Himalayan Passages: Tibetan and Newar studies in honor of Hubert Decleer

Explore new research on the religious and cultural traditions of the Himalayan Buddhist world.

Over decades, hundreds of American undergraduates spending a semester abroad have been introduced to Tibetan culture in India, Nepal, and China by Hubert Decleer. A number went on to become prominent scholars in the field at institutions such as Yale, Berkeley, and Georgetown, and as a tribute to him they have put together this collection of cutting-edge research in Himalayan studies, bringing together contributions of this new generation with those of senior researchers in the field. This new research on the religion and culture of the Himalayan Buddhist world spans a broad range of subjects, periods, and approaches, and the diversity and strength of the contributions ensures Himalayan Passages be warmly welcomed by scholars, travelers, and Tibetan Buddhists alike.

Highlights include:
Donald S. Lopez, Jr. tells the story of Gendun Chopel's unusual visit to Sri Lanka in 1941.
Leonard van der Kuijp examines the Bodhicittavivarana, an ancient work on the enlightened resolve to free all beings.
Kabir Mansingh Heimsath compares Western and Chinese curatorial approaches to Tibetan modern art.
Alexander von Rospatt illuminates the fascinating history and artistic details of the famous Svayambhu stupa in Kathmandu.
Sarah H. Jacoby translates the short autobiography of Sera Khandro, the celebrated female Tibetan mystic of a century ago.
Additional contributors include Franz-Karl Ehrhard, Ernst Steinkellner, Jacob P. Dalton, Iain Sinclair, Anne Vergati, Punya Prasad Parajuli, and Dominique Townsend.

Preface

Introduction
- Benjamin Bogin and Andrew Quintman

1. Places and Pilgrimage

Lowo Khenchen (1456–1532) and the Buddhist Pilgrimage to the Ārya Wati Zangpo
- Franz-Karl Ehrhard

The Mural Paintings of the Svayambhūpurāṇa at the Shrine of Śāntipur, and Their Origins with Pratāpa Malla
- Alexander von Rospatt

Redacting Sacred Landscape in Nepal: The Vicissitudes of Yolmo’s Tiger Cave Lion Fortress
- Andrew Quintman

When Vehicles Collide: A Tibetan in Sri Lanka, 1941
- Donald S. Lopez Jr.

2. Texts and Manuscripts

Some Text-Historical Issues with the Bodhicittavivaraṇa by a Nāgārjuna and the Tibetan Commentarial Literature
- Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp

Lha luṅ dPal rdor’s “Soul Stone” at Yer pa—in Full View
- Ernst Steinkellner

Preliminary Remarks on a Newly Discovered Biography of Nupchen Sangyé Yeshé
- Jacob P. Dalton

The Excellent Path of Devotion: An Annotated Translation of Sera Khandro’s Short Autobiography
- Sarah Jacoby

3. Ritual and Visual Traditions

Envisioning Durjayacandra’s Saptākṣarasādhana: On the Sources and Sponsors of a Twelfth-Century Painting of Seven-Syllabled Saṃvara
- Iain Sinclair

Representing Mahācaitya Svayaṃbhū in Painting
- Anne Vergati

Gods and Superheroes: Some Thoughts on Contemporary Tibetan Art
- Kabir Mansingh Heimsath

4. Histories and Transmissions

Vanaratna and His Activities in Fifteenth-Century Nepal
- Punya Prasad Parajuli

Epistles of Interdependence: Preliminary Reflections on the Fifth Dalai Lama’s Letters to Terdak Lingpa
- Dominique Townsend

The Red and Yellow War: Dispatches from the Field
- Benjamin Bogin