Inventing Tibet
For question one, the author's central argument is about Tibet's religious and cultural heritage were not always the same as most Westerners view of Tibet. One aspects of the idealized notion of Tibet, where most Westerners look as the locus of sublime ancient wisdom or a "Shangri-La" view of Tibet. Europeans and Americans proclaimed themselves to be in search of a new paradigm , one based on moral and spiritual principles instead of the destructive forces of market capitalism and power of politics. For them Tibet seemed to offer such paradigm that feed their dreams and fantasies. Also it represented the last remaining hope for the ills of the materially rich but spiritually impoverished civilization of the West. It was a place inhabited by a simple, deeply religious, and inherently non violent people, ruled by an emanation of the Buddha in accordance with the tenets of …show more content…
For question two, some of the examples to support the author's argument is that Tibet's Buddhism is a blend of indigenous and imported elements after the disintegration of the Tibetan kingdom. Tibetan Buddhism is composed of shamanic component, the use of psycho-physical techniques to create altered states of consciousness. This puts the practitioner in communication with a mode of reality more fundamental than that of everyday experience. Tibet is the only known literal society in which they form a central rather than marginal element. Tibet shamanism operates in two distinct areas of religious life. The first is folk religion, where variety of spirits affects their lives. The second are relates to the goal of achieving Buddha-hood or ultimate enlightenment through ritual, including the manipulation of
For question one, the author's central argument is about Tibet's religious and cultural heritage were not always the same as most Westerners view of Tibet. One aspects of the idealized notion of Tibet, where most Westerners look as the locus of sublime ancient wisdom or a "Shangri-La" view of Tibet. Europeans and Americans proclaimed themselves to be in search of a new paradigm , one based on moral and spiritual principles instead of the destructive forces of market capitalism and power of politics. For them Tibet seemed to offer such paradigm that feed their dreams and fantasies. Also it represented the last remaining hope for the ills of the materially rich but spiritually impoverished civilization of the West. It was a place inhabited by a simple, deeply religious, and inherently non violent people, ruled by an emanation of the Buddha in accordance with the tenets of …show more content…
For question two, some of the examples to support the author's argument is that Tibet's Buddhism is a blend of indigenous and imported elements after the disintegration of the Tibetan kingdom. Tibetan Buddhism is composed of shamanic component, the use of psycho-physical techniques to create altered states of consciousness. This puts the practitioner in communication with a mode of reality more fundamental than that of everyday experience. Tibet is the only known literal society in which they form a central rather than marginal element. Tibet shamanism operates in two distinct areas of religious life. The first is folk religion, where variety of spirits affects their lives. The second are relates to the goal of achieving Buddha-hood or ultimate enlightenment through ritual, including the manipulation of