Thoughts And Folklore Studies Tibetan Reincarnation

Faith in the wheel of karma, widely known as ’reincarnation’, is a major feature of Tibetan culture, and it is also the foundation of Tibetan ethics. Tibetans believe that goodness will meet with good recompense and evil with evil recompense. Moreover, the karma of the present life will affect the next life. This retributive system urges Tibetans to make good, whereas it prevents them from making evil. Entering the Tibetan world, it is possible to see, hear and feel their faithful expressions of the philosophy of reincarnation.In this thesis, the author aims to address those Tibetan cultural expressions that reflect Tibetans’ belief in reincarnation. Though previous studies have provided an insight in our understanding of Tibetan belief in reincarnation, the innovative point of the present work lays in the consistency of the analysis through a range of aspects and sources that reflect Tibetans’ philosophy of reincarnation.There are three chapters in this thesis. The first chapter is "The Origin and Features of Tibetan Reincarnation Philosophy", the second is "Tibetan Folk Culture related to Reincarnation Philosophy", and the third is "Tibetan Value System and Society influenced by The Reincarnation Philosophy".The first chapter explores the historical development of reincarnation philosophy, and also the social background from which Tibetan reincarnation philosophy was formed. Since the idea reincarnation originated in India, the first section begins with Indian Buddhism. Subsequently, following the historical transmission of Buddhism out of India, the next part discusses the Chinese interpretation of the reincarnation philosophy, hereafter probe into the development of the reincarnation philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism. Due to the big difference between Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism in their respective attitudes towards reincarnation, a comparison between them will clearly show the specificity of Tibetan Buddhism thought about reincarnation. The second section retraces Tibetan Buddhism’s explanation of the theory of reincarnation in their major scriptures and their practical implications. The third section sums up the main features of Tibetan reincarnation philosophy.The second chapter investigates some aspects of Tibetan rich folk culture shaped by the reincarnation philosophy. The first section is about funeral customs. On this aspect, many scholars have made great achievements, especially on the subject of "sky burial" prevalent in Central Tibet. However, considering the extension and variety of Tibet areas, sky burial is not representative of the whole of Tibetans’ funeral customs. Based on fieldwork data, the focus of this section is on a cremation ritual observed in Nimi village, located in Deqin prefecture (northern Yunnan province) and its reflection on Tibetan reincarnation philosophy. The second section is about birth customs and the education of Tibetan children, including folk sayings about pregnancy, the social phenomenon of trying to guess babies’previous lives, and the social education of children about good and evil. Because of a lack of reference data, I quoted some stories that I’ve heard form Tibetans and recollections of some Tibetan writers about his childhood. The third section seeks the expression of Tibetan reincarnation philosophy in literary and artistic sources, including the most famous Tibetan collection of sayings in verses "The Elegant Sayings of Sakya Pandita"(Sa sKya Legs bShad), a Tibetan epic masterpiece "The Epic of Gesar, King of Ling"(GlingGeSarrGyal poi sGrung), a classical play "The Biography of the Flawless Prince"(rGyal Bu Dri Med Kun IDanGyirNmThar), and a folk story called "A story of tea and salt". To different extents, Tibetans are all familiar with these works and therefore they contribute to shape their idea of reincarnation.The third chapter inquires into Tibetan worldview, and its practical impact on their lives and through the concerned written sources. The four sections in this chapter approach the topic from different angles:Tibetan Views on Death, on Life, on Nature, and on Work. It could say that Tibetan sense of values is overall strongly influenced by the philosophy of reincarnation.In conclusion, the wheel of karma, or reincarnation is the fundamental teaching of Tibetan Buddhism and it has profoundly influenced Tibetan way of life. Thus at present, the philosophy of reincarnation has been playing a major role as a guiding ideology for Tibetan people.