The Curricula of Tibetan Buddhist Commentarial Schools ("bshad grwa"): Traditional Models and Some Recent Adaptations
This article examines commentarial schools (bshad grwa) within the non-Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, especially their normative curriculum of "thirteen great texts" promoted - though not necessarily first conceived - by Khenpo Zhenpen Nangwa (1871-1927). Focused on Indian śāstra, t...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
[2015]
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| In: |
Contemporary buddhism
Year: 2015, Volume: 16, Issue: 2, Pages: 451-461 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | This article examines commentarial schools (bshad grwa) within the non-Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, especially their normative curriculum of "thirteen great texts" promoted - though not necessarily first conceived - by Khenpo Zhenpen Nangwa (1871-1927). Focused on Indian śāstra, this ideal curriculum omits Tibetan works, tantras and texts on logic and epistemology (pramāṇa), and represents the main body of an exoteric curriculum that could be preceded by basic introductory topics and augmented by advanced esoteric study. Recent adaptations of this curriculum by some of the most important non-Gelug institutions in exile depart from Zhenpen Nangwa's non-sectarian ideal in order to accommodate the texts, topics and interpretations favoured by the tradition to which the institution belongs. The article concludes by asking whether further changes to traditional curricula and pedagogy are likely, following the introduction of new qualifications adopted from the Indian university system and developments such as the creation of commentarial schools for international students. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-7953 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Contemporary buddhism
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2015.1026151 |