China Seminar 23 April: Alliances and strategic networks: Tibetan Buddhist lamas and the Qing court

China seminar

April 23, 2014, 15:15 ——   Arsenaal, room 001

 

Yangdon Dhondup (SOAS)

 

Alliances and strategic networks: Tibetan Buddhist lamas and the Qing court

 

The relationship between the Manchu court and Tibetan Buddhists was based on the “patron-priest” model. The emperor acted as the patron and protector of Tibetan Buddhism in exchange for religious advice and guidance by Buddhist Lamas. Whether genuinely believing in Tibetan Buddhism or motivated by geopolitical considerations, the Manchu emperors were generous patrons of Tibetan Buddhism. In this presenta­tion, I look at how Tibetan Buddhists from east Tibet tried to establish a “patron-priest” relationship with the Manchu court and explore their motivation for doing so.

 

forthcoming:

April 30, 2014: Chao Yung-mau (National Taiwan University and IIAS, Leiden): “An assessment of local politics and its prospect in Taiwan”

May 7, 2014: Taru Salmenkari (Leiden U): “Civil society concept as a tool for making the other: the case of China”

May 21, 2014: Hilde De Weerdt (Leiden U): “The Communication and Empire Project: Digital and comparative perspectives on middle-period Chinese history”