Intro to Tibetan Civilization - Unit 1

According to Kapstein, the peoples of the high Himalayan plateau became Tibetan foremost due to

cultural developments going back 2000 years

Why does van Schaik concede that only an omniscient (all-knowing) Buddha could write a complete history?

Historical writing is necessarily biased, because historical writing is necessarily selective and limited, and because only an all-knowing Buddha could see all the causes and conditions that drive historical events

As Kapstein demonstrates in the Tibetan context, even from a critical historical perspective, myths and stories are often

descendants of historical events that are relevant as touchstones of cultural identity

What impact did the Tibetan landscape have on Tibetan language?

It created a diversity of spoken dialects but a single written language

According to Kapstein, who is the archetypical Tibetan in the Tibetan imagination? In other words, what lifestyle is celebrated as most definitive of Tibetan cultural identity?

The yak-herding Nomadic Pastoralist

Tibet's "nameless religion" features

an emphasis on funerary rituals, spirit mediumship, local "yul-lha" deity cults

Why was Tibet's post-imperial era "dark", and what came to illuminate it?

Because Tibetan historians didn't have much information on it until the 20th ce., when the Dunhuang manuscripts were discovered

As tribal leaders of divine descent, the succession of one Tsenpo to the next usually involved

violence and conspiracy

From the time of Songtsen Gampo to the 20th ce., Tibet was

a highly stratified society that embraced the unfiication of Church and State

Descended from heaven, only the emperors ruled Tibet throughout the imperial period.

False

According to Panchen Lama III, one of the foremost authorities on the Kalachakra Tantra, the kingdom of Shambhala is:

a hidden pure land somewhere outside Tibet

Why would Tri Songdetsen and the expanding Tibetan empire be interested in the state adoption of Buddhism?

For personal religious purposes, it's a question of faith, For social religious purposes, it's a question of control, Because clerical Buddhism was internationally recognized and respected, Because it was an ideal model of organized knowledge, For its mastery of the written word and reason, Because its esoteric rituals were considered more powerful than Indigenous ones

Samye Monastery was the site where:

he first Tibetans were ordained as monks, The great translation project was initiated and undertaken, the great debate occurred between masters of Indian and Chinese Buddhisms

Monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam:

never made a major impact on traditional Tibetan religious life

Tibetan Buddhists take refuge in the:

Guru/Lama, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

According to traditional Tibetan beliefs, disease, natural disasters, and psychological issues arose due to:

spirit-world entities, karmic process

Terma or ______ are imperial-era ______ attributed foremost to _______, who is said to have concealed them for later recovery by reincarnations of his disciples.

treaures, texts and relics, Padmasambhava

Kalachakra is represented by:

a deity, a mandala palace, a mantra, a single seed syllable

Tibetan Buddhism:

unites all three vehicles

Nyatri Tsenpo

pre-buddhism

Ralpachen

Vajrapani/ Chagna Dorje

Songtsen Gampo

Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezig

Lang Darma

Not celebrated as a bodhisattva

Tri Songdetsen

Manjushri/Jampel

Which of the following traditions feature a soteriological emphasis?

buddhism, bon after the 12th century

How familiar were the author/s of Drenpa's Proclamation with Buddhism and Buddhist accounts of Tibetan history?

Very: they had a sophisticated understanding of Buddhist principles and historical narratives

According to Kvaerne's critical perspective, Yungdrung or "Eternal" Bön signifies:

a systematized tradition beginning in the 12th ce. that syncretizes some imperial-era beliefs and practices with Tibetan Buddhism

In imperial-era sources, the terms "Bön" and "Shen" signify:

rituals, ritual specialists

According to Kapstein and van Schaik, the Tibetan empire collapsed due to:

the shifting economics of an empire past peak expansion, taxes and expenditures to support the monasteries, tribalism, and environmentally induced famine

Drenpa's Proclamation claims that the historical Buddha is:

the source of the true doctrine, but Tibet's priests are its authentic lineage holders

When is violence an appropriate and/or necessary course of action for Tibetan Buddhists?

When the intention is devoid of self-interest and the action would serve the greater good