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1	Piercing to the Pith of the Body: The Evolution of Body Mandala and Tantric Corporeality in Tibet Dachille, Rae 18 September 2017 (has links) Buddhist tantric practitioners embrace the liminal status of the human body to manifest divine identity. In piercing to the pith of human embodiment, the tantric practitioner reconfigures the shape and contours of his/her reality. This article investigates the evolution of one particular technique for piercing to the pith of the body on Tibetan soil, a ritual practice known as body mandala [lus dkyil Skt. deha-man. d. ala]. In particular, it uncovers a significant shift of emphasis in the application of the Guhyasamaja body mandala practice initiated by champions of the emerging Gandenpa [Dga' ldan pa] or Gelukpa [Dge lugs pa] tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) and Mkhas grub rje (1385-1438). This article reveals some of the radical implications of ritual exegesis, ranging from the socioreligious aspects of securing prestige for a tradition to the ultimate soteriological goals of modifying the boundaries between life and death and ordinary and enlightened embodiment. tantra body mandala tantric ritual Guhyasamaja Tantra Mkhas grub rje sadhana bardo
2	The Brain on Ritual: How Tantric Puja Shapes the Mind Morton, Sherry Lynn 09 April 2010 (has links) Traditional ritual studies approaches to the body are effective for illuminating how the body functions as an entity that absorbs and expresses a variety of social, and political dynamics; however, they are less productive for understanding the body as a physical organism. This interdisciplinary thesis applies theoretical models from cognitive science, social psychology and ritual studies to the Śrī Cakra Pūjā in order to develop a more complete understanding of the ritual body as a physical body. Using Lawrence Barsalou’s theory of embodied cognition, which focuses on the impact of human experiences on the creation and integration of neural pathways, this essay, argues that Śrī Cakra Pūjā affects the mind by shaping the neural architecture of the brain. This cognitive perspective on religious ritual practice is compared with the more traditional ritual studies approach of Catherine Bell in an effort to provide a more complete understanding of the religious ritual body, brain and mind. Ritualization Catherine Bell Ritual body Ritual practice ?r? Cakra P?j? Tantric ritual Cognitive science Embodied Cognition Social psychology Evolution Brain Mind Lawrence Barsalou Religion

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Piercing to the Pith of the Body: The Evolution of Body Mandala and Tantric Corporeality in Tibet

The Brain on Ritual: How Tantric Puja Shapes the Mind