Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism

Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism examines how the third Karmapa hierarch, Rangjung Dorj� (1284-1339) transformed reincarnation from a belief into a lasting Tibetan institution. Born the son of an itinerant, low-caste potter, Rangjung Dorj� went on to become a foundational figure in Tibetan Buddhism and a teacher of the last Mongolian emperor. He became renowned for his contributions to Buddhist philosophy, literature, astrology, medicine, architecture, sacred geography and manuscript production. But, as Ruth Gamble demonstrates, his most important legacy was the transformation of the Karmapa reincarnation lineage to ensure that, after his death, subsequent Karmapas were able to assume power in the religious institutions he had led. The inheritance model of reincarnation instituted by Rangjung Dorj� changed the Tibetan Plateau's power relations, which until that time had been based on family associations, and created a precedent for later reincarnate institutions, including that of the Dalai Lamas. Drawing on Rangjung Dorj�'s hitherto un-translated autobiographies and autobiographical songs, this book shows that his reinvention of reincarnation was a self-conscious and multi-faceted project, made possible by Rangjung Dorj�'s cultural, social, and political standing and specific historical and geographical circumstances. Exploring this combination of agency and historical coincidence, this is the first full-length study of the development of the reincarnation institution.

Ruth Gamble is a cultural and environmental historian of Tibet and the Himalaya. She received her Ph.D. from the Australian National University in 2014, and previously held a one-year post-doctoral position at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Before entering academia, she worked as a journalist and an interpreter in Australia, Japan and India. She is now a David Myers Fellow at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Maps and Images
- Notes on Dates and Pronunciation
- Introduction: The Karmapas' Journey to Xanadu
- PART I. The Elements of Reincarnation
- Chapter 1: Lifetimes
- Chapter 2: Lineages
- Chapter 3: Communities
- Chapter 4: Landscapes
- PART 2. The Journey of a Lifetime
- Chapter 5: From Death to Childhood
- Chapter 6: From Latö to Tsurpu
- Chapter 7: Into the Mountains
- Chapter 8: Between Kongpo and Xanadu
- Conclusion: The Karmapas' Estate
- Appendix. Notes on Rangjung Dorjé's Autobiographies and Biographies
- Tibetan Spellings
- Notes
- Works Cited
- Index