Circle of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Events
The aim of the Circle is to encourage the scholarly exploration of Tibetan culture by providing a forum for research, exhibitions and affiliated events pertaining to the civilisations of Tibet and the Himalayas held in the greater London area.
The intellectual focus consists of a series of seminars and lectures hosted by SOAS. The content of these presentations covers a wide range of Tibetological research including art, archaeology, architecture, history, language, literature, music,
philosophy and religion.
Its activities will be of particular interest to scholars, art collectors, academic institutions and other interest groups concerned with the study and preservation of the Tibetan cultural heritage.
The administrative hub of the Circle consists of a custom built member database. This is designed to facilitate communication between scholars, galleries and aficionados of Tibetan and Himalayan culture and religion.
2012
February
13/02/12
- A History of Tibetan Medicine through Texts and Images
Dr Dorje and Dr O Tsokchen (Tsongon Provincial Research Institute of Tibetan Medicine and Tsongon Tibetan Culture Museum)
A group of four Tibetan doctors and researchers affiliated with the Tsongon Provincial Research Institute of Tibetan Medicine and Tsongon Tibetan Culture Museum will present a lecture on their research and the history of Tibetan medicine more generally.
March
09/03/12
- Atisha revisited: Jo bo rje's travels in Tibet according to his early biographies
Dr. Ulrike Roesler (Oxford)
Atiśa is a key figures in the revival of Buddhism in the 11th century. From Bengal, he reached Tibet in 1042 and remained for the last 12 years of his life. His early biographies speak about adventurous travel, religious rivalry, struggle for patronage, cultural misunderstandings and language problems. This paper introduces the most important sources for the life of Atiśa and re-evaluates his significance for Tibetan Buddhism.
April
18/04/12
- Reading and Discussion with Ah Lai, Tibetan novelist and poet
Ah Lai
The Sino-phone Tibetan poet and novelist, Ah Lai, discusses and reads from his works.
May
11/05/12
- Perceiving, Naming and Using Colours in Ladakh, a Tibetan region of the Western Himalayas
Dr. Pascale Dollfus (Centre d'Etudes Himalayennes)
This paper examines the definitions and the local terms given for “colour” in dictionaries and encyclopaedias, then discusses the colour terms used by people in everyday life, as well as those used to express colour in medical and hippiatric or in painting treatises.
November
01/11/12
- Ashoka and Tibet: an illustrated lecture
Charles Allen
This illustrated lecture by Charles Allen, a historian of South Asia, will focus on the role of Emperor Ashoka in the transformation of Buddhism into a world religion and the process by which Ashoka was 'discovered' by Orientalists in the nineteenth century.
02/11/12
- Indigo, gold and human blood: illuminated Tibetan manuscripts
Dr Agnieszka Helman-Wazny (Universität Hamburg)
This talk explores Tibetan illuminated manuscripts as physical objects adorned with a variety of hand-painted decorations, revealing miniatures, ornamented borders, initial letters and circles imitating holes after palm-leaf books. The lecture will be illustrated with examples of the London Sel dkar Kanjur, the Manuscript Kanjur of Berlin, and Prajñāpāramitā manuscripts from various collections.
