhanas’ son Gyurme Namgye ascends to power after father’s death, Reduces Qing influence, restarts machinations with the Dzungars. Ambans find out, kill Namgye, but his followers kill the Ambans. 7th Dalai Lama takes control during political void. o 6. The 7th Dalai Lama is appointed as ruler, and councils are established with members of the Sangha to offset the influence of the aristocratic laypeople. During this time, Tibet was relatively weak and disunited. Ambans exercised great power, although Tibet was not incorporated into China Proper, did not pay any kind of tribute, and even est’d. its own standing army (its first) via Qing reforms. o 7. Tibet becomes more self-sustaining until England (via colonial India) wants to open up trade. When they are denied an audience with the Dalai Lama, Younghusband invades to Lhasa, the gov’t signs an agreement, which is almost immediately replaced by a treaty with the Qing. This brings us up to… • Geluks and de facto independence. (1913-1950)

Introduction to Tibet: History, Religion, Culture and Politics Class #8: De Facto Independence – Socratic/Mixed Lecture

Today, we’ll be resuming where we left off last time. Under specific examination is the time period from 1913 (the fall of the Qing dynasty) to 1950, when Tibet was invaded by Maoist China. Why can we cover 1,313 years of history in one class and then spend another class examining 37 years? Well, for one thing, this time period has a great richness of information due to some of the visitors to Tibet like Sir Charles Bell and Heinrich Harrer. For another thing, this time period is very special because it is the highest level of autonomy that Tibet maintained since the time of the great Dharma Kings and the period of imperial expansion. Few Chinese were present in Lhasa, and the ones that were there held no political sway. Tibet was left to its own devices, and many, many scholars, activists, etc. have tried to reconstruct, recreate and reimagine this time period as the truest vision of what a truly independent Tibet would look like. Readings? Socratic Questions - How did the Tibetan Government function? How did the government enact its decrees? - How did the secular and monastic forms of government interact? - To what extent did these two branches of the central government make decisions and influence policy? - How is ethnographic Tibet different from political Tibet? - Who were some of the different Lhasans, and what did they do? Essential aspects of “independent” Tibet: • Political system in Lhasa/governmental structure o Ruler-Lönchen-Kashag/Chigyab Khembo/National Assemblies-Tsigang-Other Bureaucrats; Chigyab Khembo-Yigtsang ß Ruler was either HHDL or Regent, Lönchen ruled when ruler was in exile. ß Kashag was in charge of all secular affairs of interest to the government, and served as the gatekeeper of secular requests etc. that reached HHDL. ß National Assemblies made up of three separate assemblies comprised of lay, monk aristocrats, mid-level bureaucrats and the seats of the three great Geluk monasteries ß The Yigtsang was the office in charge of all monk officials, the highest ranking being the Chigyab Khembo. ß The Tsigang was the Revenue Office, in charge of taxes and accounts, also had large hand in choosing new Bureaucrats. ß Mid-level bureaucrats occupied offices of little power, but better pay, like the Mint and Foreign Office. • Governance (police, courts, extending control to western Tibet) o Lay ß Army comprised roughly 1,000-1,500 stationed in Lhasa at any given moment. ß All pleas and claims sent by individuals involved with the laity went through the chains of Bureaucracy, up to the Kashag and HHDL. ß No real control over Kham/Amdo…political Tibet (the Tibet that was controlled by HHDL/Lhasa gov’t) is quite different