Samten Karmay
Encyclopedia
Samten Gyeltsen Karmay (1936-) is a writer and researcher in the field of Tibetan Studies. His work is focused on the study of Tibetan myths, beliefs, Bon religion and religious history.
meditation from his uncle. He completed his studies in the Bon monastery in 1955, obtaining the degree of Geshe
, and left with a group of friends to the Gelugpa monastery of Drepung, near Lhasa
. The monastery was known for its high philosophical training.
After leaving Drepung due to the difficult political situation, Samten moved to Nepal and later to India. After working for some time in Delhi
, he was invited to England by David Snellgrove
under a Rockefeller fellowship. Upon moving to Europe, he assumed the surname Karmay. He studied under two mentors, Snellgrove and Rolf Stein, who both recognized Samten's knowledge of Tibetan texts. He earned an M. Phil degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies
in London.
In 1980 he moved to France, where he entered the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research). During his time there, he was awarded with the CNRS Silver Medal for his contribution to Human Sciences. A number of Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines was dedicated to him in November 2008. He also held the post of the President of the International Association of Tibetan Studies between 1995 and 2000, being the first Tibetan to be elected to the post. In 2005 he was a visiting professor at the International Institute for Asian Studies
, under the sponsorship of Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai.
Religion and Politics: commentary, Where Tibetans Write, September 2008, http://www.tibetwrites.org/?Religion-and-Politics-commentary
Life and work
Samten Gyeltsen was born in 1936 in Sharkhog, eastern Tibet. He received religious training in DzogchenDzogchen
According to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
meditation from his uncle. He completed his studies in the Bon monastery in 1955, obtaining the degree of Geshe
Geshe
Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
, and left with a group of friends to the Gelugpa monastery of Drepung, near Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. The monastery was known for its high philosophical training.
After leaving Drepung due to the difficult political situation, Samten moved to Nepal and later to India. After working for some time in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, he was invited to England by David Snellgrove
David Snellgrove
David Llewellyn Snellgrove is a British Tibetologist noted for his pioneering work on Buddhism in Tibet as well as his many travelogues.-Biography:...
under a Rockefeller fellowship. Upon moving to Europe, he assumed the surname Karmay. He studied under two mentors, Snellgrove and Rolf Stein, who both recognized Samten's knowledge of Tibetan texts. He earned an M. Phil degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
in London.
In 1980 he moved to France, where he entered the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research). During his time there, he was awarded with the CNRS Silver Medal for his contribution to Human Sciences. A number of Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines was dedicated to him in November 2008. He also held the post of the President of the International Association of Tibetan Studies between 1995 and 2000, being the first Tibetan to be elected to the post. In 2005 he was a visiting professor at the International Institute for Asian Studies
International Institute for Asian Studies
The International Institute for Asian Studies is a postdoctoral research centre based in Leiden and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its objective is to encourage the interdisciplinary and comparative study of Asia and promote national and international cooperation...
, under the sponsorship of Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai.
Books and articles
- The Arrow and the Spindle: Studies in History, Myths, Rituals and Beliefs in Tibet. Kathmandu: Mandala Book 1988
- Vairocana and the rGyud-bzhi. Tibetan Medicine, a Publication for the Study of Tibetan Medicine, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: Dharamsala 1989
- New Horizons in Bon Studies, co-authored with Yasuhiko Nagano, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka 2000
- A Survey of Bonpo Monasteries and Temples in Tibet and the Himalaya, co-authored with Yasuhiko Nagano, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, 2003
- Bon: The Magic Word: The Indigenous Religion of Tibet, co-authored with Jeff Watt, Philip Wilson Publishers, London 2007.
- Little Luminous Boy. The Oral Tradition from the Land of Zhang Zhung, White Orchid Press, 1988
- Treasury of Good Sayings. A Tibetan History of Bon , Motilal Barnasidas,2001
- The Great Perfection (rDzogs chen in Tibetan),A Philosophical and Meditative Teaching of Tibetan Buddhism,Brill, 2007
- Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama: The Gold Manuscript in the Fournier Collection Musee Guimet, Paris, Serindia Publications ,1991
Religion and Politics: commentary, Where Tibetans Write, September 2008, http://www.tibetwrites.org/?Religion-and-Politics-commentary