Rituels Bouddhiques De Pouvoir Et De Violence: La Figure Du Tantriste Tibetain (Bibliotheque De L'ecole Des Hautes Etudes, Sciences Religieuses) (French Edition)

Book Description

This scholarly exploration delves into one of Buddhism's most perplexing contradictions: the presence of violent ritual practices within a tradition fundamentally committed to non-harm. Nicolas Sihle examines how Tibetan tantric Buddhism navigates the tension between its core ethical principle of avoiding harm to all beings and its elaborate ritual machinery designed to repel and destroy malevolent forces.

The study focuses on the ngakpa, a distinctive type of Tibetan religious practitioner who specializes in tantric rituals without taking monastic vows. Unlike traditional monks, these tantric specialists engage with the darker aspects of ritual practice, invoking terrifying protective deities to combat demons, hostile spirits, and vaguely defined enemies. Their work encompasses practices that might be considered black magic, involving rituals that encourage divine protectors to kill, beat, and dismember threatening forces.

Through careful analysis, Sihle investigates how this violent ritual dimension functions within the broader Buddhist framework. The book examines the paradoxical role of power and violence in a spiritual tradition known for compassion, offering insights into how Tibetan practitioners reconcile these seemingly contradictory elements.

For readers interested in the complex realities of religious practice beyond idealized presentations, this work provides a nuanced examination of how spiritual traditions address the presence of destructive forces while maintaining their fundamental ethical commitments.