from ethnic Tibet, which extends east, west, and south into the trans-Himalayan belt. In Kham, they sometimes paid taxes to the Tibetan government, and especially when defending the borders against Chinese aggression, the central gov’t made a strong presence on the eastern frontiers. • Lhasa did control most of western Tibet through an interconnected system of small government offices, operated by mid-level bureaucrats. o Monastic ß A group of specialized police monks, the dhob dhobs, numbered in the thousands, and dwarfed the Army. ß Most major issues settled within the monastery by various disciplinary heads (gegö), and by the heads of the Tratsang and Khamtsen. ß Parent monasteries were the locations of the main seats (e.g., Sera, Drepung, Ganden), and smaller subsidiary monasteries would keep in contact, send monks to the parent monasteries, etc. • Hence, when a monastery like Ganden said it was or was not supportive of some act or decree made by the government, it was a wide network of monasteries that backed up their decision. • Serfdom o Lay – Lay aristocrats high in the central government (the Shapes of the Kashag, the Tsigang Office, some of the National Assembly, etc.) held massive land holdings, replete with fields and serfs, who often owned their own fields, and depending on the level of affluence, may have even had their own serfs. The aristocratic families ruled through heirs, and their estates continued on in this way. Some families were required to give a child (always male) to the bureaucratic system. o Monastic – Monastic bureaucrats had to rule through adoption of heirs, being either family members/relatives or (rarely) unrelated heirs. For incarnate monks, their land holdings and serfs, etc. were part of the labrang, the whole of their worth from the past incarnations, and all their future possessions. • Role of the monastery & mass monasticism o Monasteries (especially the Three Seats of Ganden, Drepung and Sera) were self-contained cities, replete with their own governing systems, granaries, land holdings, serfs, etc. They were funded by manorial estates, endowment funds, central gov’t funds, donations from the faithful. Monks were paid a trifle amount, having to find their own jobs, although the monasteries did go to great lengths in order to ensure that all monks got some tsampa and tea during prayer festivals, etc. Monks also received some of the donation money. Profits rendered by the monasteries were used to fund and support monks. o Organization: ß Monastery ß Tratsang (college) ß Khamtsen (sub-unit organized around origin of the students) ß Mitsen (dormitories) ß Monks or Monk Households (Shagtsang) o Authority and bureaucratic structure: ß Monastery ß Tratsang ruled by Abbot ß Abbot served by 3 “religious heads” (uchö) – umdze (prayer leader); gegö (disciplinary head); lama shuglenba (monk in charge of religious studies). ß Religious heads served by managers (chabu) who keep track of Tratsang resources, and other college resources like the labrang. ß On the monastery-wide level, two disciplinarians (tshogcen shenggo) served one-year rotating terms, chosen from the Tratsang. • Chiso took care of economic affairs. • Photrang Depa held accountable for all gov’t property within the monastery and served as liaison to the central gov’t. ß Lachi was the main assembly of the monastery, consisted of • Present abbots, ex abbots, Photrang Depa, the Tshogcen Shenggo, both Chiso, the Umdze (prayer leader) • Richi was another committee made of six abbots of the tratsangs teaching logic. o Monasteries were held as the backbone of the society, in that the profits they gained went to help monks, feed monks, etc. Up to 26% of all males were monks, about 13% of the society at any given moment were involved in the Sangha.

