Description
Book SynopsisGlimpses of Tibetan Divination: Past and Present is the first book of its kind, in that it contains articles by a group of eminent scholars who approach the subject matter by investigating it through various facets and salient historical figures. Over the centuries, Tibetans developed many practices of prognostication and adapted many others from neighboring cultures and religions. In this way, Tibetan divination evolved into a vast field of ritual expertise that has been largely neglected in Tibetan Studies. The Tibetan repertoire of divinatory techniques is rich and immensely varied. Accordingly, the specimen of practices discussed in this volume—many of which remain in use today—merely serve as examples that offer glimpses of divination in Tibet. Contributors are Per Kværne, Brandon Dotson, Ai Nishida, Dan Martin, Petra Maurer, Charles Ramble, Donatella Rossi, Rolf Scheuermann, Alexander Smith, and Agata Bareja-Starzynska.
Table of ContentsPreface Background History of the Volume On the Contributions Contained in This Volume List of Figures and Tables Notes on Contributors 1 A Case of Prophecy in Post-imperial Tibet Per Kværne 2 Three Dice, Four Faces, and Sixty-Four Combinations: Early Tibetan Dice Divination by the Numbers Brandon Dotson 3 A Preliminary Analysis of Old Tibetan Dice Divination Texts Ai Nishida 4 Divinations Padampa Did or Did Not Do, or Did or Did Not Write Dan Martin 5 Landscaping Time, Timing Landscapes: The Role of Time in the sa dpyad Tradition Petra Maurer 6 Signs and Portents in Nature and in Dreams: What They Mean and What Can Be Done about Them Charles Ramble 7 Identifying the Magical Displays of the Lords of the World: The Oneiromancy of the gSal byed byang bu Donatella Rossi 8 Vibhūticandra’s Svapnohana and the Examination of Dreams Rolf Scheuermann 9 Prognosis, Prophylaxis, and Trumps: Comparative Remarks on Several Common Forms of Tibetan Cleromancy Alexander Smith 10 The Role of Lamyn Gegeen Blo bzang bstan ’dzin rgyal mtshan in the Dissemination of Tibetan Astrology, Divination and Prognostication in Mongolia Agata Bareja-Starzynska Index
