Lecture on Tibetian demonology by Prof. Karénina Kollmar-Paulenz

 

Professor Karénina Kollmar-Paulenz (Univerity of Bern) will give a lecture titled "How to use belief to overcome belief: Demons in the Tibetan Buddhist gcod‐ritual" on March 27, 2018 at 16:15. The lecture will take place at the University of Tartu von Bock building (Ülikooli 16) room no. 215.

Abstract of the lecture: In the Tibetan Buddhist ritual of “cutting off” (Tib. gcod) the perception of the world as animated and inhabited by beings potentially harmful to humans is actively engaged in the endeavour to attain enlightenment. This lecture aims to explore the two levels of Tibetan demonology on which the gCod tradition draws: the belief in a demonic reality as well as the belief in its non‐existence. Furthermore, based on this case study I will discuss our scholarly efforts to deal with (vernacular) religion.

The lecture it is co-organised by the University of Tartu, the Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts (GSCSA) and the Estonian Society for the Study of Religions. Prof. Kollmar-Paulenz's visit to the University of Tartu is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (University of Tartu ASTRA Project PER ASPERA).

More information: Ülo Valk, Professor of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu, e-mail: ulo.valk@ut.ee.