Appendix C: Exhaustive Explication of Curriculum
Originally intended as my second chapter, this is a thorough and extensive exploration of how I designed each lesson plan, and how it connects to the three teaching methods outlined in Chapter I.

Class #1: Introduction to the Course This day will be set aside for reviewing the syllabus, and establishing a basic idea of the direction the course as a whole will be moving towards. I will open up the class with some very basic questions for the students, specifically, what do you know about Tibet? When did you first hear about Tibet? What do you think about China’s relationship with Tibet? What do you know about Buddhism? How have you seen ‘Eastern’ things (like Buddhism and Tibet) portrayed? These are all essential ideas to get into the forefront. I am endeavoring to glean some level of understanding of the students’ prior experiences, not only with Tibet, but to generally get an idea of where they – as learners and individuals – are coming from. In order to maintain student interest, and to connect the new ideas we are exploring in this course, it will be essential for me, and also for the students themselves to understand where they are coming from. These questions will be asked in a Socratic method, meaning that I will not simply stop when they have given their answers, but I will attempt to dig deeper than their explanations, and elicit further qualifiers from the students. Following this, I will speak about a few central issues that will be on the forefront of my mind during this class: bias, goals (both my own and the students’), and authenticity and respect. Bias is an inescapable force of being. I am teaching this course not only as a union of my two primary academic foci (being Tibet and Education), but also as a way to educate and preserve ever-changing knowledge about Tibet. I believe Tibetan culture is something worth preserving. I fear the day that Tibetan culture is referred to in a historical sense, the way one might speak of Roman culture. Tibetan Buddhism is a living tradition, Tibetan culture is a living culture, and yet, it faces many challenges at home and in Diaspora. I am teaching this course out of utmost respect to Tibetans and their plight, and I will try my very best to present this investigation in a respectful way. Furthermore, this investigation of Tibetan histories, religions, cultures and politics is but one perspective, out of many. To this extent, we must These are some of the biases that I am entering the course with. They are my own personal views, and naturally I will try and present perspectives on the subject, not simply my own. However, I make no claim to be completely objective, and I feel it is my duty to inform students of my own feelings in this matter. My goals for the course are going to be the benchmarks which I will measure myself against. I plan to provide the participants of this course with a firm, basic level of understanding of Tibetan histories, religious traditions, cultures and politics. I want to provide this understanding in a number of ways; through visual (video, art, photography, topography), auditory (music, audio recordings), and conceptual (lecture, Socratic questioning, group interaction) elements. To return to this issue of perspectives, I plan to teach my course as a respectful exploration of various views on Tibet. One of my most essential goals for the course is addressing student goals, concerns, and interests. The participants must be personally invested in this course, and there are few ways to better alienate students than by completely ignoring their interests and questions. What do they want to learn about Tibet? What issues are pertinent and interesting to them? These are some of the questions I will put before the students on the first day. Finally, I must confront the issue of authenticity and respect. The latter topic I have touched on repeatedly in the previous pages. I must do my utmost to teach questions upon questions rather than answers upon answers. Any generalization or static depiction I make of Tibet, or of Tibetans will surely never hold true in every instance. The former topic – that of authenticity – is slightly more sensitive. I must remain aware of my position in relation to this information that I am teaching. I am not a Tibetan, and as such, I feel slightly awkward teaching a course about Tibet. A conversation I had with a Tibetan woman in New York City one summer echoes in my mind. Drolma explained how her children grew up with little or no understanding of their own history, their own heritage, their own Tibetan uniqueness. Their father, a former monk, was scoffed at and ignored every time he tried to explain some element of Buddhism to his children. When I told Drolma what I study, and how I was planning to teach a class on Tibet, she suggested that perhaps in the future, I would be teaching her children, and later generations of Tibetans who have little understanding of their own past. The idea that I, a French-Canadian westerner, would be teaching Tibetans about their own culture – and the position it would place me in – left me speechless. On the one hand, the idea terrified me. It presented a question of perpetual importance: who am I to be teaching this information? I can only say that I am a learner who is very much still learning. It is, however, very much my belief that I can teach some thing about Tibet to my fellow students.

Class #2: A First Glimpse of Tibet

The second class will be dedicated to showing a first look at Tibet. During this course, I will give a few bits of information about the climate, population, demographics and the like. Following this, I will run a presentation involving two parts. The first part will be a slideshow of images I have selected and scanned onto my computer, selected from various books on Tibet. These images will be projected onto a screen behind me as I read sections from different authors on Tibet, both western and Tibetan. These passages have been picked for the wide range of views they express. The first selection comes from Thubten Jigme Norbu’s book, Tibet. This simple title is an impressive work written by the oldest brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. This account of Tibet is told as a history that blurs the lines between objective and subjective, and gives a remarkable account of Tibet before the invasion of China in 1950. We believe that there is an eternal source of Changchub Sempa, or enlightened ones, whose sole reason for existence is the salvation of all living things. They are those who have achieved enlightenment, and who could have escaped from the wheel of life, the round of suffering, but who out of compassion chose to stay. Some of them are always with us in bodily form; others are waiting for their time. Chenresig was sent to Tibet to help the Tibetan people, but Changchub Sempa may be reborn anywhere, wherever there is a living creature subject to suffering.

