Dear Friend,
On behalf of the University of Toronto Scarborough, I invite you to attend our upcoming event, which is part of the 2013-2014 Tung Lin Kok Yuen Perspectives on Buddhist Thought and Culture series (a TLKY Canada event). We are honoured to host Dr. Markus Viehbeck, Assistant Professor at the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe in a Global Context,” Heidelberg University. He researches and teaches on transcultural aspects in Buddhism. On December 12, 2013 at 5:00pm, he will deliver a free public lecture entitled “Buddha’s Truthful Heirs? Indo-Tibetan relations in Tibetan Polemical Discourse.”
Dr. Viehbeck will explore a major controversy among two influential Tibetan intellectuals in the 19th century that revolved around the correct interpretation of an important Indian Buddhist text. While Tibetan Buddhism shows manifold cultural influences, the Indian tradition occupies a particularly significant position. It served as a source of general cultural knowledge, but also as a concrete authority for specific Buddhist teachings, via texts translated into Tibetan. Aligning oneself with a specific Indian Buddhist text could provide a Tibetan scholar authority to one’s own scholastic elaborations. At the same time, such texts provided an inexhaustible source for controversial discussion. How then did Tibetan scholars relate to the Indian tradition in such discussions? How can their creative contribution to Buddhist thought be reconciled with the master narrative that often depicts Tibetan scholars as passive protectors of original teachings?
Attached, please find a PDF poster for this lecture, to share with members of your community. Due to the growing popularity of the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Public Lecture Series, seating at the event can only be guaranteed by sending an RSVP to tlky-hcs@utsc.utoronto.ca. If you require transport from St. George Campus (Downtown), please indicate it when you are sending your RSVP.
It would be our pleasure if you are able to join us for this event. If you have any questions about the public lecture series, please send email to tlky-hcs@utsc.utoronto.ca. I hope you will consider joining us for the engaging continuation of Tung Lin Kok Yuen Perspectives on Buddhist Thought and Culture series at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Daniel E. Bender
Chair, Department of Historical and Cultural Studies
The post “Buddha’s Truthful Heirs?” TLKY Canada lecture, U of T, Thurs. Dec 12, 2013 @ 5 pm appeared first on .