Prof. Marta Sernesi (EPHE-PSL Paris / LMU Munich)Mixing and Ejecting (bsre ’pho): An Early System of Yogic Practice in the Rngog Tradition

14 January 2026

16:00, 14 January 2026. ESA-Ost, Raum 120 & Zoom

The expression Mixing and Ejecting (bsre ’pho) is commonly understood as a synonym for the Six Teachings of Nāropa (nā ro chos drug), a usage that emerged in the sixteenth century with the oeuvre of Padma dkar po (1527–1592). In this talk, however, I argue that the term originally designated a distinct system of yogic practices – largely overlapping with those of the nā ro chos drug – that was codified by Mar pa Lo tsā ba (11th c.) and transmitted within the Rngog lineage, the lay tantric family lineage initiated by Mar pa’s disciple Rngog Chos sku rdo rje (1023–1090). When encountered in early Tibetan sources, bsre ’pho thus refers to a specific codification of tantric completion-stage (rdzogs rim) practices performed on the basis of Hevajratantra generation-stage (bskyed rim) procedures. This talk surveys early textual materials related to the bsre ’pho system and discusses its structure and its relationship to the nā ro chos drug.

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Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk (Director) & Dr. Orna Almogi (Co-director)
Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS)
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets
Asien-Afrika-Institut
Universität Hamburg
Alsterterrasse 1
D-20354 Hamburg