This creative account makes no attempt to discern and interpret facts in the way a historian might, but rather approaches them from a unique, spiritual and creative direction. I chose it in the hopes of giving students a broad look at attitudes the author considers uniquely Tibetan. Norbu goes on to address many notions that others (most notably westerners) have towards Tibet, either denouncing or affirming them. He speaks to a wide range of topics like the life of a The second selection comes from the introduction to Norbu’s book. This part, written by Colin M. Turnbull, sets up the author’s work, and is specifically valuable for its expression of some wider values and feelings in Tibetan cultures. He writes,

The reason for the book lies in Norbu’s religious training and belief. The teachings of the Lord Buddha may bring an inner peace and beauty to the lives of many Tibetans, but they also bring a dynamic urge and drive that almost smack of impatience. There is a sense of near frustration in the simultaneous acceptance of the beauty of life and of its fragility. The Buddhist doctrine of rebirth is not one to be comprehended in the facile interpretations of condensed and abbreviated handbooks on the religions of the world, crowded and cramped into small type on small pages. It is something to be lived, through space and time. Previous and future births are not to be looked back upon nor anticipated, and they will be lived, and that is enough to know. What concerns the Tibetan is the life he is living now, for it is his master, absolute and irrevocable, demanding that he live it well.

As soon as I read this, I felt it was an important passage to talk about in the course. It speaks to a notion that I feel is an essential one in Tibet, and any other Buddhist country – that life is short, precious and that every second of it must be utilized to the utmost capacity. To highlight the interconnected nature of religion and everyday life, I move on to read a passage from Melvyn Goldstein and Matthew Kapstein’s work Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet. They not only describe the unique relationship between faith and day to day existence, but also pay some attention to the distinctions between ethnographic and political Tibet (the areas where Tibetans live versus the areas under the Dalai Lama’s control, respectively) and the demographics of the area. Tibetan Buddhism in its popular dimension also played a major role in the problems of daily life since it incorporated a plethora of autochthonous deities and spirits. These local gods were easily offended and caused illness and misfortune when angered, so avoiding, counteracting, or placating their potential negative power was a core concern. In times of illness or uncertainty, therefore, Tibetans typically consulted religious specialists for advice on how to proceed, for example, asking monks to perform sacred divination or asking shamans to summon a god and serve as a medium so that they could consult directly with the god.

Continuing, I selected a number of readings from Heinrich Harrer’s Seven Years in Tibet. These passages cover many different regions of life in the capital city of Lhasa, including the union of religion state, the everyday compassion of the residents, law and punishments, astronomy, Tibetan medicine, the importance of astrology and horoscopes, lamas and nuns, competitive kite flying in autumn, horse markets in autumn, stores and shops, fashion, and a description of the Offerings of the 15th Festival. I want to give students a view of everyday life within the city. Not to leave eastern Tibet out of the loop, I selected a few pages from Mikel Dunham’s book on the Tibetan guerilla resistance group Chushi Gandruk who fought the Chinese after they invaded in 1950. This book, entitled Buddha’s Warriors, is a volume compiled from hard-won interviews with these exiled rebels. In this passage, he provides descriptions of the Khampa kingdom of Derge, gleaned from hours of such interviews. He writes, To get to Derge, one needed good balance, sturdy calves, a sixth sense for bandits, and immunity from vertigo. From the east, traders were compelled to traverse nine bridges crossing nine streams dwarfed by nine gorges encased by vertical cliffs of such height that direct sunlight was the exception, not the rule. The western approach was equally arduous. Rivers and mountain ranges, running north and south, blocked the way.

While Dunham writes these descriptions with a fairytale tone, he reveals important insights into what this area must have looked like, as well as how the universalizing force of Buddhism helped to break down many of the socioeconomic distinctions among the inhabitants of Derge. His account of this kingdom is followed by a description of brigands on the western areas of the Changtang, as told by Nagpa Karma Lhundup from Brian Harris’ Tibetan Voices. This account retells the journeys of a monk through a treacherous area inhabited by many thieves, and how he was enlisted by these brigands to help deliver a baby. This was not just any baby, but rather the child of the chieftain in this specific area. The monk is adored by the tribe of robbers, and they provide him with food and safe passage in the Changtang. I chose this story to illustrate the devotion and the morality of those who, in America at least, would be deemed outlaws and parasites on society. I also wanted to pay attention to the western part of the country, given that previous passages had touched on the central and eastern regions. Finally, I chose a portion of the prologue from Tashi Tsering’s The Struggle for Modern Tibet. It expresses a very unique view of Tibet under the control of the Chinese. After retelling a horrifying punishment he received in Tibet as a child, Tsering goes on to express how he, “As a critic of the oppressive and feudal aspects of traditional Tibetan society, I felt I should return to work with the mass of common Tibetans to create a new society that was both modern and just, and yet still distinctively Tibetan.” Tibet has often been a locus for romanticized fantasies of Shangri-la and an idyllic childlike innocence, and Tashi Tsering puts a sobering stop to these notions. Tibet was not perfect, he says…it had many shortcomings and pitfalls, and even though he resents the way things used to be, he is dedicated to creating a new Tibet. This view of remorse over the old traditional society is not one commonly heard, unless coming from the mouths of the People’s Republic of China. The sources I consult during this first class are many, and each is distinct and offers something completely different. The point I am attempting to drive home is that Tibet and life in Tibet are not static things; there is no one perspective.

