Re-Enacting the Past, A Cultural History of the School of gTsang smyon Heruka

This book is devoted to the study of the so-called “School of gTsang smyon,” i.e. the religious community that gathered around the Tibetan master gTsang smyon Heruka (1452–1507). Looking at a broad range of historical sources and reconstructing the religious and political context of the time, it sheds light on the school’s history, arguing that it represented an influential factor in the construction and codification of the self-representation of the bKa’ brgyud school in the south-western borderlands. This contribution provides an overview of the whole literary production of the tradition: besides the well-known narrative works, special attention is given to texts devoted to the esoteric practices of the Aural Transmission of Ras chung pa (ras chung snyan brgyud). A detailed handlist includes the bibliographic description of over 80 printed editions realised by the school in the 16th century, thus providing the most comprehensive overview of this xylographic production to date, as well as a substantial corpus for the study of Tibetan book history.