Dr. Marta Sernesi (École Pratique des Hautes Études): Nāropā, the Five Stages, and the Six Yogas Historical and Philological Questions

16 June 2021

17:00 June 16, 2021. Due to the coronavirus pandemic conducted online via Zoom.

In this talk I will present some preliminary results of my current investigation into the early textual strata devoted to the set of yogic and meditative exercises commonly referred to in Western scholarship as the “Six Yogas/Teachings of Nāropā” (Nā ro chos drug). The textual family generally called Ka/bKa’ dpe (“Primers” or “Exemplary Texts”) includes four main redactions that display a high degree of intertextuality among them. I will present evidence that shows parallels in terms of structure, themes, and terminology between these texts and the textual tradition of the Pañcakrama. In particular, I will focus on two texts teaching the “Five Stages” (rim pa lnga), attributed to Nāropā (extant only in Tibetan), which foreshadow the teaching system. Thereby, I will raise critical questions regarding the origins and early history of codification of the practices.

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The lecture is held online via Zoom. For those who whish to participate, please write a short mail to Prof. Dr. Wangchuk: dorji.wangchuk@uni-hamburg.de

Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk (Director)

Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS)
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets, AAI, Universität Hamburg
Alsterterrasse 1, D-20354 Hamburg