Class #3: Buddhism I: An Introduction

The third class is dedicated to beginning our introduction to Buddhism in general. It has been much of my experience that Tibet has been bound by the fabric of Buddhism, so in order to understand the first thing about Tibet, one has to understand Buddhism – or at least some of it. It should be noted that I will not be able to cover all the aspects of Buddhist philosophy or practice that I would like to, given that even the most basic crash course in “Buddhadharma 101” cannot be done in two hours of instruction time. Although this is the case, I will endeavor to do my best in this respect, as it is important for students to glean some notion of the significance of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The readings I have assigned for this day are selections from Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught, pages 16-20, and 29-40. I chose them for their eloquent, straight-forward and brief explanations of the first three Noble Truths. Rahula explains any nuanced concept of the Buddhadharma with great ease and clarity. I am also assigning a handout I crated for a clear explanation of the philosophically important fourth Noble Truth. As many explanations of the Buddhadharma unfold, mine is centered on the importance of the Four Noble Truths as the basis and best explanation of the Buddha’s Dharma. The Four Noble Truths are the realizations the Buddha came to when he attained Enlightenment. First, he saw that all worldly existence, and everything within it is ultimately ephemeral, devoid of intrinsic existence, unsubstantial, suffering, illusory and unsatisfying. This is the truth of “dukkha,” a Pali word that encompasses everything we find in our short existence, including pleasure, pain, happiness, jealousy, joy, bliss, anger, fear, all sensory and worldly experiences, prompting the Buddha to declare that “Sabbam dukkham” – all is dukkha, and similarly, “yad aniccam tam dukkham,” whatever is impermanent is dukkha. A common gloss of this word in English is ‘suffering,’ which led many westerners to perceive Buddhism as a pessimistic faith, supposedly directly in opposition to optimistic protestant notions, but this is merely a botched and thoroughly inaccurate misconception. As Walpola Rahula states, “Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realist view of life and of the world. It looks at things objectively (yathabhutam).” The second Noble Truth deals with the origin of dukkha, which can be traced originally to our fundamental delusions and ignorances about how the world functions, and about how we are to function within it, and also to our constant grasping, thirsting and desiring after sense pleasures. The will to be, the will to become, the insatiable urge to accumulate more and more sets the wheel in motion and keeps it spinning. In this way, our volitional acts of body, speech and mind (karma) leave their imprints on the consciousness within ourselves and others, and these karmic fruits (whether positive or negative) of previous deeds coming to their ripeness is what keeps humans in the constant cycle of death and rebirth. The third Noble Truth is that of the cessation of dukkha – Nirvana. Nirvana is a powerfully difficult and complex notion within the Buddhadharma, the misunderstanding of which has led many to assume and inaccurately describe Buddhism as a faith that seeks death and annihilation. The closest translation that we can understand in English is that of ‘blowing out’ of suffering and cyclic existence as one might blow out a candle. What is important to understand about Nirvana is that it is not attained, but rather understood; after all it is a truth like the other three, and one understands truth, rather than grasp it. Nirvana is also ineffable, in that those of us who are still asleep in this world, still led and controlled by delusions and ignorances cannot fathom it. A common analogy here is a frog attempting to explain dry land to a fish. The fish cannot exist outside of water, so how would he ever be able to understand the concept of land? The fish can imagine and postulate all he wants, but at the end of the day, it is still tacit knowledge that he lacks. Hence, one does not ask what Nirvana is like, given that there is no point in even attempting to explain it in linguistic, symbolic ways. The fourth and final Noble Truth is the path leading to the cessation of dukkha. The path is often understood as the Noble Eightfold Path, which outlines the positive qualities one should discipline oneself with: right understanding, thought, speech, action livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration. These eight can generally be boiled down into three lager disciplines arranged from grossest to most subtle. These are conduct of body speech and mind, meditation, or mental training one undertakes in order to understand wisdom, the realization that the individual self that we identify so closely with is simply an aggregation of components and parts, and contains no inherent existence of its own. After explaining the importance of Buddhism in Tibet, I will engage the students in open-ended questions that I will pursue in a Socratic method of investigation. These questions include: what do you know about Buddhism? Is Buddhism a philosophy or a religion? How has Buddhism been presented to you in the past? When did you first learn about it? What are the Four Noble Truths? What is goal of Buddhism? Why is Enlightenment important? What do you know about the life of the Buddha? These questions will help students to elucidate what they do and do not know about Buddhism. I have planned these questions to be the spark for an open discussion on the Four Noble Truths. Other areas of focus for the first day of our exploration into Buddhism include the life of the Buddha, the three kinds of teaching (Sutra, Shastra and Tantra ), the three vehicles of Buddhism (Sravakyana, Mahayana and Vajrayana ). Further, I hope to show students the difference between laypeople and monastics in the Buddhist faith, and also what it means to ‘go for refuge,’ the traditional officializing ceremony, denoting one’s entrance into the Buddhist community. These strike me as being the most crucial aspects of Buddhism to take into account before exploring some of the more philosophically complex concepts. Of course, this is not to suggest that these are the only components that one should understand about Buddhism. Indeed, if I had more time, I would go further into some of the historical events in the development of the Buddhadharma, and shed light on some of the distinctions between traditions, practices, and languages.

