The Eighth Karmapa's Life and his Interpretation of the Great Seal

This book investigates Mikyö Dorjes biographies and carries out case studies of some of his mahamudra (Great Seal) teachings, Buddhist instructions for the acquisition of meditative insight. After surveying a variety of textual sources for the study of the Karmapas life and works, this book shows how he developed into one of the most productive scholars of his tradition, who, located within the shifting religious and political hegemonies of his time, managed to acquire a status of singular importance to his school. Rheingans then goes on to analyse Mikyö Dorjes mahamudra teachings by examining selected texts that contain such instructions in historical and doctrinal context. This study contends that the Kagyüpa mahamudra constitutes less a static system than an independent key instruction to be adapted by the guru to different students requirements and are thus chiefly characterised by didactic pragmatism.

Dr. Jim Rheingans, 2015-2016 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter - Universität Hamburg, AAI, Abt. Indien und Tibet - ITAS-Numata Research Fellow in Tibetan Buddhist Studies. Von Sept.-Dez. 2015 Professurvertretung Tibetologie - Universität Kopenhagen, Cross-cultural and Regional Studies. 2011-2015 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter - Universität Hamburg, AAI, Abt. Indien und Tibet - DFG-Projekt: Die Schriften des Achten Karmapa Mi-bskyod-rdo-rje: Entstehung, Überlieferung und Genre; mit ausführlichem Katalog. 2010-2011 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter - Universität Bonn, IOA, Abt. für Mongolistik und Tibetstudien - Forschung und Lehre (Assistenz der Professur Tibetstudien). Seit März 2016 Lehrstuhlvertretung der Professur für Sprache und Kultur Zentralasiens (Schwerpunkt Tibetstudien) - Universität Bonn, IOA, Abt. für Mongolistik und Tibetstudien.