CAS Speaker Series
Transcultural Asia
Friday, April 22, 2016, 3:30 p.m.
Guggenheim 205, CU-Boulder
Presentation by John Osburg, Department of Anthropology at the University of Rochester. In the context of a perceived spiritual and moral crisis in Chinese society, growing numbers of Han Chinese are turning to Tibetan Buddhism for ethical guidance. This talk is based on an ethnographic study of a group of wealthy, urban Han Chinese who have become followers of Tibetan Buddhism and patrons of reincarnated lamas and charismatic Tibetan monks. Dr. Osburg will examine the sources of the appeal of Tibetan Buddhism for wealthy Han and the range of ways in which they integrate Buddhist principles and ritual practice into their lives. For some, donations to monks serve as a form of "spiritual protection money" that will safeguard their businesses and enhance their careers, while for others Buddhist principles become the basis for dramatic moral and social self-transformation.
Sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies, the Department of Geography, and the Tibet Himalaya Initiative.