Social Life of Tibetan Biography

Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa is assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Grinnell College.

This book examines the life and lineage of the turn-of-the-century Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tokden Shakya Shri as well as presenting the reader with considerable detail about his remarkable ability to inspire disciples to carry his teachings throughout Tibet and the Himalayan chain. . . .The language style adopted by Holmes is well suited to this volume. She avoids an overly complex approach and delights in the whimsical. . . .Due to her sound connections to several of Shakya Shri’s living descendants, Holmes has shown herself well able to expand and add to the pioneering work of Elizabeth Stutchbury. On many occasions the narrative is enlivened by anecdote and memory, thereby adding to the sense that the life of Shakya Shri is still vital in both memory and practice in the Himalayas and beyond. What Holmes has presented us with is, in a manner of speaking, a thorough study of a highly unusual biography. The book is both of considerable value to scholars in the field as well as to those who study the 'art' of religious biography.

• Chapter 1: Textual Networks: The Biography Chapter 2: Contextual Networks: Temporal, Spatial, and Conceptual Landscapes in the Life of Shakya Shri Chapter 3: Interpersonal Networks: The Politics of Friendship and Alternative Institutions in the Religious Education of Shakya Shri Chapter 4: Visionary Networks: Representing Visionary Power and the Miraculous in The Garland of FlowersChapter 5: Networks of Advertising: Shakya Shri’s Renovations of the Stupas of Kathmandy Valley Chapter 6: Networks of Bone Sons: The Family Lineage of Tokden Shakya ShriChapter 7: Networks of Heart Sons: The Students of Tokden Shakya Shri