Drukpa Kunley. The Saintly Madman from 'Brug

14.06.2019 15:15 - 17:00

Eran Weiss

One of the most famous Saintly Madman, who roamed the Himalayan regions around the fifteenth century, is 'Brug smyon Kun dga’ legs pa, commonly known as Drukpa Kunley.

Drukpa Kunley, like most of the other Saintly Madmen of Tibet, lived in monasteries during his early life. After leaving the monastery, he wandered around Tibet and Bhutan, performed miracles and gave many teachings. He had numerous consorts and taught lay devotees, high teachers and even demons. He instructed them with important doctrinal principals while encouraging a critical approach towards the religious establishment and the secular world. He criticized monastic institutes out of concern about empty ritualism and spiritual materialism while calling for a return to the lifestyle of his lineage ancestors and the Indian Mahāsiddhas.

His unconventional methods of teaching, his criticism, his humor and mad behavior made Drukpa Kunley a popular Buddhist Saint throughout the Himalayan regions and even the world.


Eran Weiss attained a B.A. degree in Education and Philosophy; Tel-Hai College, Israel and a M.A. degree in Comparative Religion Studies at the department of India and Tibet studies; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

In 2010, Eran won "The Sternberg Award" for excellency in Interfaith Research in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Organiser:
Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde
Location:
Seminarraum 1 des Instituts für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde, Universitätscampus, Spitalgasse 2, Hof 2.7, 1090 Wien