Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary
The Life of a Modern Bönpo Saint
William M. Gorvine
Reviews and Awards
"William Gorvine's Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary brings to life the figure of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen, one of the most influential (and controversial) Bönpo scholars of all time. Much more than a biography, Gorvine's work is also an analysis of Shardza's writings and historical context. It is also, by the way, a wonderful introduction to Bön, Tibet's 'indigenous' religion. Erudite yet accessible, this book is a must read for anyone interested in Tibetan religion."--José I. Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California Santa Barbara
"Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary is our most expansive exploration to date of traditional Tibetan approaches to Bön life writing. Gorvine illuminates for the first time the ways in which Bönpo authors sought to represent new forms of religiosity, self-identity, and institutional legitimacy in an overwhelmingly Buddhist landscape. This work does much to expand and complicate our understanding of religion in Tibet and the Himalayan region."--Andrew Quintman, Associate Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University and author of The Yogin and the Madman: Reading the Biographical Corpus of Tibet's Great Saint Milarepa
"Gorvine's narrative is a brilliant exposition of the general tenets of the Tibetan Bön religion. This represents an excellent introduction to the doctrine and ascetic practices of Bön as demonstrated through the life of one of its most beloved and celebrated recent masters. The rationale of this study is to highlight the function of a Tibetan literary genre, the hagiography (namtar), as a teaching device as well as to inspire practitioners and the faithful. Gorvine not only manages to convey the full extent of the original two Tibetan works but is also able to contextualize the events reported as well as the nature and type of spiritual work Shardza was engaged in. In this way, students of Bon as well as scholars researching the material that is the basis for practice amply demonstrated here are able to benefit from the reading of this very accessible study."--J. F. Marc des Jardins, Associate Professor of Religion and Cultures, Concordia University
