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SUMMARY:ERC BuddhistRoad cancelled!
DTSTART:20230125T090000Z
DTEND:20230125T110000Z
DTSTAMP:20260525T073624Z
UID:erc-buddhistroad-en-1-9244@ceres.rub.de
CATEGORIES:
DESCRIPTION:Unfortunately the Lunchbox Lecture by Flavio A. Geisshuesler m
 ust be cancelled. The event is rescheduled for a later this year.\nInforma
 tion about the new date will be published soon.\n\n\nMeeting with Buddholo
 gists - Talk with Flavio A. Geisshuesler\n\nTitle: Framing the Sky: Great 
 Perfection Meditation and the Tibetanization of Buddhism\n\n\nThis study o
 ffers an introduction of the famous Tibetan practice known as “Direct Tr
 anscendence” (thod rgal\, Tögal) in order to explore its origins\, deve
 lopment\, and relevance for the study of meditation more generally. In wha
 t is likely one of the world’s most extraordinary techniques of meditati
 on\, yogis sit on top of mountains and gaze into the dark blue of the open
  skies above Tibet until they start to perceive specks of light that grow 
 into complex mandalic shapes until they finally swirl back into empty spac
 e.\n\nDrawing on a vast range of primary sources (such as Dunhuang manuscr
 ipts\, 10th-century tantras of the Dzogchen tradition\, 14th-century comme
 ntaries\, as well as other mythical-ritual texts belonging to the Ancient 
 School of Buddhism and Tibetan Bön)\, it not only reveals the unexpected 
 origins of this practice—demonstrating that it likely originated amongst
  shamanic practitioners prior to the introduction of Buddhist to Tibet in 
 the 7th century—but also asks larger questions regarding the nature of m
 editation. Indeed\, despite its esoteric character\, scholars have compare
 d the Tibetan sky-gazing technique to mindfulness meditation\, which has b
 ecome phenomenally popular across Western societies in recent decades. It 
 has not only been argued that these types of practices share a frame of mi
 nd characterized by freedom\, but also a series of closely related traits\
 , such as present-centeredness\, relaxation\, or a non-judgmental attitude
 .\n\nThis study contextualizes Tögal practice within a larger contemplati
 ve system\, which includes mythical-historical narratives of origin\, anat
 omical descriptions of our subtle bodies\, and philosophical speculations 
 about the nature of language\, in order to show that meditation is not sim
 ply dominated by freedom. On the contrary\, this research project provides
  the reader with a series of “frames” that not only demonstrate that m
 editation frequently confines our freedom\, but also suggest that its trul
 y liberating power stems from increasing our awareness of the various limi
 tations that make up human existence. Amongst many other things\, it shows
  that present-centeredness requires us to be aware of our pasts\, relaxati
 on involves an appreciation of our bodily energies\, and a non-judgmental 
 attitude calls for an understanding of how our brains are inherently geare
 d towards structure and meaning- making.
LOCATION:CERES Palais\, room "Ruhrpott" (4.13)
URL:https://ceres.rub.de/en/events/erc-buddhistroad-en-1/
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