Class #4: Buddhism II: Buddhist Philosophy

The fourth class of Introduction to Tibet is focused on explaining some of the more challenging and complicated aspects of Buddhist philosophy and ethics. These philosophies are crucial not only to the understanding of Buddhism as a whole, but are also vital to any exploration of Tibet. Because Buddhist values and philosophies are so ingrained into the minds and everyday lives of so many Tibetan Buddhists, we would be remiss not to address this element of Buddhism. Today’s readings include a section of the introductory commentary by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, two excerpts from Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught, and The Heart Sutra, a crucial and concise Mahayana text. This session is focusing on three major lenses through which we can understand and view Buddhist philosophy. These are impermanence, selflessness, and interdependence Under ‘impermanence’ we can see that the first noble truth of dukkha is most closely connected with the ephemeral nature of life in this realm, and hence serves as an important reminder of our own impermanence. Buddhist notions of rebirth (which are powerfully different from those of Hindu traditions) also speak to this notion of impermanence. Rebirth, in Buddhism, is based on the notion of continuity. All of life is predicated on the moments that come before the current moment, and all that comes before conditions the present. The whole of life is seen as a continually flowing and continually broken stream; for no two moments are we the same person, and yet there is a great deal of continuity within one’s life. If a boy grows up to be a man of sixty, certainly the boy and the man are not the same, and yet the man did not come from any other than the boy. A seed is planted, from which a sprout grows. The sprout is not the same as the seed, and yet did not come from another. In this way, we are born and we die in every moment of our short lives. Selflessness is the second important category, and deals primarily with ontological statements addressing the nature of existence. Anatman, or no-soul is an important philosophy that suggests that there is no everlasting, immutable and partless particle that exists above and beyond the human form. There is no ‘bearer of parts’ or eternal self that we find in the Abrahamic and Hindu traditions. The human, then, is comprised of the Five Aggregates – psycho-physical components that interact and relate to each other in such an interconnected fashion, that for whatever psychological or emotional needs we may have, we begin to think of some illusory self, or “I” as arising out of them, and existing beyond them. These Five Aggregates are also important in this notion of selflessness, specifically because they show what this conventional person is. If Anatman deals specifically with the self, then philosophies on Emptiness (skrt. Shunyata) deal with the world at large. Emptiness suggests that nothing in this world – no phenomena, events, or beings – is inherently existent. Shunyata specifies Two Truths: the truth of the ultimate and that of the conventional. The conventional truth speaks to the everyday existence that we lead. I, for example, am conventionally known as ‘Will;’ to speak in conventional terms is to speak of the dependent designations that we give objects in our day-to-day lives, like books, chairs, tables, computers, etc. The ultimate truth speaks to the true essence of an object – of which there is none. So, for an object to be conventionally existent means that it does not exist ultimately. To bring back this example, I may be known conventionally as ‘Will,’ but where is the ‘Will-nature’ about me? I cannot pinpoint or essentialized ‘Will,’ because I am dependent on an infinite number of conditions for my existence. The complicated part of this philosophy on Shunyata is that two truths are not separate ideas, but rather, two sides of the same coin. They are interdependent, directly interconnected, and hence the Heart Sutra reads, “form is empty; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness.” Under the heading of ‘interdependence,’ comes notions of what the human is made of, being the Five Aggregates. These psycho-physical aggregates are those of form, sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. These elements are not to be understood as eternal parts of the body, but rather come together and disintegrate at every moment of life. Similarly, Shunyata and the implications of emptiness come to bear on this heading. Philosophies on Emptiness suggest that there are multiple conditions for any person, phenomena or event, and the differences between ‘condition’ and ‘cause’ here is particularly important. If something is caused by another thing, there follows the idea that one specific event or instance has put another into motion. Multiple conditions, however, suggest that there is not one essential cause, but rather a confluence of actions. For example, if one is trying to read a book and it becomes dark, a light is needed to continue reading. First, one has the will to get up and turn on the light. If the light switch, the cables and wiring, and the light fixture and bulb are all in proper working order, and given that all the appropriate atomic and sub-atomic reactions happen within the bulb, there will be light. But take one of these elements out, or conversely, substitute any one of these steps for all the others, and the light will never turn on. If one has the will to turn on the light, but the hardware is broken, there is no hope. Similarly, if the hardware is functioning perfectly, but one takes no action towards turning on the light, they will spend all day sitting there, hoping for the light to magically turn on by itself. All events, all beings are dependent on multiple conditions for their existence. These dense philosophical concepts of impermanence, selflessness and interdependence are all vital to understanding Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism specifically, which focuses heavily on these philosophies of Emptiness, Anatman, Karma and rebirth, and multiple conditions. Given the dense and thoroughly complicated nature of this content, I will be teaching this class in a mixed lecture fashion. Brophy and Good suggest that lecture is appropriate when the material must be organized in a particular way, when the information is original or must be integrated from different sources, and most importantly, when the material is such that students may have difficulty learning on their own. I have been seriously investigating and making sense of these dense philosophies for well over two years, and I still have very little notion of their subtler and deeper meanings. Given this, I feel this is precisely one such instance where exerting more control and guidance over the discourse within the classroom will make a great difference in students’ understanding of this content.

