Dreamworlds of Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism: The Third Place

by Sumegi, Angela

• ISBN13: 9780791474648
• ISBN10: 079147464X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-08
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

Dreamworlds of Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism explores the fertile interaction of Buddhism, shamanism, and Tibetan culture with the subject of dreaming. In Tibetan Buddhist literature, there are numerous examples of statements that express the value of dreams as a vehicle of authentic spiritual knowledge and, at the same time, dismiss dreams as the ultra-illusions of an illusory world. Examining the "third place" from the perspective of shamanism and Buddhism, Angela Sumegi provides a fresh look at the contradictory attitudes toward dreams in Tibetan culture. Sumegi questions the longstanding interpretation that views this dichotomy as a difference between popular and elite religion, and theorizes that a better explanation of the ambiguous position of dreams can be gained through attention to the spiritual dynamics at play between Buddhism and an indigenous shamanic presence. By exploring the themes of conflict and resolution that coalesce in the Tibetan experience, and examining dreams as a site of dialogue between shamanism and Buddhism, this book provides an alternate model for understanding dreams in Tibetan Buddhism. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Angela Sumegi is Assistant Professor of Religion at Carleton University

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Shamanisms and Dreams	p. 11
The World as Being	p. 12
Animate and Inanimate Beings	p. 16
Contracts and Negotiation	p. 18
Joining Heaven and Earth	p. 20
Sleep and Dream as Shamanic Activity	p. 23
Dream, Initiation, and Power	p. 28
Envisioning the Invisible	p. 31
Dream in the Ancient Indian Matrix	p. 35
Ritual and Homology in the Vedas	p. 35
Vitality and Power in the Vedas	p. 38
Sleep and Dream in the Vedas	p. 40
Self and Dream in the Upanisads	p. 43
Indian Buddhist Views of Dream	p. 49
Buddhist Dream Theory and Its Indian Context	p. 50
Dream and Direct Perception of the Buddha	p. 51
Dreaming and Paranormal Powers	p. 54
Dream Interpretation and Classification	p. 55
The Conception Dream of Queen Maya	p. 58
Dreams of Awakening	p. 61
Dream and the Moral Condition of the Dreamer	p. 62
Dream in the Tibetan Context	p. 71
Conflict and Competition	p. 73
The Lama, the Shaman, and the Yogi	p. 77
Dream and Liberation: The Bodhi Orientation	p. 79
Dreaming and Dying: The Karma Orientation	p. 82
Dream and Divination: The Pragmatic Orientation	p. 84
Buddhist Distinctions between Lama and Shaman	p. 87
Shamanism and Soteriology	p. 90
Tibetan Dream Theory, Imagery, and Interpretation	p. 95
General Dream Theory	p. 96
Theory and Imagery from Medical Texts	p. 97
Popular Dream Images	p. 101
Dream and Evidence of Success in Religious Practice	p. 103
Gaining Permission of the Deity	p. 104
The Question of Tendrel	p. 107
Dream and the Illusion of Illusion	p. 109
Conclusion	p. 115
Gampopa's Dreams	p. 121
Notes	p. 123
Bibliography	p. 149
Index	p. 161
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