In Tibetan societies, artefacts containing entire works or passages of canonical literature hold a revered status. They include deluxe manuscripts or prints produced with precious materials, engravings in stone or metal, and frescoes. Canonical literature is publicly displayed through various media, with both the writings and their physical forms believed to carry protective and beneficial blessings. The production of such artefacts involves considerable social prestige, publicly acknowledged in dedicatory texts that extol the virtues of the land and its people. In this workshop, we will read and discuss dedicatory texts from a variety of Tibetan canonical artefacts to explore the relationship between canonical scriptures, their specific physical media, and the social context of their production and use.
Contributors:
- Nyima Woser Choekhortshang
- Jigmey Lodey Gurung
- Amy Heller
- Channa Li
- Nils Martin
- Charles Ramble
- Marta Sernesi
- Helmut Tauscher
- KurtTropper
- Markus Viehbeck
- Alexander Zorin
The workshop is organized under the aegis of the Tibetan Manuscript Project Vienna
(TMPV) and the current FWF-project “Himalayan Sūtra Collections” (P35697).
