- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press; New edition edition (Nov 1 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0691009481
- ISBN-13: 978-0691009483
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.3 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #390,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
It is only one of the many virtues of Janet Gyatso's Apparitions of the Self that it gives us, at last, a full portrait of a Buddhist saint in all his self-admitted complexity and ambiguity.... Lucid and literate.... Significant points to ponder, and subtle arguments to which to respond. -- "Journal of Asian Studies
Gyatso surveys this landscape from a host of perspectives, adding to her Buddhalogical expertise a sensitivity to literary theory and comparative studies. Her sharp intelligence and thorough consideration are evident on every page. This book will attract readers from as many disciplines as Gyatso herself so effectively musters. -- "Religious Studies Review
This exceptional volume combines concise and felicitous translation with clear commentary and insightful analysis.... What lends considerable interest to this work is the comparison Gyatso ... makes between Tibetan literature and Western literary theory.... [Apparitions of the Self] serves as a model of innovative scholarship. -- "Choice
In this ambitious book, Janet Gyatso breaks new ground in the field of cross-cultural comparisons of autobiography. . . . Providing clear, poetic translations of very difficult material, Gyatso offers a glimpse into an unusual genre of autobiography. . . . [She] has accomplished a difficult task at rendering the translations of Jigme Lingpa into clear, readable, English poetry and prose and elucidating their meaning in Western theoretical terms. Her use of Western theories of autobiographical self-representation and dissimulation shed valuable light on a heretofore impenetrable subject of Tibetan literature. . . . This book provides an important contribution to Buddhist studies and to autobiographical studies. -- "The Journal of Religion
Gyatso surveys this landscape from a host of perspectives, adding to her Buddhalogical expertise a sensitivity to literary theory and comparative studies. Her sharp intelligence and thorough consideration are evident on every page. This book will attract readers from as many disciplines as Gyatso herself so effectively musters. -- "Religious Studies Review
This exceptional volume combines concise and felicitous translation with clear commentary and insightful analysis.... What lends considerable interest to this work is the comparison Gyatso ... makes between Tibetan literature and Western literary theory.... [Apparitions of the Self] serves as a model of innovative scholarship. -- "Choice
In this ambitious book, Janet Gyatso breaks new ground in the field of cross-cultural comparisons of autobiography. . . . Providing clear, poetic translations of very difficult material, Gyatso offers a glimpse into an unusual genre of autobiography. . . . [She] has accomplished a difficult task at rendering the translations of Jigme Lingpa into clear, readable, English poetry and prose and elucidating their meaning in Western theoretical terms. Her use of Western theories of autobiographical self-representation and dissimulation shed valuable light on a heretofore impenetrable subject of Tibetan literature. . . . This book provides an important contribution to Buddhist studies and to autobiographical studies. -- "The Journal of Religion
Product Description
Apparitions of the Self is a groundbreaking investigation into what is known in Tibet as "secret autobiography," an exceptional, rarely studied literary genre that presents a personal exploration of intimate religious experiences. In this volume, Janet Gyatso translates and studies the outstanding pair of secret autobiographies by the famed Tibetan Buddhist visionary, Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798), whose poetic and self-conscious writings are as much about the nature of his own identity, memory, and the undecidabilities of autobiographical truth as they are narrations of the actual content of his experiences. Their translation in this book marks the first time that works of this sort have been translated in a Western language.
Gyatso is among the first to consider Tibetan literature from a comparative perspective, examining the surprising fit--as well as the misfit--of Western literary theory with Tibetan autobiography. She examines the intriguing questions of why Tibetan Buddhists produced so many autobiographies (far more than other Asian Buddhists) and how autobiographical self-assertion is possible even while Buddhists believe that the self is ultimately an illusion. Also explored are Jigme Lingpa's historical milieu, his revelatory visions of the ancient Tibetan dynasty, and his meditative practices of personal cultivation. The book concludes with a study of the subversive female figure of the "Dakini" in Jigme Lingpa's writings, and the implications of her gender, her sexuality, and her unsettling discourse for the autobiographical subject in Tibet.
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First Sentence
Homage to the glorious primordial protector! Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Homage to the glorious primordial protector! Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unearthing Tibet's Hidden Treasures,
By Lawrence E. Pintak (Princeton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary (Paperback)
It doesn't get much more esoteric than this. Apparitions of the Self tackles in-depth the complex metaphysics of the Treasure or Terma texts, the hidden teachings which practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism believe Padmasambhava secreted in the minds of key disciples 1,200 years ago. The vehicle for this exploration is the autobiography of Jigme Lingpa, an 18th century Terton (Treasure discoverer), who revealed the Great Perfection teachings. Author Janet Gyatso is an associate professor of religion at Amherst College, and, unfortunately, that is often all too evident in the text, which frequently reads like the academic treatise which it is. But readers willing to skim over phrases like "the hermeneutical nature of the process by which the unformulated is adumbrated" ...will discover a treasure trove of insights into this fascinating aspect of the Vajrayana world. Gyatso provides the clearest and most comprehensive account this reviewer has come across regarding the metaphysical process through which Treasure texts are "transmitted" and offers one of the more complete overviews on the nature of the dakini -- variously considered the Tibetan equivalent of an angel, anima, or even human partner. At the same time, she examines the apparent contradiction inherent in the idea of an advanced Buddhist practitioner, steeped in the concept of "no-self," producing an autobiography about his spiritual achievements. Make no mistake, this is not light reading for a summer day. But well worth the work for those seriously interested in the topic. Tulku Thondup Rinpoche was one of Gyatso's sources for her book, and his own volume, Hidden Teachings of Tibet, serves as the core reference work for anyone interested in the Terma tradition. Tulku Thondup, who has lived in the U.S. since 1980, provides a solid overview of the various types of Treasures, how they are concealed and discovered, details on the so-called dakini script in which they are written, and insights into the Tertons themselves. It is all organized in a format that makes for easy reference. Originally published in 1986, the book was issued in paperback in 1997. Reviewer: Lawrence Pintak is a journalist and author who writes frequently on Buddhism and spirituality.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable Apparition,
By "lomjoanne" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary (Paperback)
In this valuable book, Janet Gyatso presents two of Jigme Lingpa's songs and lenghty analysis that is well-reasoned. Her translation is very nice, but I would have enjoyed more original text and less interpretation.
5.0 out of 5 stars
fresh,
This review is from: Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary (Paperback)
janet gyatso has obviously spent some time putting this together. there isn't much out there about the life of jigmed lingpa (in english, at least) and this book fills the void well, i think. she has a few essays about some of the modern issues of spiritual life, and uses the autobiographies here translated to support her ideas. interesting, easy to read.
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