Class #5: Tibetan Buddhism I: The History of Tibetan Buddhism

Class number five will address the historical dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet, as well as the figures, places, names and ideas central to their spread through the plateau. It is absolutely essential to understand the historical past of Buddhism in Tibet, not only for its impact on social and political developments, but also because a historical perspective will clarify and elucidate important doctrinal and philosophical distinctions within Tibetan (Vajrayana) Buddhism. The reading for today is a short selection from John Powers’ Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism which outlines the earliest (read, mythical) written records of Tibet, as well as the imperial history of Tibet’s powerful military. These readings are meant to inform students up to the point where my lecture for the day begins. I begin the lecture with an explanation of ‘Lamaism,’ a term that arose during colonial and Victorian time periods to describe Tibet’s unique form of Buddhism. However, this term has been used primarily as a pejorative descriptor; Tibet’s primary religion was often viewed as a degradation of Buddhism that was so cruel and depraved that few even called it Buddhism, but replaced this word with ‘Lamaism’ – rule by Lamas. This is emblematic of the distinctiveness of Tibetan Buddhist traditions; we must acknowledge from the start that it is different from other Buddhist traditions. My goal for the lecture is to give students a sense of how Buddhism arrived in Tibet, and how and why Tibetan Buddhism is so incredibly different from many other traditions of the Buddhadharma. The lecture will then move on to cover the first dissemination of Buddhism, which occurred in the middle of the 7th century C.E., when Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo took a Nepalese and a Chinese wife, each bringing with them a statue of the Buddha. Gampo begins to introduce Buddhism to the whole of Tibet, as well as formally systematize a unified Tibetan script and language (although dialects vary and are quite distinctive). After Gampo come a series of Buddhist kings, called the “Dharma Kings.” The next in line, Trisong Detsen, is probably the most responsible for the widespread influence of Buddhism in Tibet during this time period. He invites the abbot Shantaraksita who in turn suggests Detsen invite the great Tantric master Padmasambhava to subdue the pre-Buddhist (Bön) demons roaming the countryside. Padmasambhava and Shantaraksita are responsible for the founding of the first monastery in Tibet at Samye, in 779, and establishing the first sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the Nyingmapa, literally the “old school.” During this time, a strong and important translation tradition begins in Tibet, wherein Padmasambhava’s disciples translate important Tibetan texts from Sanskrit to Tibetan. This patronage of Buddhism continues until king Lang Darma, who – to some extent – represses Buddhist practice and supports Bön. During a theatrical performance, a Buddhist monk kills Lang Darma, thinking he has been possessed by a demon. 