Food of Sinful Demons shows the centrality of vegetarianism to the cultural history of Tibet through specific ways in which nonreligious norms and ideals shaped religious beliefs and practices. Barstow offers a detailed analysis of the debates over meat eating and vegetarianism,…
"In an era of environmental crisis, narratives of 'hidden lands' are resonant. Understood as sanctuaries in times of calamity, Himalayan hidden lands or sbas yul have shaped the lives of many peoples of the region. Sbas yul are described by visionary lamas called 'treasure finde…
"Before countless audiences across the globe, the Dalai Lama has tried to refashion Tibetan Buddhism into a modern religion compatible with empirical science and founded on principles of nonviolence and "universal compassion," but how exactly has this project affected monastic e…
"In this ethnographic narrative of subsistence on the Tibetan plateau, anthropologist Gillian Tan describes the life-worlds of Tibetan nomads in a region traditionally known as Kham. The people of Dora Karmo (Circle of White Stones) are pastoralists who move with their yaks from…
