World of Worldly Gods The Persistence and Transformation of Shamanic Bon in Buddhist Bhutan

by Tashi, Kelzang T.

• ISBN13: 9780197669860
• ISBN10: 0197669867
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780197669884
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2023-06-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

In World of Worldly Gods, Kelzang T. Tashi offers the first comprehensive examination of the tenacity of Shamanic Bon practices, as they are lived and contested in the presence of an invalidating force: Buddhism. Through a rich ethnography of Goleng and nearby villages in central Bhutan, Tashi investigates why people, despite shifting contexts, continue to practice and engage with Bon, a religious practice that has survived over a millennium of impatience from a dominant Buddhist ecclesiastical structure. Against the backdrop of long-standing debates around practices unsystematically identified as 'bon', this book reframes the often stale and scholastic debates by providing a clear and succinct statement on how these practices should be conceived in the region.

Tashi argues that the reasons for the tenacity of Bon practices and beliefs amid censures by the Buddhist priests are manifold and complex. While a significant reason for the persistence of Bon is the recency of formal Buddhist institutions in Goleng, he demonstrates that Bon beliefs are so deeply embedded in village social life that some Buddhists paradoxically feel it necessary to reach some kind of accommodation with Bon priests. Through an analysis of the relationship between Shamanic Bon and Buddhism, and the contemporary dynamics of Bhutanese society, this book tackles the longstanding concern of anthropology: cultural persistence and change. It discusses the mutual accommodation and attempted amalgamation of Buddhism and Bon, and offers fresh perspectives on the central distinguishing features of Great and Little Traditions.

Author Biography

Kelzang T. Tashi is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Asia Research Institute at National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He received his PhD in Anthropology from the Australian National University in 2020. His areas of interest include religion, society, kinship, and the environment.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Note on Orthography
List of Figures

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Goleng Village in Zhemgang District

Chapter 3: Soul Loss and Retrieval

Chapter 4: Dealing with Threats to Health and Welfare

Chapter 5: Controlling the Bon Priests

Chapter 6: The Annual Rup Ritual

Chapter 7: Phallic Rituals and Pernicious Gossip

Chapter 8: Buddhist Accommodation of Bon Rites and Practices

Chapter 9: The Persistence and Transformation of Golengpa Religiosity

Chapter 10: Conclusion

References
Appendix