200 years of political and religious instability follow, and Buddhism all but disappears from Tibet, relegated exclusively to the western regions. The second dissemination starts at the end of the tenth century C.E., when a western Tibetan king, Tsenpo Khore decides he wants to become a Buddhist monk, and takes the name Yeshe O. He invites a great Tantric master, Atisa, who arrives in Tibet in 1042, and establishes the Kadampa order, and reinvigorates the translation tradition in Tibet. Following the second dissemination, Buddhism flourishes in central and eastern Tibet again. Different sects, the Sakyapa, Kagyupa and Gelukpa arise and take after different masters and translators. While each sect is unique and distinctive in terms of approach, practices, vinaya (monastic code), lineage and dress, they all share common textual and philosophical origins, and are all heavily steeped in esoteric Tantric practices. I lead students through a short explanation of these four sects, touching briefly on their lineage, origins, political influence and philosophical underpinnings. I will not, however, go too far in depth, as this is the task I will present to students for class #6. The lesson for this class is incredibly important for students to grasp, as it will lay the theoretical and historical foundation for class #6. At the end of class #5, I will ask students to pick specific topics on which to do some research and present for next class. A suggested list includes topics like: the Nyingmapa sect, the Kagyupa, the Sakyapa, the Gelukpa, the Kadampa, Tantra (generally), Lam Dre Tantra, Vairocana, Vimalamitra, Padmasambhava, Santaraksita, Atisa, Hevajra Tantra, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, and the Nine Vehicles of the Nyingmapa. I am assigning this task in the hopes that it will afford students the opportunity to delve deeper into specific content areas, that it will elucidate some of the distinctions and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, and that students will be able to take further control of their own education. I will be teaching class #5 in a mixed lecture format, given that I am presenting information that must be organized in a specific way, and that I am synthesizing and integrating information from multiple sources. It is also my intention to teach this history in a narrative storytelling fashion to arouse student interest.

Class #6: Tibetan Buddhism II: Distinctions and practices

Class #6 will be devoted entirely to student presentations of their independent research into a specific subject area of Tibetan Buddhism. I will have with me a large amount of research I have done on my own into these subject areas, so if students overlook any essential aspects of their specific topic of study, I will be able to assist. The pedagogical implications for this class are important. Having students presenting to their peers, I feel, is an important exercise in learning how to concisely organize information and deliver it in a way that facilitates understanding. It is a chance for students to be the ones to inform the class, albeit with my assistance.

Class #7: Tibetan History I: The Imperial Age to Independence

This will be our first glimpse into Tibetan history other than the religious history lecture I will give during class #5. This time period will span 600 C.E. – 1913, a period of time for which we have the most reliable information; prior to 600, most historical reports contain religious stories about kings descending from ropes dropped from the skies.

Class #8: Tibetan History II: De Facto Independence

Class #9: Tibet and China I

Class #10: Tibet and China II

Class #11: Student Work/Interests I

Class #12: Student Work/Interests II