Power Objects in Tibetan Buddhism : The Life, Writings, and Legacy of Sokdokpa Lodrö Gyeltsen

In 'power Objects In Tibetan Buddhism: The Life, Writings, And Legacy Of Sokdokpa Lodro Gyeltsen', James Duncan Gentry Explores How Objects Of Power Figure In Tibetan Religion, Society, And Polity Through A Study Of The Life Of The Tibetan Buddhist Ritual Specialist Sokdokpa Lodrö Gyeltsen (1552-1624) Within The Broader Context Of Sixteenth- And Seventeenth-century Tibet. In Presenting Sokdokpa's Career And Legacy, Gentry Traces The Theme Of Power Objects Across A Wide Spectrum Of Genres To Show How Tibetan Buddhists Themselves Have Theorized About Objects Of Power And Implemented Them In Practice. This Study Therefore Provides A Lens Into How Power Objects Serve As Points Of Convergence For Elite Doctrinal Discourses, Socio-political Dynamics, And Popular Religious Practices In Tibetan Buddhist Societies. Objects In Narrative -- Introduction To Part 1 -- In The Vicinity Of Things-substance, Violence, And Power In The Milieu Of Sokdokpa Lodrö Gyeltsen (1552-1624) -- Introduction -- The Shifting Tides Of Clerical Influence And Authority: Religion, Policies, And Materiality In The Time Of Sokdokpa -- Sokdokpa's Influences And Milieu: Violent Rites, Brahmin Flesh, Mid Other Object-oriented Bonds -- Treasure Revealer Zhikpo Lingpa: Political Leader Of Nangtsé And Guru Of Sokdokpa -- Sokdokpa's Influences From The Frontier: The Mön Treasure Revealers Yongdzin Ngawung Drakpa And Tuké Dawa Gyeltsen -- Reflections On The Convergence Of Political Power, Ritual, And Substance In Sokdokpa's Milieu -- Prowess And Persona In The Wielding Of Things-exorcisms, Objects, And Insights In The Life And Literary Career Of A Mongol-repelling Scholar-adept -- The Spiritual And Material Life Of An Exorcist Yogi -- A Literature Of Precedent, Protection, And Perfection: The Writings Of Sokdokpa Lodrö Gyeltsen -- Apologia And Theory -- Narrative -- Liturgy And Ritual Commentary -- Rhetoric Of An Exorcist: The Construction Of Sokdokpa's Public Identity -- Persuasion, Cynicism, And Deceit In Sokdokpa's Use Of Prophecy -- Righteousness, Infamy, And Authority In Ritual Prowess -- Personal Qualifications For Ritual Prowess -- Final Reflections On Sokdokpa's Rhetoric In The 'history' -- Objects In Theory And Practice -- Controversies Over Things-drawing, Blurring, And Crossing Boundaries -- Introduction -- Visionary Glimpses -- Powerful Speech -- Amulet Practice -- Brahmin Flesh And Other Liberating Edibles -- Concluding Remarks -- Things In Action And The Actions Of Things-a Dynamic Ontology Of Ritual Objects -- Introduction -- Sokdokpa's Matters Of Concern -- Incorporation, Contact, And Ingestion In Pill Practices -- Brahmin Flesh: Discourse, Performance, And Consumption -- Mediated Origins, Hybrid Ingredients -- Multimedia Ritual Accomplishment -- Deity Yoga In The Creation Of Self And Other -- Pills As Catalysts And Vehicles -- Ambrosia: Medicinal Concoction And Tantric Sacrament -- Edible Concoctions Of Power: Common Patterns -- The Efficacy Of Ambrosia Ingredients: Categories And Homologies -- The Orthopraxy Of Aesthetic Criteria -- Knowledge And Its Consequences -- Artifacts Of Violence, Substances Of Danger -- The Contagion Of Danger And Death -- The Orthopraxy Of Violence -- Materializing And Mastering Unseen Forces -- Violent Outbursts, The Call To Collective Action, And Other Publicly Observable Aspects Of Efficacy -- Signs Of Success And Their Signified Outcomes -- Creating The Self Through Killing The Other -- Concluding Remarks On Enemy-oriented Rites -- Vision, Exegesis, And Touch In The Use Of Initiation Substances And Introduction Props -- Materiality And Meaning In The Nine-vehicle Initiation Ritual -- The Visual And Tactile Reception Of Objects -- The Communicative Competency Of Things -- Substance And Sign In The Complex Semiotics Of Objects -- In The Mirror Of Mind: Sense And Semiosis In A Mind-nature Introduction Liturgy -- Materiality And Meaning In The Use Of Initiation Substance -- Artifacts In The Rapprochement Of Subject-object Duality -- Iconicity And Exegesis In The Semiosis Of Props -- Final Reflections On Sokdokpa's Ritual Ethos -- Aftereffects -- Continuities And Contentions Over Things-the Legacy Of Sokdokpa And The Material Links Of Political Authority -- Introduction -- The Legacy Of Sokdokpa And His Milieu In The Writings Of The Fifth Dalai Lama -- The Legacy Of Sokdokpa And His Milieu Among Tibet's Old School Lineages -- The Legacy Of Sokdokpa And His Milieu In The Hidden Land Of Sikkim -- Vase Water That Liberates Upon Tasting -- The Black King Kang Yamantaka Effigy Burial Rite -- Contemporary Sikkimese Scholarship. By James Duncan Gentry. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (ph.d.)--harvard University, 2014. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Text In English, Tibetan And Sanskrit ; Quotations Translated From The Tibetan And The Sanskrit.